Completely Reset a Vintage Story Server

The fastest way to completely reset a Vintage Story server without keeping the old world is to stop the server, back up, delete the world save in data/Saves, clear data/Playerdata, and start again. That is quicker than a reinstall. A world-only reset leaves serverconfig.json and the Mods folder in place. Wiping one player uses /player [playername] wipedata and does not reset the server.

Choose a reset path

1. Complete reset. Delete the world save and player data so the old world is gone.
2. World-only reset. Delete only the world file in data/Saves. Server settings and mods stay.
3. One player’s data. Run /player [playername] wipedata from the console. The world, other players, settings, and mods stay.

Back up before any of these. Deleting a world save or player data cannot be undone from the panel except by restoring a backup.

Back up server files first

Caution

Create a backup from the Backups tab and wait for it to finish before you delete files or reinstall. A reset removes world progress.

Which files matter most?

Path	What it holds
data/Saves	World save (.vcdbs, often default.vcdbs)
data/Playerdata	Character data for players on the server
data/serverconfig.json	Server settings, including SaveFileLocation
Mods	Installed mods

[WORLD] values on Startup (playstyle, seed, land claiming) apply when Vintage Story generates a new world. [ADMIN] Startup values are written into serverconfig.json on each start.

Completely reset without keeping the old world

Use this when you want a fresh world and fresh characters, and you do not need the old save.

1. Open the Blacksmith’s Portal and select your Vintage Story server
2. Stop the server
3. Create a backup from the Backups tab
4. Review [WORLD] options on the Startup page (playstyle, seed, land claiming, and other new-world settings) before you wipe
5. Go to Files → data → Saves
6. Delete (or move) the .vcdbs world file — often default.vcdbs. If SaveFileLocation in data/serverconfig.json names a different file, delete that file too
7. Clear player data under data/Playerdata
8. Leave the Mods folder and the rest of data/serverconfig.json in place unless you also reinstall
9. Start the server so Vintage Story generates a new world using your current [WORLD] Startup values

Reset only the world

This keeps server settings and mods. Characters in data/Playerdata stay unless you clear them.

1. Stop the server
2. Create a backup from Backups
3. Review [WORLD] options on Startup if the new world should use a different playstyle or seed
4. Go to Files → data → Saves
5. Delete (or move) only the .vcdbs world file — often default.vcdbs
6. Leave data/Playerdata, data/serverconfig.json, and the Mods folder unchanged
7. Start the server so Vintage Story generates a new world

If SaveFileLocation points at a specific save, delete that file or the server will keep loading it. To upload a replacement map instead, see create a custom world.

Wipe one player’s data

This does not reset the world or other players. Open the Blacksmith’s Portal Console (or in-game chat with admin privileges) and run:

/player [playername] wipedata

Replace [playername] with the exact player name. The Vintage Story wiki player commands document this command as wiping that player’s data, including inventory, skin, and class.

Item	What happens
Target player	Inventory, skin, and class are wiped
Other players	Unchanged
World save in data/Saves	Unchanged
serverconfig.json and Mods	Unchanged

Do not delete the whole data/Playerdata folder when you only want one player reset. More commands are in Vintage Story server commands and the Vintage Story wiki server commands.

Reinstall game files

Use a reinstall when you also want fresh game binaries (for example after a bad update). A soft reinstall refreshes game files. It does not, by itself, replace a world you want to keep.

1. Stop the server
2. Create a backup from Backups
3. Confirm Release branch and Release version on Startup
4. Go to Settings and click Reinstall Server
5. Confirm the reinstall and wait for it to finish
6. Start the server

If you need a fully clean world after reinstalling, remove the world save and player data as in the complete reset above, or restore only what you need from the backup.

After resetting

• Confirm playstyle and other [WORLD] Startup options before players join
• Re-check [ADMIN] Startup settings such as password, whitelist, and Startup Commands
• To bring back a customized single-player map, use create a custom world

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I back up before resetting a Vintage Story world?

Yes. Create a backup from the Backups tab first. The files that matter most are the world save in data/Saves, character files in data/Playerdata, data/serverconfig.json, and the Mods folder.

What is the fastest way to completely reset a Vintage Story server?

Stop the server, back up, delete the .vcdbs file in data/Saves, clear data/Playerdata, then start. That drops the old world without a full reinstall.

Can I reset the world and keep mods and settings?

Yes. Delete only the world file in data/Saves. Leave Mods and data/serverconfig.json alone, then start the server.