Overview
Uninstalling and reinstalling the CrashPlan app can be a useful troubleshooting step for a number of unexpected behaviors, including:
- You are able to sign into the CrashPlan console but not the desktop app
- Issues with the CrashPlan service, network communication, or a corrupted cache file
Before you begin
You must uninstall the app before reinstalling; make sure you complete all the steps to uninstall the CrashPlan app before reinstalling it.
Step 1: Uninstall the app
Standard uninstall
A standard uninstall leaves a small amount of information on your device so the CrashPlan app can remember your device when you reinstall. Most of the time, you should perform a standard uninstall for troubleshooting issues.
Windows
- Open the Control Panel and select Uninstall a Program.
- Select CrashPlan and choose Uninstall.
You may be prompted that another user on the device is signed in. If another user is signed in, it may prevent the CrashPlan app from uninstalling completely. We recommend coordinating with other users to ensure all users are signed out of their accounts before continuing.
Uninstall fails
If the uninstallation fails, follow Microsoft's instructions to fix problems that block programs from being installed or removed.
Mac
- Open the Finder.
- Press Command+Shift+G.
A dialog box appears: Go to the folder. - Paste this text into the dialog box:
- Installed for everyone: /Library/Application Support/CrashPlan/Uninstall.app
- Installed per user: ~/Library/Application Support/CrashPlan/Uninstall.app
- Click Go.
If you see the error "The folder can't be found", download the CrashPlan for Small Business Mac installer and continue to the next step. - Double-click Uninstall.
- Follow the prompts to complete the uninstall process.
Linux
- Download the CrashPlan app.
- Uncompress the TGZ file in Downloads.
- Open Terminal and enter:
cd ~/Downloads/crashplan-install
- Press Enter.
- Then enter:
sudo ./uninstall.sh -i /usr/local/crashplan
- Press Enter.
- At the prompt, type YES to uninstall and press Enter.
Complete uninstall
A complete uninstall removes the app's identity file so that there is no trace of the previous installation. Follow the steps below only if instructed to do so by a Customer Champion.
Windows
- Open the Control Panel, and select Uninstall a Program.
- Select CrashPlan and choose Uninstall.
You may be prompted that another user on the device is signed in. If another user is signed in, it may prevent the CrashPlan app from uninstalling completely. We recommend coordinating with other users to ensure all users are signed out of their accounts before continuing. If the uninstallation fails, follow Microsoft's instructions to fix problems that block programs from being installed or removed. - Remove both directories from your device if they exist:
Mac
- Open the Finder.
- Press Command+Shift+G.
A dialog box appears: Go to the folder. - Paste this text into the dialog box:
- Installed for everyone: /Library/Application Support/CrashPlan/Uninstall.app
- Installed per user: ~/Library/Application Support/CrashPlan/Uninstall.app
- Click Go.
If you see the error "The folder can't be found", download the CrashPlan for Small Business Mac installer and continue to the next step. - Double-click Uninstall.
- Follow the prompts to complete the uninstall process.
- Once uninstalled, remove both directories from your device if they exist:
- /Library/Application Support/CrashPlan
- ~/Library/Application Support/CrashPlan
Linux
- Download CrashPlan app.
- Uncompress the TGZ file in Downloads.
- Open Terminal and enter:
cd ~/Downloads/crashplan-install
- Press Enter.
- Then enter:
sudo ./uninstall.sh -i /usr/local/crashplan
- Press Enter.
- At the prompt, type YES to uninstall and press Enter.
- Remove the following directory from your system: /var/lib/crashplan
Step 2: Install the CrashPlan app
- Download the CrashPlan app from App Downloads found in the CrashPlan console.
If you're unable to sign in to the CrashPlan console, see Install the CrashPlan app for direct links. - Once the download completes, run the installer:
- Windows: Double-click the installer file.
- Mac: Double-click the DMG file, then double-click Install CrashPlan
- Linux: Run the install.sh shell script.
- Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
- Sign in to your existing account.
- If you performed a complete uninstall, continue to Step 3: Reconnect to your backup after a complete uninstall.
For additional installation information, see Install the CrashPlan app.
File verification scan
After you sign in, the CrashPlan app begins a file verification scan that inspects your file selection for any new, changed, or deleted files. Your backup continues from its previous state.
Step 3: Reconnect to your backup if you did a complete uninstall
After performing a complete uninstall, you must follow the steps to replace your device in order to reconnect it to your existing backup.
Select Replace Existing when prompted. This will start the replace device process (previously called "adoption") to retain your existing settings and backup progress.
- Choose the device with the archive/settings you want to use.
- Click Continue. You can identify which device to replace by:
- Device name: By default, the device name matches the user name on your device.
- Date Created On: Date the CrashPlan app was initially installed on that device.
- Because you are not switching computers, select Skip File Transfer as your files are still in place. Skip file transfer message
This message talks about files being marked as deleted. We are just letting you know anything not where it used to be will be marked as deleted in the archive (we are not deleting any files from your computer).
However, if this is the same computer, all of the data should be where it is expected to be. Even if it's marked as deleted, by default the CrashPlan app does not remove deleted files for 90 days, so there is plenty of time to point CrashPlan to the correct location of the files if they have moved. - Select Skip to confirm skipping file transfer.
- Select Continue to transfer your original settings.
The CrashPlan app resumes normal operation automatically after completing a file verification scan.