How to Uninstall and Reinstall OpenClaw Safely

Reinstalling over a broken state usually makes things worse. Follow the full cycle: back up, uninstall, verify, reinstall, configure.

Why you should fully uninstall before reinstalling

Reinstalling on top of a partial uninstall often inherits the same problems:

• Corrupted config carries over — broken or malformed config will be picked up again.
• Version conflicts — leftover binaries or cached packages clash with the new install.
• Stale tokens persist — old API keys and session files may be out of sync with the server.
• Broken state is hard to diagnose — when old and new files coexist, errors become ambiguous.

Step 1: Back up important settings

Before removing anything, export or copy any config, project files, or credentials you want to keep. Check ~/.openclaw and Application Support for user data worth saving.

Step 2: Follow the full uninstall guide

Use the platform-specific uninstall guide to remove everything:

Or use the quick path:

openclaw uninstall --all --yes
npm rm -g openclaw

Step 3: Verify a clean state

Confirm that no OpenClaw binaries, config directories, services, or PATH entries remain:

which openclaw                    # should return nothing
ls ~/.openclaw 2>/dev/null        # should return nothing
npm ls -g openclaw                # should show empty

On Mac, also check:

launchctl list | grep -i openclaw

On Linux:

systemctl --user list-units | grep openclaw

On Windows (PowerShell):

where.exe openclaw
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object { $_.TaskName -like '*OpenClaw*' }

Step 4: Fresh install from the official source

Download or install OpenClaw from the official website or package manager. Avoid reusing old installers or cached downloads:

npm install -g openclaw@latest

Step 5: Configure from scratch

Set up OpenClaw fresh. Restore only the settings you explicitly backed up. Avoid copying the entire old config directory back — start clean and add what you need.

Post-reinstall verification

After reinstalling, verify each of these:

• Version check — run openclaw --version and confirm the expected new version.
• Clean config — verify the config directory was newly created, not inherited.
• No leftover conflicts — no duplicate binaries, conflicting PATH entries, or mixed-version libraries.
• Fresh tokens — re-authenticate and generate new API keys. Do not reuse old credentials.

FAQ

Can I just reinstall over the existing install?

You can, but it is not recommended. A full uninstall followed by a clean install is the safest path.

Will reinstalling fix my issues?

It depends. Config, token, or file issues — likely yes. Server-side issues — no.

Should I reuse my old config?

Start fresh if possible. Only restore specific settings you know are correct.

What if the reinstall still doesn't work?

There may be deeper leftovers (env vars, services, cached state) that the basic guide didn't catch. Consider the Pro Pack or remote help.

• Return to the main uninstall guide
• Check for leftovers
• Get the Pro Pack
• Book remote help