---
title: "Classify a downtime event"
description: "Put a reason on a machine stop from the status bar, the machine page's Activity list, Operator View's All Downtime tab, or the iOS work-order screen. Classify one stop or many at once, split a stop that holds two reasons, change an activity's operation, remove a classification, delete a false activity, and open a maintenance work order from the classification modal."
category: "Track and classify downtime"
source_url: "https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/classify-downtime/"
---
# Classify a downtime event

Every way to put a reason on a stop, and how to correct one you got wrong.

A *downtime event* is one stretch of a machine's timeline in the down state, as defined in [Metrics](/docs/monitoring/metrics-reference/). Classifying it means picking a category, adding a note if the category asks for one, and saving. Until you do, the stop counts as **Unclassified** on every report.

**Prerequisites.** A category list to pick from, see [Manage downtime categories](/docs/monitoring/downtime-categories/). You do not need to classify every stop by hand: rules in [Classify downtime automatically](/docs/monitoring/auto-downtime-rules/) handle short stops, shift edges and scheduled breaks.

## Where you can classify
Each surface opens the same **Classify Downtime** modal, so the category list, the note field and the errors are identical everywhere. What differs is how many stops you can select and where the surface sits.

| Surface | Client | Single | Bulk | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status bar segment on a machine page or in Operator View | Web | Yes | No | Yes |
| **Activity** list on a machine page | Web | Yes | No | Yes |
| **All Downtime** tab in Operator View | Web | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Work-order detail | iOS app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Downtimes report | Web | Read only | No | No |

Choose the status bar for a stop you can see happening. Choose the **Activity** list or the **All Downtime** tab when you are clearing a backlog at the end of a shift. The Downtimes report ranks stops but does not edit them, see [Analyze downtime with Pareto and trend charts](/docs/monitoring/downtimes/).

## Classify from the status bar
The status bar at the top of a machine page, `/assets/selected-asset/:id`, draws one segment per activity across the shift. An *activity* is one interval in a single state, running or down. Red segments are stops.

1. Click the red segment. A card opens showing the start time, the duration and the current category, if any.
2. Click the pencil icon. The **Classify Downtime** modal opens.
3. Pick a category. Categories are grouped by severity, **None** to **High**, and a calendar icon marks the ones that stand for [planned downtime](/docs/monitoring/downtime-categories/#planned).
4. Narrow the list if it is long. Switch the grouping to **Category Type**, filter to **Planned** or **Unplanned**, or turn off **Show Default** to hide the built-in IoTFlows categories. See [Open the category list](/docs/monitoring/downtime-categories/#open).
5. Type a note in **Additional notes** if the category marks it with an asterisk.
6. Click **Classify**.

Gray on the bar is not downtime. It is a stretch where the sensor sent nothing, and it carries no segment to classify. See [Troubleshoot an offline device](/docs/hardware/troubleshoot-offline-device/).

![The shift status bar at the top of a machine page, running 8am to 5pm. Dark red stops separated by thin green running stretches fill the bar to about 1:30pm, one stop near 11:30am is highlighted in bright red, and the rest of the bar is empty](/images/monitoring/mon-classify-01.webp)

*Classifying from the shift bar: click the stop you can see.*

![The Classify Downtime modal scrolled to the end of its category list. Chips sit under the Low, Medium and High severity headings, Lunch Break and Tool Change carry a blue calendar icon marking them as planned downtime, several chips carry an amber alert icon, and Jammed Machine is selected and shaded. An empty Additional notes field, a Create Maintenance Workorder link and the Cancel, Remove Classification and Classify buttons run along the bottom](/images/monitoring/mon-classify-02.webp)

*The classification modal. The note field is required for some categories.*

## Classify from a machine's activity list
The Downtimes report table is read only. The list for working through a backlog is **Activity** on the machine page, under the Analytics tab.

1. Open the machine page and scroll to **Activity**.
2. Click the **Unclassified** filter. The count beside it is the size of the backlog.
3. On a stop, click the pencil icon and classify as in [the status bar](#status-bar).

The **Downtime Classifications** section on the same page also carries a **Classify** button. It lists every stop in the section's date range, and you pick one from the list before the modal opens.

![The Activity list on a machine page with filter pills reading All 32, Uptime 15, Classified 13 and Unclassified 4, the Unclassified pill selected, and four stops below it each with a start time, a duration, and split, pencil and trash icons](/images/monitoring/mon-classify-03.webp)

*Classifying from the Activity list, filtered to Unclassified, when you are working through a backlog.*

## Bulk classify
Bulk classification applies one category and one note to several stops in one save. On the web it lives in Operator View, see [Use Operator View on the shop floor](/docs/monitoring/operator-view/).

1. Open the machine in Operator View and click the **All Downtime** tab.
2. Click each stop to select it, or click **Select all N unclassified**.
3. Click **Classify N Downtimes** in the bar that appears at the bottom.
4. Pick a category, add a note, and click **Classify N Downtimes**.

Only unclassified stops are selectable. Use bulk for a run of stops that genuinely share one cause, for example five short stops during one mold wash. Do not use it to empty the backlog with a guess: six stops labeled **Other** teach the [Pareto](/docs/monitoring/downtimes/#pareto) nothing.

![Operator View for Doosan 2600 with the All Downtime tab selected, the Unclassified filter active, six stops each with a ticked checkbox, a Deselect all button at the top right, and a bottom bar reading 6 selected and Classify 6 Downtimes](/images/monitoring/mon-classify-04.webp)

*Bulk classification. Use it for a run of stops that genuinely share one cause.*

## Split a downtime
A *split* cuts one stop into two at a time you choose, so each half can carry its own category.

1. Open the stop from the status bar or a list and click the split icon. The **Split Downtime** modal opens.
2. Drag the **Split time** slider between the stop's start and end.
3. Click **Split**. The toast says the split can take up to about 20 seconds.
4. Classify each half.

Split a stop when one interval contains two genuinely different reasons, for example a 90-minute stop where a changeover ran into a breakdown at the 30-minute mark. Do not split to make a number look better; the Pareto is only useful if the categories are honest.

![The Split Downtime modal for a stop from 12:54 pm to 2:21 pm, with a Split time slider set to 1:57 pm, an arrow pointing at the slider handle, and Cancel and Split buttons](/images/monitoring/mon-classify-05.webp)

*Splitting a stop that contains two different reasons.*

## Change an activity's operation
Running activities carry the operation the machine was making. If the machine was running a different job than the one recorded, the counts land on the wrong part.

1. In the **Activity** list, click the **Uptime** filter.
2. Click the pencil icon on the activity. The **Edit Activity** modal opens.
3. Pick the correct **Operation** and save.

This edits the activity, not the job. For the job itself see [Run a job](/docs/production/run-a-job/).

## Unclassify
Removing a classification puts the stop back in the unclassified queue and keeps the interval itself.

1. Open a classified stop.
2. Click **Remove Classification**, in the modal or on the card.
3. Confirm **Remove**.

Unclassify when the category was wrong and the right one is not yet known. If you already know the right category, classify again instead: the new category replaces the old one in one step.

![The popup card for a stop headed STOPPED 11:49am to 12:10pm, classified as Jammed Machine with a Medium severity badge. Four icons sit at the right, and a tooltip reading Remove Classification hangs under the first](/images/monitoring/mon-classify-06.webp)

*Removing a classification puts the stop back in the queue.*

## Delete an activity
Deleting removes the activity record itself, not only its category. Use it for an activity that did not happen, for example a stop recorded while a sensor was being remounted.

1. Open the activity from the status bar or a list.
2. Click the trash icon.
3. Confirm **Delete**.

You do not need delete to fix a wrong reason. That is [unclassify](#unclassify) or a new classification, and both keep the history.

## Create a work order from a stop
A stop that needs maintenance can become a work order without leaving the modal.

1. In **Classify Downtime**, click **Create Maintenance Workorder**.
2. Fill in the panel that expands. The title is prefilled with the category and the description with your note, and the machine is set to the one whose page you are on.
3. Click **Submit Request**, then click **Classify**.

Fields and follow-up are on [Create a work order](/docs/maintain/create-a-work-order/).

![The Classify Downtime modal with Robot Failure selected, Motor 1 has failed typed in Additional notes, and a New Maintenance Request panel expanded below. The panel's title reads Robot Failure, its description Motor 1 has failed, its machine Doosan 2600, and a Submit Request button spans its bottom](/images/monitoring/mon-classify-07.webp)

*Turning a stop into a maintenance work order without leaving the classification.*

## On mobile
In the IoTFlows iOS app, open a work order and tap **Classify Downtime** under the shift timeline. The badge on the button is the unclassified count. Tap one segment to classify it, or tap several to classify them together.

Each segment carries **Split** and **Unclassify**, but the app cannot delete an activity. The Android app shows downtime but cannot classify it. See [Install the mobile app](/docs/get-started/install-mobile-app/).

## Errors
| Message | Means |
|---|---|
| **This category requires an additional note** | The category was configured with a mandatory note. Type one in **Additional notes** and classify again |
| **Failed to classify** | The save did not reach the server. Nothing changed; retry |
| **Failed to remove classification** | The category is still on the stop; retry |
| **Failed to delete activity** | The activity is still there; retry |

## See also
- [Manage downtime categories](/docs/monitoring/downtime-categories/)
- [Classify downtime automatically](/docs/monitoring/auto-downtime-rules/)
- [Analyze downtime with Pareto and trend charts](/docs/monitoring/downtimes/)
- [Create a work order](/docs/maintain/create-a-work-order/)