# How to reset ignition gateway to factory settings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Created:** [October 11, 2022, 9:41am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059 "2022-10-11T09:41:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hewking32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@hewking32](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/hewking32)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 9:41am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/1 "2022-10-11T09:41:44Z")
Is deleting whole ignition folder and reinstall the only way? Regards ---
**Author:** ![Transistor](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/transistor/32/3380_2.png) [@Transistor](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Transistor)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 9:57am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/2 "2022-10-11T09:57:34Z")
What problem are you trying to solve? ---
**Author:** ![hewking32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@hewking32](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/hewking32)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 10:00am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/3 "2022-10-11T10:00:20Z")
i had demo gateway but would like to start from the very scratch without anything preconfigured ---
**Author:** ![bkarabinchak.psi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/bkarabinchak.psi/32/83567_2.png) [@bkarabinchak.psi](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/bkarabinchak.psi)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 12:13pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/4 "2022-10-11T12:13:41Z")
> Is deleting whole ignition folder and reinstall the only way? I think it's the easiest way. ---
**Author:** ![andrews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@andrews](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/andrews)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/5 "2022-10-11T14:53:40Z")
> [@hewking32](#): > > would like to start from the very scratch without anything preconfigured A fresh install will be easier then deleting everything for sure. I also recommend taking a GWBK of a clean state. So all you have to do is upload the gwbk next time you want a fresh start ---
**Author:** ![Subin\_Adhikari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Subin\_Adhikari](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Subin_Adhikari)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/6 "2023-12-22T17:05:09Z")
Do the devs have any upcoming plans for implementing this feature (Reset to Factory Settings) ? It would be incredibly beneficial for newcomers and those learning Ignition to have a straightforward command within gwcmd for the same. I remember struggling with this aspect when I was a novice at Ignition a few months ago, and I believe having this feature now would greatly assist me as I embark on module development as a beginner. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/8 "2023-12-22T18:42:11Z")
Restoring a gateway backup doesn't add back any modules you've removed, nor remove any extra modules you've added, nor accept licenses and certificates for any added modules. The files to restore missing modules are simply no longer present once removed from an install. Just removing the internal database will come close to factory reset, but it blows away some resources that are initially configured there from an install (image libary in particular). So, not simple. Feel free to make a feature request, but it isn't likely to happen. > [@Subin\_Adhikari](#): > > embark on module development as a beginner Start with best practices--do not install any Ignition gateway directly in your development machine. Use docker or virtual machines. (You will likely need to test against multiple versions. Have them ready to spin up when you need them.) ---
**Author:** ![jlandwerlen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jlandwerlen](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jlandwerlen)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/9 "2023-12-22T20:43:00Z")
I ran into a "need" to reset back to defaults the other day. I checked back in my dev license (which isn't necessary anymore during uninstall - it will attempt for you) and then uninstalled and reinstalled. Took a whopping 10 minutes, including setting up gateway, importing projects, tags, and tag groups. Seems like a light lift the way it is. Sometimes an easy button just isn't necessary. ---
**Author:** ![christofer.dutz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/christofer.dutz/32/76634_2.png) [@christofer.dutz](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/christofer.dutz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 10:10pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-reset-ignition-gateway-to-factory-settings/65059/10 "2024-02-26T22:10:06Z")
What I do, is I shutdown ignition, delete the "data" directory and replace that with a clean data directory from the installation archive. Resets my Ignition reliably every time.