# Re-installing elasticsearch

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/re-installing-elasticsearch/320602>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [December 6, 2022, 3:10pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/re-installing-elasticsearch/320602 "2022-12-06T15:10:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ericmalta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@ericmalta](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ericmalta)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2022, 3:10pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/re-installing-elasticsearch/320602/1 "2022-12-06T15:10:00Z")

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Hello team I have a quick question. If I re-install my elasticsearch cluster via apt like this:

```auto
sudo apt install --reinstall -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confask,confnew,confmiss" elasticsearch

```

Will I lose my cluster data in /var/data/elasticsearch?. I mean should I backup that first?

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**Author:** ![elasticforme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f05b48/32.png) [@elasticforme](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/elasticforme)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/re-installing-elasticsearch/320602/2 "2022-12-06T15:12:24Z")

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dpkg does not know anything about your elastic data. it will only reinstall packages in /etc/elasticsearch and /usr/share/elasticsearch

you will loose all your configuration. data will stay as is.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ericmalta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@ericmalta](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ericmalta)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/re-installing-elasticsearch/320602/3 "2022-12-06T15:18:10Z")

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Thanks

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ericmalta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@ericmalta](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ericmalta)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/re-installing-elasticsearch/320602/4 "2022-12-06T15:42:06Z")

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Have you seen that when you start the cluster it says you cannot start with the root user but then you change the /usr/share/elasticsearch and elasticsearch data directory ownership to the elasticsearch user and still the same?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![elasticforme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f05b48/32.png) [@elasticforme](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/elasticforme)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/re-installing-elasticsearch/320602/5 "2022-12-07T21:20:32Z")

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when you try to start systemctl start elasticsearch it need write permission to /etc/elasticsearch dir

chmod 777 /etc/elasticsearch or chown -R elasticsearch:elasticsearch

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/re-installing-elasticsearch/320602/6 "2023-01-04T21:21:20Z")

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