Uninstalling

Remove a server from SimpleBackups and revoke our access to it.

Removing a server is as simple as connecting one: delete it from your dashboard and SimpleBackups cleans up after itself on the machine.

Removing a server

Go to your servers page and delete the server from the list.

iBackups must be removed first

A server cannot be deleted while backups or stacks still reference it. Delete or reassign those first, then remove the server.

SimpleBackups then connects to the server and:

1. Stops any backup in progress — running tar and rclone processes are terminated
2. Removes the operations directory — the temporary working directory holding your unique key and the cloud syncing tool
3. Revokes its own access — the SimpleBackups public keys are removed from the user's authorized_keys file, so we can no longer connect
4. Removes the server from your dashboard

+Tip

Removal is queued and can take a couple of minutes to complete.

If the server is unreachable

If SimpleBackups cannot reach the server — it is offline, firewalled, or already destroyed — the server is still removed from your dashboard, but the remote cleanup cannot run. The dashboard tells you a manual uninstall may be required.

To clean up by hand in that case, on the server:

• Delete the SimpleBackups operations directory
• Remove any simplebackups entries from ~/.ssh/authorized_keys for the user we connected as

iNote

The cleanup script writes a timestamped authorized_keys.bak-<timestamp> backup before editing the file. It is safe to delete once you have confirmed access is revoked — but note it still contains the old key entries until you do.

Removing a server that uses the Agent

For servers connected through the SimpleBackups Agent, deleting the server removes it from your dashboard and clears the operations directory, but the agent service itself is not uninstalled. Since the agent connects outbound over HTTPS and there is no SSH key to revoke, you need to remove it yourself:

1. Delete the server from your SimpleBackups dashboard
2. On the machine, stop and disable the agent service
3. Remove the agent binary and its configuration directory

Until you do step 2, the agent keeps running locally, though it no longer has a server record to receive work for.

What is not removed

Deleting a server does not touch your backup files. Anything already uploaded stays in your storage provider — SimpleBackups never deletes your data as part of an uninstall. Remove those files through your storage provider if you no longer want them, or see Retention.

Account cancellationCancel your subscription or delete your SimpleBackups account entirely.›Restricting SimpleBackups permissionsLimit what SimpleBackups can access before you connect a server.›