> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://elephas.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Remove a Device or Handle a Lost or Stolen Computer

> Remove a computer from Elephas Personal Sync or your account, and what to do if it was lost or stolen. Learn what revoking stops and what it cannot erase.

To remove a computer, revoke it from **Settings › Sync** on another computer that syncs. Revoking cuts off its access to your synced data from then on and frees its place on your account. It cannot erase what is already stored on that computer.

<Info>
  Revoking from Settings › Sync needs Personal Sync, part of the Professional plan. For accounts without Sync, see "If you don't use Sync" below.
</Info>

## Before you start

* Use a **different** computer that syncs. A computer cannot revoke itself, so it has no **Revoke** button on its own row.
* You cannot revoke your last synced computer. Removing it would leave nothing able to read your synced data. See [Sync recovery](/docs/sync-and-devices/sync-recovery).
* The computer you remove does not need to be online. The one you revoke from does.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings › Sync on another computer">
    On Mac, choose **Elephas › Settings…** or press **⌘,**. On Windows, choose **File › Settings…** or press **Ctrl+,**. Then choose **Sync**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find the computer in Devices">
    Each row shows the computer's name, Mac or Windows, and its state, such as **Syncing** or **Signed in, not syncing**. Click **Refresh** if the list looks out of date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Revoke">
    Click **Revoke** on the computer's row.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    The **Revoke This Device?** dialog says: "Revoking cuts off all future access. Data already synced to that device cannot be remotely erased." Click **Revoke Device**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Elephas confirms: "Device revoked. Keys were rotated for the remaining devices."

## If the computer was lost or stolen

1. **Revoke it now**, from another synced computer, using the steps above. From that moment it cannot fetch anything new or send changes, and the encryption keys move on without it.
2. **Secure your Elephas account.** Anyone who can sign in to your account can use it on a device. Change how you sign in, for example your password, on the Elephas sign-in page.
3. **Protect the computer itself.** Use Find My (Mac) or Find my device (Windows) to locate or lock it. Revoking does not erase data that was already on it.
4. **Check Security History** in **Settings › Sync**. It lists device approvals, rejections and revocations, so you can spot anything you did not do.

## If you don't use Sync

On Personal, a free trial, or a Professional account without Sync, the computers on your account are listed in **Settings › Plan & Billing › Devices**. You move your account to another computer from that computer, with **Use This Device Instead**. In the confirm dialog, tick **That device is lost or stolen. Do not let it take the account back.** if it was lost or stolen. See [Move to a new computer](/docs/sync-and-devices/move-to-a-new-computer).

## What happens next

* **On the revoked computer**, Sync stops. Its Brains, files and chats stay on it, readable by whoever can use that computer and its user account. It shows "This device was removed from your account. AI cannot be used on it." For a device that was syncing, the Sync pane says: "This computer was revoked from sync."
* **On your other computers**, Elephas creates new encryption keys and shares them only with the remaining approved computers. Anything new is out of the revoked computer's reach.
* **On your account**, the revoked computer's place is free, so you can add another computer.
* **A revoked computer does not come back.** It cannot rejoin Sync or take your account back as it is.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="There is no Revoke button">
    You are looking at this computer's own row, or at your only synced computer. Revoke from a different synced computer. A computer still joining shows **Review** instead; reject it there.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I lost my only synced computer">
    Your synced data cannot be recovered without an approved computer. See [Sync recovery](/docs/sync-and-devices/sync-recovery).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The revoke failed">
    Check your connection, click **Refresh**, and try again. See [Sync troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting/sync-troubleshooting).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Sync encryption" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/sync-encryption" />

  <Card title="Move to a new computer" href="/docs/sync-and-devices/move-to-a-new-computer" />

  <Card title="Device limits" href="/docs/plans-and-billing/device-limits" />

  <Card title="Sync recovery" href="/docs/sync-and-devices/sync-recovery" />
</CardGroup>


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