How to delete a UniFi site or remove it from Site Manager (2026)
Deleting a UniFi site and removing it from Site Manager are two different jobs. Deleting a site in the UniFi Network application erases that site's configuration from the controller. Removing a site from Site Manager at unifi.ui.com only takes it off your dashboard.
Which one you need depends on where the site lives:
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| A site inside a multi-site controller (UniFi OS Server, a hosted controller, a Cloud Key) | Delete it in the Network application |
| The default site | You can't delete it. Leave it empty |
| An old console that is offline for good | Remove it from Site Manager |
| A client's site you no longer manage | Have the owner remove your admin account |
| A console you own and still run | Transfer ownership or factory reset it |
Delete a site vs remove it from Site Manager
A controller that runs multiple sites holds each one as a separate set of devices and settings. Ubiquiti's backup guide calls this cross-site management and lists the Cloud Key, Official UniFi Hosting and self-hosted UniFi OS Server as options that support it. Deleting one of those sites removes it from the controller.
Site Manager is Ubiquiti's portal at unifi.ui.com. It shows every UniFi site your UI account owns or administers. It holds no configuration itself, so removing an entry there leaves the console and its settings as they are.
How to delete a site in the UniFi Network application
Make a restore point first. Deleting a site can't be undone, and a backup is the only way back.
- For the whole controller, download a backup under Settings > Control Plane > Backups. Our guide to backing up your UniFi controller covers the details.
- For just this site, use Export Site under Settings > System > Site Management. See our guide to exporting a UniFi site.
Then move any devices you want to keep to another site, and forget the ones you're retiring. Ubiquiti's factory reset article explains that Forget removes a device from the application and returns it to factory defaults.
To delete the site:
- Open the site switcher and select the site you want to delete. You can't delete the default site.
- Go to Settings > System > Site Management. Ubiquiti's backup guide uses this page for Export Site.
- Look for the Delete Site option on that page and confirm. Ubiquiti's Help Center doesn't document this button, so check the wording on your version.
If you don't see a site switcher, Multi-Site Management is off. Ubiquiti's backup guide says you turn it on under Settings > System > Site Management.
Update the Network application before you start. UniFi Network 8.4.59 fixed a rare bug where deleting a site also removed admins from all other sites. Versions 8.3.32 and 9.0.114 fixed bugs that blocked deleting sites on multi-site setups.
You can't delete the default site
The default site can't be deleted. We saw this ourselves in 2024, and users on Ubiquiti's community forum report the same on UniFi OS Server in 2026. Ubiquiti's Help Center doesn't document it.
Community users say the default site is the first one you set up, even if you renamed it later. If you're looking for the Delete button and it isn't there, check whether you're on that site.
Our advice: create a new site for each location or client, and leave the default site empty. Rename it to something like "Default - do not use" so nobody puts devices there by accident.
How to remove a site from UniFi Site Manager
Site Manager builds its list from your UI account. Ubiquiti says it shows every site you own or have administrative access to. So the way to remove one depends on why it's still there.
Ubiquiti's Help Center doesn't document removing a site or console from Site Manager. Its Site Manager release notes only mention an improved experience for removing sites (4.10.16, April 2025). The steps below combine Ubiquiti's docs with community reports, and we say which is which.
A site inside a multi-site controller
Delete the site in the Network application, as described above. One user on Ubiquiti's community forum reports that the site then dropped off Site Manager as well. Ubiquiti doesn't document this.
An old console that is offline for good
This is the common case after a migration. The old controller is switched off, but it still shows up as offline in Site Manager.
Users on Ubiquiti's community forum describe these steps:
- Sign in at unifi.ui.com in a web browser.
- Click the offline console or site.
- Confirm the removal in the prompt.
The same reports say the remove option doesn't appear right away. They put the wait at two to three days offline. None of this is in Ubiquiti's Help Center, so the details may change.
Only remove consoles you have really retired. One user removed an offline Dream Machine by mistake. The advice in that thread was to sign in on the console locally and turn Remote Management back on. Ubiquiti's Remote Management article puts that setting under Settings > Control Plane > Console.
A client's site you no longer manage
Site Manager shows sites where your account is an admin, even if you aren't the owner. Ask the site's owner to remove your admin account. Because Site Manager only lists sites you own or administer, the site should then leave your list.
A console you own and still run
Site Manager lists a console for as long as your account owns it or is an admin on it. Ubiquiti documents two ways to hand over or wipe a console. Neither article says what Site Manager shows afterwards.
- Transfer ownership. In the console's Control Plane, click Transfer Ownership and pick the new owner (Ownership Transfer). If you still have admin access after that, the new owner can remove it.
- Factory reset the console. An owner can do this with the Factory Reset button in the UniFi OS System settings. This wipes the console, so take a backup first.
Removing a site from a Fabric
If you use UniFi Fabrics, removing a site from a Fabric only takes it out of that Fabric. The Fabric owner opens the Fabric in Site Manager, clicks Configure, then Remove Sites (Getting Started with UniFi Fabrics).
Frequently asked questions
Can you delete the default site in UniFi?
No. The default site can't be deleted. We and other users have seen this on both UniFi OS Server and the older Network Server. Leave it empty and create new sites for your locations.
Can I undo deleting a site?
No. There's no undo, so only a backup brings it back. Restore a controller backup, or import the site file you exported with Export Site.
Why is there no Delete Site button?
You're probably on the default site. Switch to the site you want to delete with the site switcher. If there's no site switcher, Multi-Site Management is turned off.
How do I remove an offline site from UniFi Site Manager?
Ubiquiti doesn't document it. Users report that you sign in at unifi.ui.com in a browser and click the offline site. Once it has been offline for a few days, Site Manager offers to remove it.
Final thoughts
Deleting a site is quick. The work is in the preparation: a fresh backup or site export, and every device you want to keep moved to another site first.
If you run many client sites on one multi-site controller, that controller's backups matter more than any single site. If you'd rather not run it yourself, UniHosted hosts UniFi OS Server for MSPs with daily backups on paid plans. Your hosted controllers show up in Site Manager next to the rest of your sites.