What the Rust Wipe Tool Does

The Wipe tool lives in your server's panel and handles the whole wipe sequence for you: stopping the server, removing the right save files for the wipe type you choose, optionally rolling a new map, and starting back up. You do not touch the File Manager or the console.

It can:

• Run a wipe immediately, on demand
• Schedule wipes for a future date and time in a timezone you set
• Repeat wipes on a recurring cadence so a weekly or biweekly wipe is set once and forgotten
• Cancel a scheduled wipe at any time before it runs
• Choose what each wipe resets, from a map-only wipe up to a full wipe

Because the timezone is set on the wipe itself, you do not have to convert your community's wipe time into server time by hand. Set it to your players' timezone and the tool handles the rest.

Running a Manual Wipe

Use a manual wipe when you want to reset right now, for example after testing on a fresh server or when you want an off-cycle wipe.

1. Open your Rust server in the panel and go to the Wipe tab.
2. Choose the wipe type for what you want to reset. A map wipe is the most common; a map and blueprint wipe matches the monthly forced wipe. See the wipe-type table in Wipe Management if you are unsure which to pick.
3. If you want a new map layout, set the seed and size options first. See Custom Maps and Random Seed Options below.
4. Start the wipe and confirm.

The tool stops the server, performs the wipe, and starts it again. Watch the Console tab to see the server come back up on the new map. A manual wipe takes the server offline for the length of one restart, so run it at a quiet time if you can.

Setting Up a Scheduled Wipe

A scheduled wipe is the reason to use this tool. Set it once and your server wipes on time every cycle without you being online.

1. In the Wipe tab, create a new scheduled wipe.
2. Set the date and time for the first wipe.
3. Set the timezone to match your community. If your players are US East Coast, pick Eastern so 2:00 PM means 2:00 PM for them, not for the server's host location.
4. Choose the wipe type, the same options as a manual wipe.
5. If the wipe should repeat, set the recurrence (for example weekly) so the next wipe is queued automatically after each one runs.
6. Save the schedule.

Your upcoming wipe now shows in the tool. You can cancel it at any time before it runs if your plans change, then create a new one.

A common setup is a weekly map wipe plus a monthly map and blueprint wipe to line up with Facepunch's forced wipe on the first Thursday of the month. The forced wipe is mandatory and your server must be wiped within 24 hours of that patch, so scheduling it ahead removes the scramble. More on that cycle in Wipe Management.

Custom Maps and Random Seed Options

A wipe is the moment to change your map. The seed and world size determine the layout players explore for the cycle, and rotating them keeps the server feeling fresh.

When you set up a wipe, you can:

• Keep the current seed so only the buildings reset and the map layout stays the same
• Set a specific seed and size to load a known-good map you want to run again
• Randomize the seed so each wipe produces a fresh, unpredictable layout

Seed and size only change the procedurally generated map. If you run a custom map by URL instead, set that in the Startup tab; see Map Management for custom map hosting requirements.

Using the Custom Sizes and Seeds List

Rather than randomizing blindly, most owners keep a short list of seeds and sizes they have tested and liked. The tool lets you provide your own pool of size and seed combinations, and it picks from that list on each wipe instead of rolling a fully random map.

This gives you the variety of a rotating map without the risk of landing on a poorly generated seed. To build a good list:

1. Test seeds on a staging server or by previewing them with a Rust map viewer site before adding them.
2. Note the world size each seed was generated at, since the same seed produces a different map at a different size.
3. Add the size and seed pairs you like to the list in the Wipe tool.
4. Let the tool rotate through them on each scheduled wipe.

Keep every seed in the list at a size your plan can host comfortably. Larger maps mean more entities and higher memory use; see Performance Optimization.

What to Do After a Wipe

The tool brings the server back online automatically, but a healthy wipe is more than a restart. Run through this once the server is back up:

1. Open the Console and check for plugin compile errors. After a monthly forced wipe especially, Oxide or Carbon may need a moment to pull the new compatible build; our Rust egg pulls the latest on every start, so one more restart usually clears framework errors. See How to Install Oxide.
2. Confirm your plugins loaded with oxide.plugins (or c.plugins on Carbon).
3. Verify your default and VIP groups still have their kits and perks. Permissions live in the data folder and survive map and blueprint wipes, but it is worth confirming after a forced wipe. See Oxide Permissions 101.
4. Update your server description and any wipe countdown so players see the correct next wipe date.
5. Announce that the wipe is live in your Discord so players come back.

What to Read Next

• Wipe Management for wipe types, the forced-wipe cycle, and preserving VIP across wipes
• Map Management for custom maps, seeds, and world sizes
• Rust Kits Guide to make sure starter and VIP kits are ready for returning players