How to reinstall or reset a game server

Warning: this can delete your world A reinstall runs the game’s installation again. It can overwrite or delete files, including worlds, settings and mods. It cannot be undone. Create a backup and download it to your computer before you continue.

Short answer: Go to [Your Server] > Settings and select Reinstall Server. For a completely fresh start, back up, delete the old files, then reinstall.

Before you begin

You need: the server owner’s account, or a subuser with the Reinstall permission (under Settings).
Do first: How to create and restore a backup. Then download that backup to your computer.
Time needed: 5 to 30 minutes, depending on the game’s download size.

What this guide covers

Reinstall: re-download the game files and run setup again, to repair a broken install. Your world is usually kept, but this is not guaranteed.
Full reset: remove everything and start with a brand-new server.

It doesn’t cover changing to a different game or game variant (for example from Valheim to Valheim with mods). For that, open a ticket.

Which one do I need?

Situation	Use
Game files damaged, server will not start after a failed update	Reinstall
Want to try a fix before contacting support	Reinstall (after a backup)
Want a new world but keep your settings	Neither: delete or rename just the world folder (see your game guide)
Want everything back to day one	Full reset

Steps

Reinstall

Create a backup and download it.
Stop the server.
Go to [Game Panel] > [Your Server] > Settings.
In the Reinstall Server section, read the warning, then select Reinstall Server.
In Confirm server reinstallation, select Yes, reinstall server. You’ll see “Your server has begun the reinstallation process.” You can’t start the server until it finishes.
When installation finishes, start the server and check your world and settings.

Full reset

Create a backup and download it.
Stop the server.
Go to Files, select all files and folders, and delete them.

Warning This permanently deletes your world, settings and mods. Only your downloaded backup can bring them back.
Follow the reinstall steps 3 to 6.
Set your server name, password and other options again on the Startup page, or the Game Settings page if your game has one.

Expected result

Reinstall: the server starts; your world is still there in most games.
Full reset: the server starts with a new world and default settings.

Common mistakes

Reinstalling without downloading the backup. If something goes wrong with the backup system too, the downloaded copy is your only copy.
Reinstalling to fix a mod problem. Reinstalls often keep mod files. Remove the mod instead: see Removing mods safely.
Expecting a reinstall to change the game version. Version is controlled by Startup settings; a reinstall uses whatever is set there.

Troubleshooting

What you see	What it means	What to do
Stuck on installing for over 30 minutes	The game download is slow or failed	Wait up to an hour for very large games, then contact support
Install finished but server will not start	Setup error or old files in the way	Read the console; see My server will not start
World is gone after a reinstall	The install replaced the world folder	Restore the backup you took in step 1
Reinstall Server is missing	You don’t have permission	Ask the server owner
“Reinstalling this server has been disabled…”	This server is set up to skip the install process	Contact support

When to contact support

Contact support if the reinstall fails twice, or stays on installing for more than an hour. Include the time you started the reinstall and what the Console page shows. We cannot see your files’ previous state unless you have a backup.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-05 · Applies to: Game Panel (hici 0.4.2)