Windows offboarding in Hexnode: Wipe vs Disenroll and license releaseSolved

Hi @remi,

For Windows device offboarding, the correct action depends on whether you want to erase the device or only remove Hexnode management.

Wipe Device

• Performs a complete factory reset of the Windows device.
• Permanently removes user data and files from the device.
• Removes configurations and policies pushed through Hexnode.
• Disenrolls the device from Hexnode after the wipe is completed.
• Releases the Hexnode license assigned to that device, making it available for another device.
• Windows will need to be manually reinstalled before the device can be used again.

Disenroll Device

Use Disenroll Device when you only want to remove the device from Hexnode management while keeping the user’s files, apps, and Windows installation intact.

A successful disenrollment removes Hexnode-applied configurations and policies and automatically releases the Hexnode license.

For a corporate-owned Windows device that is being returned and reassigned, the recommended workflow is:

1. If BitLocker is enabled, decrypt the device first.
2. Keep the device online and checked in.
3. Run the Wipe Device action.
4. Reinstall Windows manually.
5. Re-enroll the device using your standard Windows enrollment method.

A separate Disenroll action is not required after a completed Wipe, because the wipe already removes Hexnode management and releases the license.

Regards,
Sienna Carter
Hexnode UEM

That helps. What about re-enrollment after the wipe? Once Windows is manually installed again, do we need to clean anything on the device before enrolling it back into Hexnode? Also, how should we handle laptops that are offline or no longer available?

Hi @remi,

If the device was completely wiped and Windows was manually reinstalled, no additional Hexnode cleanup is required on the device. You can enroll it again using your existing Windows enrollment method.

The cleanup behavior is different when the device is disenrolled while offline:

– If the device is online when disenrolled, the action is executed immediately and Hexnode-related accounts and registry entries are removed from the device.
– If the device is offline when the disenroll action is triggered, the device cannot receive the command. In that case, Hexnode can release the license from the portal by marking the device as disenrolled, but the configurations on the offline device are not removed automatically.

If that offline device becomes available again, any remaining management traces or configurations must be removed manually before re-enrolling it.

Regards,
Sienna Carter
Hexnode UEM