[hoy89]

Many things can break in Garry's Mod and cause issues that may not be fixed after simple troubleshooting steps like steam file verification. In any other game this is fine - just reinstall. However, Garry's Mod tends to 'hold on' to bad settings and bad files, even after uninstallation and re-installation. The aim of this small step-by-step guide is to bring the game condition back to as if you installed it for the first time.

Factory Resetting Garry's Mod

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•  0. (Optional) Back up your customization.
  •  0a. Make a backup of your 'autoexec.cfg' file located in 'Steam\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\cfg'. This assumes you have (correctly) stored all of your relevant settings and binds here.
    
  •  0b. Make a note of your current launch options.
    
  •  0c. 'Favorite' any Workshop Addons that you do not want to lose.
    

•  1. Unsubscribe from ALL Workshop Addons.
  • Addons that you have subscribed to a long time ago and forgotten about can cause issues or conflicts that persist between re-installations and computers. Addons can also receive updates that break functionality or, again, cause conflicts.
    
  • In general, all Addons have the potential to cause problems, either by themselves or when used with other Addons.
    
  • The safest option is to simply remove all of them, and later only reinstall the Addons that you actually use.
    

•  2. Run 'FactoryReset-GMod.bat' without "Run as administrator". It is located in 'Steam\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\GarrysMod'.
  

•  3. Load game then exit.
  

•  4. Navigate to 'Steam\userdata\[User ID]\4000\remote\cfg' and open 'config.cfg' with notepad. Select and delete every line, leaving a blank file.
  

•  5. In your Steam library, right click the game and select 'Properties'. Replace your launch options with the following options:
  
  Code:

  -autoconfig -default +host_writeconfig config.cfg full +mat_savechanges +quit
  
  

•  6. Load game. It will automatically exit.
  

•  7. Uninstall Garry's Mod and Counter-Strike: Source through steam by right clicking the game in your library, and navigating to Manage -> Uninstall.
  

•  8. Remove remaining Garry's Mod leftover folder(s).
  •  8a. Delete 'GarrysMod' from 'Steam\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common'.
    
  •  8b. Alternatively, if you have Garry's Mod and/or Counter-Strike: Source installed on a dedicated drive, delete everything in the 'steamapps' folder.
    

•  9.  Re-download and install Counter-Strike: Source, then Garry's Mod.
  

•  10. Erase factory reset launch options from 'Properties' menu.
  

•  11. Load Garry's Mod. At the bottom right there will be a button labeled 'Games'. Click on it and make sure Counter-Strike: Source is ticked in the sub menu. 
  • Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 may also be ticked by default, you can leave them as-is.
    
  • This is a good time to check if your issue has been solved, before you start setting the game up again.
    

•  12. (Optional) Restore your backups.
  •  12a. Move your 'autoexec.cfg' back into 'Steam\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\cfg'.
    
  •  12b. Re-enter your launch options.
    
  •  12c. Re-subscribe to Workshop Addons.
    

EDIT  12/24/23: Clarification