Device locked to deleted or inaccessible tenant — factory reset to re-enroll

Android

When your Esper tenant is deleted or you lose access to it, devices previously enrolled under that tenant remain locked under MDM management and cannot be re-enrolled elsewhere without first being wiped.

Why this happens

Esper Agent enforces a persistent management profile on the device. Even after the tenant that issued that profile is deleted, the profile remains active on the device itself. The only way to remove it without a live tenant connection is a full factory reset, which erases the management profile along with all device data.

Before you start

• Confirm you have physical access to the device.
• A factory reset erases all data, accounts, and apps on the device. This cannot be undone.
• If your original Esper tenant still exists and you can log in, contact Esper Support instead — remote unenrollment may be possible without a factory reset.

Step 1: Factory reset the device

Choose the method that applies to your situation.

Option A: Reset through Esper Settings (preferred)

1. Open the Esper Settings app on the device.
2. Navigate to About → Admin Mode.
3. Tap Factory Reset.
4. Confirm the reset when prompted and wait for the device to complete the wipe cycle and reboot.

Option B: Reset using hardware recovery mode

Use this option if the Esper Settings app is locked, hidden, or otherwise inaccessible.

1. Power off the device completely.
2. Press and hold the hardware key combination to enter recovery mode. On most Android devices this is Power + Volume Down held simultaneously — consult your device manufacturer's documentation if this combination does not work.
3. Use the volume keys to highlight Wipe data / Factory reset and press the power button to confirm.
4. Allow the device to complete the wipe and reboot to the Android setup wizard.

Step 2: Re-enroll the device under your new tenant

1. Once the device reaches the Android setup wizard, the previous Esper management profile has been removed and the device is ready to provision.
2. Log in to the Esper Console at console.esper.io under your new tenant account.
3. Provision the device using one of the supported enrollment methods:
   • QR code provisioning
   • Zero-Touch Enrollment
   • Knox Mobile Enrollment (KME)
   • Android for Work (AfW) token
4. Complete the enrollment flow as directed by your chosen provisioning method.

Verify: The device should appear in Devices & Groups in your new Esper Console with a new Device ID and a status of Active within a few minutes of completing enrollment.

Troubleshooting

Tenant deletion is still in progress

Wait for the deletion to complete before attempting the factory reset. If you are unsure of your tenant's current status, contact Esper Support with your tenant name and the email address associated with the account.

Device is in kiosk or fully managed mode with reset restrictions

Some device manufacturers and kiosk enclosures block access to hardware recovery mode. Contact your device manufacturer for model-specific recovery instructions.

Factory Reset Protection (FRP) activates after the wipe

If a personal Google account was added to the device before enrollment, a factory reset can trigger FRP and require those Google credentials before setup can continue. Retrieve access to the Google account that was linked to the device, or follow Google's enterprise FRP guidance for your device model.

Hardware key combination does not open recovery mode

The Power + Volume Down combination is common but not universal. Consult your device manufacturer's documentation for the exact key sequence required to enter recovery mode on your specific model.

If this doesn't resolve it

If the device cannot be reset using either method above, contact Esper Support with the following information:

• Device manufacturer, model, and Android version
• The name of the original Esper tenant (if known)
• A description of what happens when you attempt the factory reset (error messages, screens reached, key combinations tried)

Still need help?

If the steps above don't resolve the issue, submit a support ticket with your device model, Android version, Esper Agent version, and a description of what you've already tried — this helps the support team investigate without a follow-up.