Reinstalling Your Server: What It Wipes and When to Use It

Reinstalling re-runs your server's original installation and can overwrite core files, so it is a powerful fix that you should only reach for after taking a backup.

3 min read · Updated Sep 24, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

Reinstalling lives at the bottom of your server's Settings tab, in the Reinstall server card. When you confirm it, the panel stops the server and runs the same install script that set it up when you first ordered. That script re-downloads and rewrites the core server files, so a fresh, clean installation replaces whatever was there before. The server stays offline until the install finishes.

How to reinstall

1. Take a backup first (see below).
2. Sign in at customer.guavahost.com, open My servers and click Manage on your server.
3. Open the Settings tab and scroll to Reinstall server.
4. Click Reinstall….
5. Read the warning, type REINSTALL in the box, and click Reinstall server.
6. The server shows Installing while it works. This usually takes a few minutes, and the page updates itself.

What reinstalling overwrites

• The core server files and the game server jar or binary.
• The default configuration files the installer creates.
• Startup files the install process writes.

What it usually leaves alone

Data you added yourself in separate folders, such as an uploaded world, is generally left in place, because the installer does not go out of its way to delete it. The keyword is generally. There is no guarantee, and some install scripts do reset more than others. That is exactly why the rule below matters.

Always back up first

Before you reinstall, open Backups in the server menu and click Create backup. This is not optional advice, it is the difference between a quick fix and a lost world. Because reinstalling can overwrite files and restoring a backup also overwrites current files, having a clean snapshot means you can put anything important back afterwards. If you want to be extra safe, click Download next to that backup, or copy your world folder over SFTP using the Connection details on the Settings tab.

When a reinstall is the right call

• The install is corrupted. The server crashes on boot with errors about missing or broken core files, and a normal restart does not help.
• You changed a fundamental startup setting. Switching the server type, jar or a value that the installer needs to bake in sometimes only takes effect after a reinstall.
• You want a clean slate. You have made a mess of the configs and would rather start the base install fresh than untangle it by hand.
• Support asked you to. It is a common step when the team is helping you recover a broken server.

When NOT to reinstall

• To simply restart the server. Use the Restart button at the top of the server page instead; it is far gentler.
• To clear one bad plugin or config. Delete or fix that single file on the Files tab rather than rebuilding everything.
• As a first guess when a server will not start. Read the Console log first, because the real cause is usually written there and the fix is often much smaller.

After reinstalling

1. Check Startup settings on the Settings tab to confirm your version and settings are still what you want.
2. Start the server and watch the Console for a clean boot.
3. Re-upload or restore any world or config files you needed to keep.
4. Reconnect and confirm everything works before inviting players back.

Reinstalling is a strong tool. Used after a backup, it reliably rescues a broken server. Used carelessly, it can cost you data, so pair it with a backup every single time.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

• reinstall
• settings
• troubleshooting
• backups

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