# How to wipe corporate data from a device?

**Corporate Data Wipe** is a remote management action used to remove enterprise-specific files, applications, and configurations from a device while leaving the user’s personal data untouched.

**Corporate Wipe vs. Complete Device Wipe**
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Choosing the correct wipe method depends on device ownership and the necessity of data retention.

FeatureComplete Device WipeCorporate Data Wipe**Data Impact**Deletes all data (Personal + Corporate).Deletes only MDM-deployed data.**Device State**Restores to factory defaults.Device remains in an unmanaged/personal state.**Use Case**Lost/Stolen corporate-owned devices.Employee offboarding for BYOD (Personally-owned).**Methods to Perform a Corporate Data Wipe**
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Organizations can trigger a corporate wipe by either disenrolling the device or removing associated management policies.

### **1. Disenrolling the Device**

Disenrollment is the most direct way to execute a corporate wipe. This action:

- Removes the device from the Hexnode UEM portal.
- Strips all applied policies, configurations (Wi-Fi, VPN), and managed apps from the device.
- Reverts the device to an unmanaged state.

### **2. Archiving or Deleting Policies**

If you wish to remove specific corporate configurations without full disenrollment, you can manage the policies directly.

### **To Archive a Policy**

1. Log in to the **Hexnode portal**.
2. Navigate to **Policies**.
3. Select the target policy.
4. Click **Manage > Move to Archive**.

 Note: 
 Restoring an archived policy via **Archived Policies > Manage > Restore** will not retain previous policy targets.

 

 
 ### **Removing Policies from Specific Devices**

To remove a policy and its associated corporate data from an endpoint without archiving the policy entirely, use one of these two methods:

### **Method 1: From the Policies Tab**

1. Navigate to **Policies**.
2. Select the existing policy.
3. Go to the **Policy Targets** sub-tab.
4. Click **remove** next to the specific devices.

### **Method 2: From Device Details**

1. Go to the **Manage** tab.
2. Click on the specific **Device Name**.
3. Navigate to the **Policies** sub-tab.
4. Click the **Trash Icon** next to the policy name.

**Automated Corporate App Removal**
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Hexnode allows for the automatic deletion of corporate applications when a policy is removed or a device is disenrolled.

### **For Android and iOS (Required Apps)**

To ensure apps are removed when a policy is disassociated, enable the following setting:

- **Path:** **Policies > iOS/Android > App Management > Required Apps**.
- **Setting:** Enable **“Remove apps from the device on policy removal”**.

### **For iOS Enterprise (In-House) Apps**

1. Select the **Apps** tab in the Hexnode portal.
2. Click **+ Add Apps > Enterprise App**.
3. Choose **iOS** as the platform.
4. Check **Remove on disenroll**.
5. (Optional) Enable **Prevent app backup** to ensure corporate data cannot be restored via personal backups.
6. Click **Add**.

**Troubleshooting Guides**
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ProblemResolution**Corporate apps remain after policy removal**Ensure the option **“Remove apps from the device on policy removal”** was enabled in the **Required Apps** settings before the policy was removed.**Wi-Fi/VPN settings persist after wipe**Verify that the device is **Online**. Remote wipe commands require an active internet connection to reach the device and pull configurations.**Cannot find restored policy targets**Policy targets are intentionally not retained during a restore from the **Archive**. You must manually re-assign the policy to the intended devices/groups.**In-house iOS app data backed up to iCloud**This occurs if **“Prevent app backup”** was not checked during the initial app upload. Re-configure the app settings in the **Apps** tab.