A lost or stolen device is a stressful moment, but Intune gives you two remote actions to contain the risk immediately — the trick is knowing which one to use.

Retire vs. Wipe

• Retire removes only company data, apps, and profiles from the device, leaving personal data and apps untouched. This is the standard action for BYOD devices, or when an employee leaves the company but the phone is their own.
• Wipe resets the device back to factory settings, removing everything — company and personal data alike. This is the right call for a company-owned device that's lost or stolen, where there's no personal data to preserve.

Steps

1. In the Intune admin center, go to Devices > All devices and find the device.
2. Click into the device's page, then choose Retire or Wipe from the toolbar depending on which applies.
3. Confirm the action. The command is sent to the device and takes effect the next time it connects to the internet — it doesn't require the device to be in your hands.
4. For a stolen device with a cellular plan, also contact your carrier to suspend the line, and consider using Find My (iOS) or Find My Device (Android) if available, alongside the Intune action.

Common Questions

What if the device is offline when I issue the command?

The command queues and executes automatically the next time the device connects to the internet — there's no need to reissue it, though it also means a device kept permanently offline won't be affected until it reconnects.

Can a wipe be undone?

No — a full Wipe is irreversible and restores the device to factory settings, so only use it when you're certain the device won't be recovered, or when it's company-owned with no personal data to protect.