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How to Reset Your Site and Start Over with LaunchPad

Intermediate Last updated: October 27, 2025

Made a mistake during setup? Want to try a different recipe? Or simply need to start fresh? LaunchPad’s Complete Site Reset feature lets you safely remove all wizard-generated changes and start over—without breaking your WordPress installation.

This comprehensive guide explains how reset works, what gets removed, and how to use it safely.

What is the LaunchPad Reset Feature?

The LaunchPad Reset feature is a safe, one-click solution that removes all changes made by the Setup Wizard, returning your site to its pre-wizard state. Unlike database plugins that can break your site, LaunchPad’s reset is:

  • Targeted – Only removes wizard-generated content
  • Safe – Doesn’t affect core WordPress files or settings
  • Reversible – You can run the wizard again immediately after
  • Logged – All actions are recorded in activity logs
  • Fast – Completes in seconds

This is particularly useful for:

  • Testing different recipes
  • Fixing wizard errors
  • Starting a new project
  • Experimenting with settings
  • Training and demonstrations

What Gets Removed During Reset

When you reset your site, LaunchPad removes:

1. Pages Created by the Wizard

All pages generated during the build process:

  • Homepage
  • About page
  • Contact page
  • Services page
  • Portfolio page
  • Privacy Policy page (if created)
  • Any recipe-specific pages

Important: Only pages created by LaunchPad are removed. Any pages you created manually before or after the wizard are preserved.

2. Navigation Menus

  • Primary menu (and all menu items)
  • Footer menu (and all menu items)
  • Menu location assignments

Note: If you had menus before running the wizard, those will need to be manually reassigned after reset.

3. Customizer Settings

All theme customizer values applied by the wizard:

  • Color scheme settings
  • Font family choices
  • Logo (removed from settings, not from Media Library)
  • Homepage section content
  • Widget settings
  • Theme mod values

4. Images from Unsplash

  • Images downloaded during the wizard
  • Featured images assigned to pages
  • Images inserted into page content

Important: Images are removed from the Media Library. If you used these images elsewhere after the wizard, those references will break.

5. Wizard Metadata

  • wizard_completed flag
  • wizard_state transient data
  • wizard_install_data option
  • Build timestamp and settings

What DOESN’T Get Removed

LaunchPad reset intentionally preserves:

WordPress Core

  • WordPress files and folders
  • Core database tables
  • User accounts and roles
  • Permalinks structure
  • General settings (site URL, timezone, etc.)

Plugins

  • Installed plugins remain active
  • Plugin settings are preserved
  • Plugin data remains intact

Why? You may want to keep the plugins you selected. You can manually deactivate/delete them if needed.

Themes

  • Installed themes stay in your themes folder
  • Theme files remain available
  • You can switch themes manually if desired

Why? The theme might be used by other parts of your site, or you may want to keep it for future use.

Manual Content

  • Pages you created yourself
  • Blog posts
  • Custom post types
  • Media library items you uploaded
  • Comments
  • Widgets you added

How to Reset Your Site

There are two ways to reset your LaunchPad-generated site:

If you’ve already completed the wizard:

  1. Navigate to LaunchPad → Setup Wizard
  2. You’ll see the “You already have a site!” notice
  3. Click the “Start Over” button
  4. Read the confirmation dialog carefully
  5. Click “Yes, Reset Everything” to confirm
  6. Wait a few seconds for the process to complete
  7. You’ll see a success message when done

Method 2: From the Wizard Step 1

If you’re currently in the wizard:

  1. Go to Step 1 (Choose Your Type)
  2. Look for the existing site warning at the top
  3. Click “Start Over” in the warning box
  4. Confirm the reset action
  5. The wizard resets and becomes available immediately

Understanding the Confirmation Dialog

Before resetting, LaunchPad shows a confirmation dialog explaining exactly what will happen:

⚠️ Reset Your Site?

This will remove all changes made by the LaunchPad wizard:

✓ Delete wizard-generated pages
✓ Remove navigation menus
✓ Clear customizer settings
✓ Delete Unsplash images
✓ Reset wizard completion flag

✗ Plugins will remain installed
✗ Themes will remain installed
✗ Your manual content is safe

This action cannot be undone, but you can run the wizard again immediately after.

[Cancel] [Yes, Reset Everything]

Read this carefully before proceeding. If you’re unsure, click “Cancel” and back up your site first.

Before You Reset: Backup Recommendations

While LaunchPad reset is safe, it’s always wise to back up important data:

What to Back Up:

  1. Custom Content – Export pages/posts you want to keep via Tools → Export
  2. Media Library – Download any uploaded images you need
  3. Customizer Settings – Take screenshots of any custom CSS or settings
  4. Plugin Settings – Note any plugin configurations you customized
  5. Database (optional) – Use a plugin like UpdraftPlus for full backup

Quick Backup Method:

  1. Install UpdraftPlus or BackWPup
  2. Create a full backup before resetting
  3. Store backup files off-server
  4. Reset your site with confidence

Learn more about WordPress backups.

After the Reset: What to Do Next

Once the reset completes:

Immediate Next Steps:

  1. Verify the reset – Check that pages were removed under Pages → All Pages
  2. Check Activity Logs – Review LaunchPad → Activity Logs to see what was removed
  3. Run the wizard again – Navigate to LaunchPad → Setup Wizard and start fresh
  4. Choose differently – Try a different recipe, theme, or branding options

Optional Cleanup:

If you want a completely fresh start, consider:

Removing Installed Plugins:

  1. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
  2. Deactivate plugins you don’t want
  3. Click “Delete” to remove them completely

Removing Installed Themes:

  1. Go to Appearance → Themes
  2. Click on the theme you want to remove
  3. Click “Delete” (can’t delete active theme)

Clearing Media Library:

  1. Go to Media → Library
  2. Switch to List View
  3. Select items to delete
  4. Click “Delete Permanently” from bulk actions

Partial Reset vs. Complete Reset

Currently, LaunchPad only offers complete reset (all wizard changes). However, you can manually remove specific elements:

Remove Only Pages:

  1. Go to Pages → All Pages
  2. Select wizard-generated pages
  3. Move to Trash or Delete Permanently

Remove Only Menus:

  1. Go to Appearance → Menus
  2. Select the menu
  3. Click “Delete Menu”

Reset Only Customizer:

  1. Go to Appearance → Customize
  2. Manually change settings back to defaults
  3. Or use a theme reset plugin

Troubleshooting Reset Issues

Reset button doesn’t appear

Cause: Wizard completion flag not set Solution: Check LaunchPad → Activity Logs to confirm a build was completed, or manually run the wizard

Some pages weren’t removed

Cause: Pages were edited after wizard completion (LaunchPad tracks original wizard pages) Solution: Manually delete remaining pages in Pages → All Pages

Customizer settings still present

Cause: You made customizer changes after the wizard Solution: Manually reset in Appearance → Customize or switch themes temporarily to clear theme mods

Images still in Media Library

Cause: Images were used in content created after the wizard Solution: Manually delete images from Media → Library if you no longer need them

Cause: WordPress retains some menu settings Solution: Go to Appearance → Menus and unassign locations manually

Resetting Multiple Times

You can reset and re-run the wizard as many times as needed:

  1. Testing different recipes – Try Blog, Business, and Portfolio to see which works best
  2. Experimenting with themes – Test different themes with the same recipe
  3. Training purposes – Demonstrate the wizard repeatedly for clients or students
  4. Development workflow – Reset between client demos or development phases

No limits on how many times you can reset. The process is designed to be repeatable.

Alternative: Manual Site Cleanup

If you prefer more control, you can manually “reset” without using the button:

  1. Delete wizard pages – Remove all pages created by LaunchPad
  2. Delete menus – Remove primary and footer menus
  3. Reset Customizer – Manually revert theme settings
  4. Clean up images – Delete Unsplash images from Media Library
  5. Clear options – Use a database plugin to remove LaunchPad_wizard_completed option

This gives you granular control but takes more time than the one-click reset.

When NOT to Use Reset

Consider these alternatives instead:

If you want to update content:

❌ Don’t reset → ✅ Edit pages in Pages → All Pages

If you want to change colors:

❌ Don’t reset → ✅ Update in Appearance → Customize

If you want different plugins:

❌ Don’t reset → ✅ Install/remove plugins in Plugins

If you want to change theme:

❌ Don’t reset → ✅ Switch in Appearance → Themes

Only reset if you want to completely start over with a different recipe or wizard configuration.

Reset and Data Privacy

LaunchPad reset respects your data:

  • No data sent externally – Reset happens entirely on your server
  • Activity logged locally – All actions saved in WordPress database
  • User data preserved – User accounts and profiles remain intact
  • GDPR compliant – No personal data transmitted

Conclusion

The LaunchPad Reset feature gives you the freedom to experiment without fear. Whether you’re testing different recipes, fixing mistakes, or starting fresh, the one-click reset safely removes wizard changes while preserving your WordPress installation.

For more information about the Setup Wizard, check out our complete wizard guide or explore WordPress site management best practices.

Need to start over? Navigate to LaunchPad → Setup Wizard and click “Start Over” to begin fresh!

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