Whether your server has been running for weeks and needs a quick breather to clear up some lag, or you have installed way too many conflicting plugins and just want to start over from scratch, knowing how to reset your Team Fortress 2 server is an essential administration skill.
There are two types of resets: a soft reset (a simple restart) and a hard factory reset (a complete wipe). Let us get your server running exactly how you want it!
A complete factory reset will permanently delete all of your custom maps, SourceMod plugins, and configuration changes. We highly recommend navigating to your Backups tab and creating a manual backup before proceeding, just in case you change your mind!
Method 1: Performing a Soft Reset
If your server is feeling sluggish, players are experiencing rubber-banding, or a specific map glitched out, a soft reset is usually all it takes to fix the issue. This simply reboots the game engine without deleting any of your data.
- Log into your MintServers panel.
- Navigate to the Console tab on the left-hand sidebar.
- Click the Restart button located at the top right of the console window.
- The console will show the server shutting down safely and immediately booting back up. Your players will be temporarily disconnected but can rejoin as soon as the startup sequence finishes.
Method 2: Performing a Complete Factory Reset
If your server files are corrupted, or you simply want to wipe the slate clean and build a brand new community from the ground up, you will need to perform a factory reset. This involves manually deleting your existing files and forcing the panel to download a fresh copy of the game.
- Log into your MintServers panel and click the Stop button to safely shut down the server.
- Navigate to the Files tab on the left-hand sidebar.
- You need to delete your existing files. Click the checkbox at the very top of the file list to Select All files and folders.
- Click the red Delete button and confirm the prompt to wipe your directory clean.
- Once your file manager is completely empty, navigate to the Settings tab on the left-hand sidebar.
- Click the Reinstall Server button.
- A prompt will ask you to confirm the reinstallation. Accept it.
- Return to the Console tab. You will see the panel automatically downloading a brand new, completely unmodded version of Team Fortress 2 directly from Steam's servers.
- Once the console says the installation is complete, click Start.
🛠️ Need Help After Resetting?
Your server is now completely fresh, running the default vanilla settings exactly as it did the day you bought it! From here, you can begin uploading new maps or reinstalling a clean version of SourceMod.
If you accidentally deleted something important and forgot to make a backup, no worries! Let us fix that together. Just open a support ticket from your billing dashboard and our team will gladly jump in and instruct you on how to check if an automated system backup is available to restore.