---
title: Deleting a collector service
slug: how-tos/o4O5-deleting-a-collector
createdAt: 2025-09-04T15:08:52.482Z
---

This page explains how to delete a **collector service**.

Collectors without active measurements can be safely deleted. After deletion, it is recommended to stop the collector service to prevent it from attempting to send data to the Historian.

:::hint{type="warning"}
For data continuity, it is best practice to first [ re-link a collector instance](docId\:LEQkpXddJqEnEPMncv45c) in the Historian webpage to a **new collector service**, and only then delete the old service.
:::

## Delete a collector service

Before deleting a collector service, **stop the collector service first**.

:::hint{type="info"}
If the service is not stopped, the deleted collector will enter an indefinite sleep state while keeping the service running. This is to prevent the collector from needlessly retrying the connection with the Historian server.
:::

## Collector service naming

Collector services are named after the collector UUID shown in the Historian. You can find the UUID by selecting the collector in the Historian webpage and checking the **ID** field in the details panel.

**Example:**

:::BlockQuote
05a094a4-118a-11ed-9351-0242ac1c0003
factry-collector-05a094a4-118a-11ed-9351-0242ac1c0003
:::

### Windows

1. Open the **Windows Services Manager**
2. Locate the collector service by name
3. Stop the service
4. Open a **Command Prompt as Administrator**
5. Delete the service:

```cmd
sc delete "factry-collector-service-name"
```

### Linux (systemd)

Run the following commands in a terminal with sudo privileges to stop, disable, and remove the collector service:

```bash
systemctl stop factry-collector-service-name
systemctl disable factry-collector-service-name
rm /etc/systemd/system/factry-collector-service-name.service
systemctl daemon-reload
```

## Expected outcome

After deleting a collector service:

- The collector service is removed from the host system
- No further data is sent by the deleted collector service

## Troubleshooting

### Collector continues sending data or is still reporting status

- Refresh the Historian webpage
- Confirm the collector service is stopped and removed from the host system
- Check for multiple collector services running for the same collector