// Module included in the following assemblies:
//
// * machine_management/deleting-machine.adoc
// * windows_containers/removing-windows-nodes.adoc

:_mod-docs-content-type: PROCEDURE
[id="machine-delete_{context}"]
= Deleting a specific machine

You can delete a specific machine.

[IMPORTANT]
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Do not delete a control plane machine unless your cluster uses a control plane machine set.
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.Prerequisites

* Install an {product-title} cluster.
* Install the OpenShift CLI (`oc`).
* Log in to `oc` as a user with `cluster-admin` permission.

.Procedure

. View the machines that are in the cluster by running the following command:
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[source,terminal]
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$ oc get machine -n openshift-machine-api
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The command output contains a list of machines in the `<clusterid>-<role>-<cloud_region>` format.

. Identify the machine that you want to delete.

. Delete the machine by running the following command:
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[source,terminal]
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$ oc delete machine <machine> -n openshift-machine-api
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[IMPORTANT]
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By default, the machine controller tries to drain the node that is backed by the machine until it succeeds. In some situations, such as with a misconfigured pod disruption budget, the drain operation might not be able to succeed. If the drain operation fails, the machine controller cannot proceed removing the machine.

You can skip draining the node by annotating `machine.openshift.io/exclude-node-draining` in a specific machine.
====
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If the machine that you delete belongs to a machine set, a new machine is immediately created to satisfy the specified number of replicas.