> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dishink.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Unmerging Tables

> Break a merged group apart — per-row Unmerge from the Merged Tables panel, what happens to the bill, and offline safety.

Unmerging separates a table from a merged group. The bill stays with the primary; the unmerged table returns to its own state.

## Overview

Unmerge is the inverse of [Merge](/tables/merging-tables), but it is **not** symmetric:

* The **primary table** keeps the merged bill and all its items.
* The **unmerged (secondary) table** returns to the floor plan as an **empty active session** — an open table with no items.
* If the unmerged table had a session before the merge, that session is **not** restored. Merging is a one-way absorption; unmerging just detaches.

## Unmerge a table

1. Tap any table in the merged group. The Table Session modal opens.
2. Scroll to the **Merged Tables** panel.
3. Beside each secondary table, tap **Unmerge**.

<Frame caption="Merged Tables panel with per-row Unmerge button">
  <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/dishink/images/tables/unmerging-tables.png" alt="Unmerge from panel" />
</Frame>

4. The table detaches immediately. The Merged badge disappears on both cards. The floor plan updates.

## What happens to the bill

Everything on the merged bill stays with the **primary**. Items that originally came from the unmerged table are **not** moved back automatically.

If you need to split items back onto the unmerged table:

1. Unmerge first (this frees the target table).
2. Use [Item Transfers](/tables/item-transfers) to move specific items from the primary to the now-detached table.

<Warning>
  **Item transfer targets** must be **active, unsplit, and unmerged.** If you want to move items to a table that was just unmerged, do it immediately — before that table is closed or someone else opens it.
</Warning>

## Offline safety — the auto-cleanup rule

When a device is offline and merges/unmerges happen on other terminals, the local cache can drift out of sync. DishInk handles this automatically:

* On the next **`online`** event (the browser detecting network is back), the app re-fetches merge state and **auto-cleans stale merges** from the local cache.
* If a table you thought was merged is actually detached on the server, it silently un-merges locally with no action needed.

<Note>
  You may briefly see a table with a **Merged** badge that isn't actually merged anymore. This resolves within a second or two of reconnection. Don't force-refresh — let the cleanup run.
</Note>

## Unmerging the last table

If a group of 3 tables (A primary, B and C secondary) is unmerged one by one — first C, then B — the group dissolves. A becomes a normal active table with all the accumulated items. Its Merged badge disappears.

## Split lock and unmerge

Unlike merge, **unmerge is not blocked by an active split**. You can detach a table even while the merged bill has a split payment configured — the split stays with the primary.

## Tips & best practices

<Tip>
  Unmerge as soon as groups decide to pay separately. This is faster than trying to configure a complex split across a merged bill.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  If a table was accidentally merged, **unmerge and use [Item Transfers](/tables/item-transfers)** to send its items back rather than re-merging in reverse.
</Tip>

## Common mistakes

* **Assuming items follow the unmerge.** They don't. Use Item Transfer.
* **Panicking when a stale Merged badge appears offline.** Wait for reconnection — it auto-cleans.
* **Unmerging the primary.** You unmerge secondaries *from* the primary. To dissolve the whole group, unmerge each secondary one at a time.

## Related pages

* [Merging Tables](/tables/merging-tables)
* [Item Transfers](/tables/item-transfers)
* [Table Transfers](/tables/table-transfers)
* [Floor Plan](/tables/floor-plan)