How to Reinstall the OS on a VPS Using Virtualizor

Sometimes the fastest way to recover from a badly misconfigured server, or to start a project on a genuinely clean base, is reinstalling the OS entirely rather than trying to undo every change by hand.

Before you reinstall — this is destructive

An OS reinstall wipes the entire virtual disk and replaces it with a fresh OS template. Every file, database, and configuration on the VPS is permanently erased. Back up anything you need first — either via a snapshot taken before you start (see our snapshot guide), or by copying files/database dumps off the server entirely, since a snapshot taken on the same disk you’re about to wipe may not survive the process depending on how your provider’s snapshot storage works.

Reinstalling in Virtualizor

1. In Manage VPS, select the VM.
2. Find the OS Reinstall option.
3. Choose the new OS template (it doesn’t have to be the same OS/version you had before).
4. Set a new root password or SSH key.
5. Confirm — Virtualizor will typically show an explicit warning here since the action is irreversible.

What happens next

The VM is rebuilt from the template, usually within a few minutes. Its IP address and Virtualizor-level resource allocation (RAM, disk, CPU) stay the same — only the disk contents and OS change. You’ll need to redo any OS-level configuration (control panel install, firewall rules, SSH hardening) from scratch, exactly as if this were a brand-new VPS.

When reinstalling makes sense

• The server has accumulated so much conflicting/broken configuration that fixing it piece by piece would take longer than starting clean.
• You suspect a compromise and want a guaranteed-clean base rather than trying to manually verify nothing malicious remains.
• You’re repurposing a VPS for a completely different project and don’t need any existing data.

For anything less drastic, restoring a recent snapshot or backup is usually faster and less disruptive than a full reinstall.