How to remove a obsolete domain controller in Active Directory

To remove an obsolete domain controller from Active Directory, follow these steps:

1. Removing Metadata via Active Directory Users and Computers:
   • Log in to the domain controller server as a Domain/Enterprise administrator.
   • Navigate to Server Manager > Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers.
   • Expand the Domain > Domain Controllers.
   • Right-click on the domain controller you need to manually remove and click Delete.
   • Confirm the deletion by clicking Yes within the Active Directory Domain Services dialog box.
   • If the domain controller is a global catalog server, click Yes in the next window to continue with deletion.
   • If the domain controller holds any FSMO roles, click Ok to move them to an available domain controller.
2. Removing the DC Server Instance from Active Directory Sites and Services:
   • Go to Server Manager > Tools > Active Directory Sites and Services.
   • Expand the Sites and locate the server you want to remove.
   • Right-click on the server and click Delete.
   • Confirm the deletion by clicking Yes.
3. Remove Metadata via
   ntdsutil

   :

   • Open Command Prompt (admin) by right-clicking on Start and selecting it.
   • Type
     ntdsutil

     and press Enter.

   • You’ll be presented with the metadata cleanup prompt.
   • Next, type
     remove selected server <servername>

     (replace

     <servername>

     with the domain controller server you wish to remove).

   • Confirm by clicking Yes when presented with the warning window.
   • Execute the
     quit

     command twice to exit the console.

Remember that using

is still the proper way to remove a domain controller in an Active Directory infrastructure. However, certain situations, such as server crashes or DCPROMO failures, may require manual removal of the DC by cleaning up its metadata¹²³. 🗄️🔍