# Broke Node-red. All options are blank

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/broke-node-red-all-options-are-blank/14653>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [22 August 2019 16:55 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/broke-node-red-all-options-are-blank/14653 "2019-08-22T16:55:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 5

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**Author:** ![afelix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/afelix/32/9743_2.png) [@afelix](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/afelix)\
**Post date:** [22 August 2019 18:40 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/broke-node-red-all-options-are-blank/14653/5 "2019-08-22T18:40:34Z")

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> [@ukmoose](#):
>
> You are also running as root, which shouldn’t be necessary.

In fact, running Node-RED as root is a bad idea in general. If you have a specific reason why you need to run it as root, try to figure out a workaround using the sudoers file or permissions elsewhere to get a lower user run it. But really, there are no valid reasons to run it as root. Especially not because with the exec node it runs all commands as root, and it comes with a web interface to edit those. There are a few topics on this already mentioning this...

> [@Node-red running on root issues](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-red-running-on-root-issues/3097):
>
> Hi I could not find the original node-red i installed with additional nodes with some flows after i did the changes in pictures below. I installed Tjbot nodes and libraries and followed the instructions. After reboot i run node-red and the additional nodes all gone. I tried running using root by going to sudo su and still can't get back to the original ones. Please help. Thank you source:

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_[View the full topic](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/broke-node-red-all-options-are-blank/14653)._