Project Zomboid Server .ini Settings Explained: the Options That Matter
A Project Zomboid server has two settings files: the .ini, with who can join and how group play works, and SandboxVars.lua, with the world (zombies, loot, power and water). Here are the .ini options people actually change, grouped, with what each one does according to the game itself.
Where the .ini is and how to edit it
It's in the Server folder inside the Zomboid folder (on Windows, C:\Users\<your user>\Zomboid\Server) and it's named after the server: servertest.ini if nobody has renamed it. Each line is Option=value, and yes/no settings are written true or false. If you'd rather not wrestle with the names, the .ini and SandboxVars editor lists every option with a search box and gives you the finished file.
Edit it with the server stopped, then start it again. With the server running, an admin can change an option on the spot with /changeoption Option "value" and then /reloadoptions, so it reaches the players.
What isn't in the .ini: zombies, loot and difficulty go in SandboxVars (the Project Zomboid sandbox settings guide). The ports are in there (DefaultPort and UDPPort), but they have their own guide: Project Zomboid ports.
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Who gets in: password, accounts and the public list
Password: the server password, the same for everyone. It's entered when adding the server under “Favorites”.
Open: with true, anyone who joins creates their own account; with false, only accounts created by an admin can get in (the whitelist). The Project Zomboid private server guide explains the order to do it in so nobody gets locked out.
Public, PublicName and PublicDescription: whether it appears in the game's server list, under what name and with what description.
MaxPlayers: players at once, not counting admins. Since 42.20.3 it accepts up to 254, but the game warns that with more than 32 there can be map loading problems.
PingLimit: the ping, in milliseconds, above which a player gets kicked (0 turns it off). If you have friends far away and they keep getting kicked, raise it or set it to 0.
MaxAccountsPerUser: how many accounts one Steam account can create. DropOffWhiteListAfterDeath: removes anyone who dies from the whitelist (on a server among friends, you almost never want this). LoginQueueEnabled: when the server is full, newcomers wait in a queue.
Time and saving
PauseEmpty: with true, game time stops when nobody is connected. For a small group it's usually what you want: without it, the days go by on their own and the power and water shutoff (which counts in-game days) can arrive without anyone having played.
SaveWorldEveryMinutes: saves the loaded parts of the map every so many real minutes. With 0, the map is saved mainly when players leave an area; a value like 15 or 30 reduces what's lost if the server crashes.
SleepAllowed and SleepNeeded: whether you can sleep and whether you have to. FastForwardMultiplier: how fast time passes while sleeping.
On spawn: items and starting point
SpawnItems: what every new player carries when they spawn, separated by commas. Example: Base.Axe,Base.Bag_BigHikingBag.
SpawnPoint: forces every new player to spawn at x,y,z coordinates. With 0,0,0 it does nothing. Useful for getting a group to start together (how to change where players spawn).
PlayerRespawnWithSelf: whether you can respawn where you died.
PvP, safehouses and factions
PVP: whether players can hurt each other. SafetySystem: with true, each player turns PvP on and off with the skull on the left of the screen, and you can only hurt someone if one of you is in PvP mode. The Project Zomboid PvP guide explains it.
PlayerSafehouse and AdminSafehouse: whether players (or only admins) can claim safehouses. SafehouseAllowTrepass and SafehouseAllowLoot: whether outsiders can enter and take things. Faction: whether factions can be created. All of that is in the safehouses and factions guide.
Chat, names and voice
ServerWelcomeMessage: the message every player sees when they join. It supports colours with <RGB:1,0,0> and line breaks with <LINE>.
GlobalChat: whether /all, the chat for everyone, can be used. DisplayUserName: the name above each player. AnnounceDeath: a message in chat every time someone dies.
VoiceEnable: the game's voice chat. VoiceMinDistance and VoiceMaxDistance: how many tiles away you can be heard. For a roleplay server, with character names and no global chat, see this guide.
The game's own backups and other options
BackupsOnStart, BackupsPeriod and BackupsCount: the game saves backups of the world on start, every so many minutes or both, and keeps as many as you say. They take up disk space, and a big world is heavy: keep an eye on space if your server is tight. Where they're kept and how to go back to one, in the Zomboid backups guide.
NoFire: removes fire (except campfires). Useful if someone is burning other people's bases. Map: the mod maps, in front of the base map and separated by semicolons (how to add Workshop maps). The mods themselves go in WorkshopItems= and Mods=: the Project Zomboid Workshop mods guide explains how.
With NapNodes: “Settings”
On NapNodes the .ini is .cache/Server/napnodes.ini (in “Files”), but you don't need to open it: the panel's “Settings” has all its options in plain English, with the game's own help text, by topic and with a search box.
Open “Settings”
At the top is “The essentials”: public list, name, password, players at once, accounts, PvP, “Pause time when nobody is on” and others that get changed a lot (welcome message, safehouses, factions, voice chat…). The rest is in blocks by topic (“Joining and accounts”, “Chat and voice”, “PvP and fighting”, “Safehouses and factions”, “Game and world”…), and below them, the world settings.
Search and change
Type in the search box (for example, “safehouse” or “ping”) and change whatever you like. It saves itself.
Restart
Changes apply when you restart the server with “Restart”. Some world settings only count in a new world.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Project Zomboid's servertest.ini?
In the Zomboid\Server folder in your user directory (on Windows, C:\Users\<your user>\Zomboid\Server). It's named after the server; servertest is the default name. On NapNodes, .cache/Server/napnodes.ini, although its options are in “Settings”.
What does PauseEmpty do in Project Zomboid?
It stops game time when nobody is connected. That way the days (and the countdown to the power and water shutoff) only pass while you're playing.
How do I change the max players on my server?
With MaxPlayers in the .ini (or /changeoption MaxPlayers "value"). It accepts up to 254, but the game recommends no more than 32 at once.
How do I get my server to show up in the server list?
With Public=true and a name in PublicName. On NapNodes, in “Settings” → “The essentials”, by turning on “Show in the public server list”.
Can I change server options without restarting?
Yes, as an admin: /changeoption Option "value" and then /reloadoptions. To make sure the change sticks, check afterwards that it's in the .ini.
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