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Which restart option should I use?

For routine maintenance, restart from inside Linux or Windows whenever the operating system is responding. This lets the operating system close applications and finish pending writes before rebooting. If you need to restart through the VPS Management Portal, open the Restart dropdown:
  • Reset VPS is the preferred portal option when the virtual machine’s underlying process is still responding. It resets the VPS while keeping that process and the VNC server running.
  • Power Cycle VPS stops the underlying process and starts a new one. Use it when Reset VPS does not work or the underlying process is stuck.
Reset VPS preserves the VNC server; it does not mean applications keep running. The guest operating system restarts, interrupting SSH, RDP and hosted services until they come back online.

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Start. Stop. Restart.

Open your VPS in the VPS Management Portal and locate Server management. The Restart dropdown contains Reset VPS and Power Cycle VPS. The former Restart action performed a Stop followed by a Start. That behaviour is now available as Power Cycle VPS; Reset VPS provides the option that keeps the VNC server running.
Keeping the virtual machine process running is different from a clean shutdown inside the operating system. Do not assume that a portal reset gives applications time to save their work. For a graceful restart, use the operating system’s restart command whenever possible. Save your work and keep current backups before restarting.

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Restart gracefully from Linux or Windows

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Linux

Connect through SSH or the console and run:
If you are logged in as root, omit sudo. The SSH session disconnects during the restart. Wait for the operating system to boot before reconnecting.

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Windows

Save your work and select Start → Power → Restart inside Windows. Your Remote Desktop session disconnects while Windows restarts. Reconnect once the operating system and Remote Desktop service are available.

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Reset the VPS while keeping VNC available

  1. Open your VPS in the VPS Management Portal.
  2. If you want to watch the boot process, open the VNC/noVNC console.
  3. Open the Restart dropdown and choose Reset VPS.
  4. Watch the operating system boot and wait for your services to become available.
The VNC server remains running because Reset VPS keeps the underlying virtual machine process alive. You can use the console to follow the boot process; SSH and RDP reconnect only after their services are ready. Reset VPS does not reinstall the operating system or intentionally erase your disk. However, interrupting applications or pending disk writes can still cause data loss.

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Power cycle an unresponsive VPS

Use Restart → Power Cycle VPS when Reset VPS does not work or the process running the virtual machine has become stuck. A power cycle terminates that process and starts a fresh one. It also stops the VNC server, so you will need to start VNC again and reopen the console if you were using it. If the operating system is still accessible, shut it down cleanly before power cycling:
  • Linux: Run sudo shutdown -h now.
  • Windows: Select Start → Power → Shut down.
Wait for shutdown to complete. If the VPS is already stopped, use Start to turn it on again. If neither Reset VPS nor Power Cycle VPS restores access, contact support with your VPS identifier or IP address, the time of the problem and what you can see in the console.

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Restarting, reinstalling and billing are separate actions

Reset VPS and Power Cycle VPS restart the existing installation. To install a different operating system or start with a clean installation, use Reinstall OS. Reinstallation overwrites the existing system and its data, so back up anything you need first. Stopping a VPS is not a cancellation request. To end the service, follow the cancellation procedure in your client account. Keep backups outside the VPS and check that you can restore them. See the backup guide for responsibilities and available approaches.
Last modified on September 12, 2026