---
title: "node rm"
description: "The node rm command description and usage"
keywords: "node, remove"
---

<!-- This file is maintained within the docker/cli Github
     repository at https://github.com/docker/cli/. Make all
     pull requests against that repo. If you see this file in
     another repository, consider it read-only there, as it will
     periodically be overwritten by the definitive file. Pull
     requests which include edits to this file in other repositories
     will be rejected.
-->

# node rm

```markdown
Usage:	docker node rm [OPTIONS] NODE [NODE...]

Remove one or more nodes from the swarm

Aliases:
  rm, remove

Options:
  -f, --force   Force remove a node from the swarm
      --help    Print usage
```

## Description

When run from a manager node, removes the specified nodes from a swarm.


## Examples

### Remove a stopped node from the swarm

```bash
$ docker node rm swarm-node-02

Node swarm-node-02 removed from swarm
```
### Attempt to remove a running node from a swarm

Removes the specified nodes from the swarm, but only if the nodes are in the
down state. If you attempt to remove an active node you will receive an error:

```non
$ docker node rm swarm-node-03

Error response from daemon: rpc error: code = 9 desc = node swarm-node-03 is not
down and can't be removed
```

### Forcibly remove an inaccessible node from a swarm

If you lose access to a worker node or need to shut it down because it has been
compromised or is not behaving as expected, you can use the `--force` option.
This may cause transient errors or interruptions, depending on the type of task
being run on the node.

```bash
$ docker node rm --force swarm-node-03

Node swarm-node-03 removed from swarm
```

A manager node must be demoted to a worker node (using `docker node demote`)
before you can remove it from the swarm.

## Related commands

* [node demote](node_demote.md)
* [node inspect](node_inspect.md)
* [node ls](node_ls.md)
* [node promote](node_promote.md)
* [node ps](node_ps.md)
* [node update](node_update.md)
