Safely Reset Clash Verge Config Without Losing Subscriptions

When the profile is so tangled that every tweak makes things worse, the first instinct is reinstall. Reinstall usually only replaces program files—the user directory still holds subscriptions, Merge patches, and port habits. The mess stays. Hitting reset without a plan can wipe subscription URLs and your own patches in one click. Safer path: back up three critical items, run a scoped reset, then restore Rule + system proxy on a minimal path. Tun comes last.

Where files live: config locations. Full moves: backup and migrate. Builds always from the download center. Here: when to reset, when not to, what to back up, safe order, acceptance, and where to stop if reset "fails."

Reinstall ≠ reset: when to, when not

Consider a reset when: core communication keeps failing after ports and permissions are cleared; Merge / scripts broke reload; subscription and local patches fight so Connections hits make no sense; you want a clean slate before migrating machines.

Do not reset yet when: one site fails (nodes, DNS, mode first); a proxy group is blank (update subscription and filters); Tun will not start (service and rights first); in-app update check fails (that is the updater channel, not your YAML). Those have dedicated guides. Reset will not fix airport-side or OS-policy issues—it only forces you to reconfigure.

Entry points: core communication, no nodes, Tun start failed, app update failed, common errors.

Back up these three before you touch reset

1. Subscription URL (or import token): without it, reset means hunting the airport again.
2. Merge / scripts / custom rule text: your direct, routing, and chain patches never come back from a subscription refresh alone.
3. Current mixed port and daily mode: defaults may change after reset; sync every hand-filled app. See mixed port and three modes.

If WebDAV or export exists, take a rollback snapshot first: WebDAV backup. Subscription-only backups often yield "online but routing wrong." Paste all three into a notes file—stronger than "I roughly remember."

Safe reset order

1. Quit the client; clear leftover processes holding ports (port conflict).
2. Use in-app Reset / Restore defaults (menu name varies), or clear only the user config directory per docs—leave the install tree alone.
3. Relaunch. Do not enable Tun yet. Import and update the subscription; confirm the node list is non-empty.
4. Mode = Rule, system proxy on. Hit one foreign and one domestic host; Connections should show sensible PROXY / DIRECT.
5. Paste Merge / scripts in small chunks; reload and read Connections after each chunk. Do not dump years of scrap at once.

If core communication still fails after reset, blame permissions, AV, ports, or a damaged install—not "config not clean enough." Cover-install a verifiable build while keeping the URL you wrote down.

Bring the subscription back and accept minimally

Import → update → latency-test one good node (node latency) → Rule + system proxy. Browser reaches the target and Connections shows rows—that is basic recovery. Then fix IM / CLI hand-fills; Tun last. Tun users should also verify the Windows service: Service Mode, Tun mode.

Groups still blank: blank proxy groups—do not reset again immediately. Odd routing: confirm Rule mode before pasting Merge. Subscription refresh itself fails: subscription update failed—that is not "reset left dirt behind."

Acceptance—and where to stop when reset "fails"

Stop when: the URL is still in your notes; nodes appear after update; Rule + system proxy works; you know the live mixed port. Hitting those four means stop—do not reset three times chasing "cleaner."

If reset changes nothing: directory ACLs and AV allowlists, free a port, swap to a verifiable installer, try a clean OS user. Managed corporate images may reject every reset—need IT or a personal machine to prove it. Reset "works" then breaks next day: check startup scripts, old shortcuts, or a second Clash writing the same profile; scripts that rewrite Merge on launch—disable scripts for a week with subscription + Rule only.

Do not delete every Clash folder on disk as step one unless subscriptions and patches are backed up and you know the config scope. Clean builds: download center. Unsure of the minimal path: getting started.

Reset vs not—quick decision