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Reinstall your server ​

Reinstalling reimages your server from a template: the panel wipes the disk and installs a fresh operating system. Everything on the disk is erased.

When you would do this ​

Reinstall when you want a clean slate:

  • Start fresh. You have been experimenting, the system is cluttered, and you would rather begin from a known-good image than untangle it.
  • Change the operating system. You want a different template, for example moving from one Linux distribution to another.
  • Recover an unrecoverable state. The server will not boot, a broken package or config has locked you out, and repairing it in place is not worth the effort.

This destroys everything on the disk

A reinstall permanently erases all data on the server: your files, installed software, databases, and configuration. This cannot be undone.

Before you reinstall, take a snapshot or a backup so you have something to return to. See Snapshots & backups. If you only need to save a few files, copy them off the server first.

Two ways to reinstall ​

The panel has two places to reinstall from.

The Install tab (the main way) ​

Each instance has a dedicated Install tab. This is the primary place to reinstall. The page reads "Reinstall Instance" with the note "Choose an image to reinstall this instance with", and a side-menu offers three choices:

  • OS installs a fresh operating system. Pick an image, and the panel confirms with an Install OS dialog before it proceeds. This permanently erases all data on the disk.
  • Recipes installs from a prebuilt recipe.
  • Snapshots reinstalls from one of the instance's own snapshots.
The instance Install tab showing OS, Recipes, and Snapshots choices
The Install tab reinstalls the instance and wipes the disk.

Advanced > Reinstall (Restore Template) ​

The Advanced dropdown at the top right of the instance page also has a Reinstall item. It opens a Restore Template dialog, a short two-step wizard:

  1. Pick the target disk. The instance is pre-filled for you.
  2. Pick the template, then press Finish.

It warns that it will permanently erase the data on the selected disk.

Steps ​

Using the Install tab to install a fresh operating system:

  1. Open the instance you want to reinstall.
  2. Go to the Install tab.
  3. In the side-menu, choose OS.
  4. Pick the image you want. It does not have to match what is on the server now.
  5. Confirm the Install OS dialog. The panel wipes the disk and reimages the server from the image you chose.

When the reinstall finishes, the server boots from the new image. If you want your workspace SSH keys on the fresh machine, use Advanced, then Sync SSH Keys. This replaces the root or admin authorized_keys on the server, and it needs a reboot and an official template to take effect. If you need a password login instead, set a fresh root password with Advanced, then Reset Password. See Passwords & reset.