How to Remove and Unclaim a Meraki Device

To remove a Meraki device from a network, open the network’s device list, tick the device and click Remove. That takes it out of the network but leaves it in your organization. To release it completely, so someone else can claim it, you also have to unclaim it from the organization’s inventory.

The short version: remove a device you’ll reuse elsewhere in your own organization; remove and unclaim one you’re selling or returning. Removing a working device disconnects its users, so do it outside business hours.

Remove, unclaim and delete compared

	What it does	Use it when
Remove from network	Takes the device out of one network; it stays in your inventory	Retiring a device or moving it to another site
Unclaim	Takes the device out of your organization entirely	Selling, returning or moving it to another organization
Delete network	Deletes a network’s configuration and client data; devices stay in inventory	Closing a site for good

Remove an access point or switch from a network

1. Select the network the device is in.
2. Go to Wireless > Monitor > Access points for an access point, or Switching > Monitor > Switches for a switch.
3. Tick the box next to the device.
4. Click Remove.

The device is out of the network but still claimed by your organization.

Remove an MX security appliance

Write down any static WAN IP settings first, under Appliance status > Uplink: they aren’t kept when the appliance is removed. If the MX is half of a warm-spare pair, go to Warm spare, set it to Disabled and click Update before you start.

1. Select the network the appliance is in.
2. Go to Security & SD-WAN > Monitor > Appliance status.
3. Click Remove appliance from network.
4. Check the serial number shown matches the unit you mean to remove.
5. Click Remove.

Removing an MV camera deletes its stored footage. Export anything you need to keep first.

Unclaim a device from your organization

Remove the device from its network first, then, as an organization administrator:

1. Go to Organization > Configure > Inventory.
2. Tick the box next to the device.
3. Click Unclaim.
4. Check the device no longer appears in the inventory list.

Organizations on per-device licensing use a slightly different path: Organization > Licensing & inventory, select the device, then More actions > Remove from organization.

Claimed vs unclaimed: a claimed device belongs to one organization’s inventory and can’t be added anywhere else. An unclaimed device is free for any organization to claim. A factory reset does not unclaim a device; only the dashboard does.

Delete a Meraki network

Deleting a network is permanent: its configuration and client history are gone, though its devices stay in your inventory. Turn off Auto VPN on the network first if it’s enabled.

1. Go to Organization > Overview.
2. Expand the network list with the arrow on the right.
3. Tick the network you want to delete.
4. Click Delete above the list.
5. Tick the confirmation box.
6. Click Delete networks.

What happens to the license?

Licenses stay with your organization. Under co-termination licensing, a device that’s out of every network no longer counts toward your licensed device total, so you can reuse that capacity for another device. Under per-device licensing, the license goes back to your pool as unassigned and can be applied to another device of the same type. Either way the license term keeps running.

Why unclaim before you sell or return a device?

A device still claimed by your organization can’t be added to anyone else’s dashboard. If you sell it or send it back without unclaiming, the new owner has a device they can’t use until you log back in and release it. Unclaim it while you still have the dashboard open; it takes a minute.

For how the dashboard manages devices in general, see Meraki cloud management explained.

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