Assign and recover hardware

Assign a hardware asset to a person to record who holds it, then recover it when the device comes back. Both actions update the asset's status and add a dated row to its assignment history, so the register stays accurate and you keep an audit trail of every hand-over and return.

You work from an asset's detail page in the admin console. An asset has one active assignment at a time — recover the current holder before you assign it to someone else.

:::note Before you begin

• You have an admin role (admin, it-admin, or super-admin).
• The asset already exists in the register. To add one, see Add a hardware asset.
• The person you're assigning to already has a user account in your workspace. :::

Assign an asset to a person

1. Open Hardware in the sidebar and select the asset you want to assign.
2. In the right column, find the Assign this asset card. It appears only when the asset isn't already assigned.
3. Set the fields below, then select Assign.

Field	Required	Default	Notes
Assign to	Yes	—	Search by name or email to filter the list. Only existing workspace users appear.
Assignment notes	No	Empty	Free text up to 2000 characters — accessories included, condition at hand-over, or a ticket reference.

The asset's status changes to Assigned, and the page shows a Currently assigned to card with the employee, their job title, and the assignment date. The employee gets an in-app notification and sees the device on their My hardware page.

note

If the asset was assigned a moment ago in another session, you'll see This hardware is already assigned. Recover the active assignment first, then assign again.

tip

You can't assign one device to several people — each asset has one holder. To hand many assets to one person at once, select the rows on the Hardware list and use Assign to in the selection bar. Rows that are already assigned are skipped.

Recover an asset when it's returned

To close out an assignment when the device comes back, recover it. This stamps the return on the assignment record and moves the asset to whatever status fits its next state.

1. Open the assigned asset.
2. In the right column, use the Recover this asset card. It replaces the assign card while the asset is assigned.
3. Set the fields below, then select Recover asset and confirm.

Field	Required	Default	Notes
Return condition	Yes	Excellent	One of Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, or Broken. This value also becomes the asset's overall condition.
Move to	Yes	Available	The asset's next status. See the options below.
Return notes	No	Empty	Free text up to 2000 characters — record damage or missing accessories.

The Move to status options:

Status	Use when
Available	The device is ready to assign to someone else.
In storage	The device is held in stock but not in active use.
In repair	The device needs servicing before it goes out again.
Retired	The device is taken out of service.
Disposed	The device has left the fleet (sold, recycled, destroyed).

warning

Choosing Disposed or Retired changes only the asset's status — it doesn't record how the device's data was sanitised. For disposal evidence, mint a wipe certificate from the Data sanitisation card on the asset page.

What changes

Assigning and recovering update three things together:

Surface	On assign	On recover
Status	Set to Assigned.	Set to your Move to choice (for example, Available or In storage).
Current holder	The Currently assigned to card shows the active assignee.	The card disappears.
Assignment history	A new dated row opens with the user, From date, and who assigned it.	The same row's To date and Condition fill in.

Closed assignments stay in the Assignment history table on the asset page as a permanent record. The table columns are User, From, To, Condition, and Assigned by.

Record a signed handover or return

The assign and recover actions log the change internally. When you need a document the employee signs — an equipment hand-over or return acknowledgement — create a transfer agreement instead of, or alongside, the assignment.

Transfer agreements are a separate feature under Transfer agreements in the sidebar. Choose the type (Transfer to hand equipment out, or Return to record its return), pick the employee and the assets, then issue a PDF for signature. A draft is editable; once issued, the agreement is locked and only its signed or voided state can change.

Verify

• The asset's status badge reads Assigned after assigning, or your chosen status after recovering.
• The Assignment history table shows a new row with the correct dates and the assignee. After a recovery, the row's To date and Condition are filled in.
• After assigning, the employee sees the device on their My hardware page.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to do
The Assign card isn't showing	The asset is already assigned. Use the Recover this asset card first, then assign it to the new holder.
This hardware is already assigned.	Another active assignment exists for this asset. Recover it, then assign again.
The person isn't in the Assign to list	They don't have a user account in this workspace yet. Add the user, then return to the asset and assign.
You can't add the asset to the shared pool	An asset that's permanently assigned can't also be a pool loaner. Recover it first, then enable the pool option.

Related

Add a hardware assetCreate the asset record before you assign it.Read →Bulk actions and importAssign many assets to one person from the list view.Read →QR codes and labelsPrint labels so holders can scan a device to its record.Read →Hardware overviewHow the hardware register fits together.Read →