Where Project Zomboid Workshop Mods Are Located (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Windows, macOS, Linux, Flatpak, and Steam Deck · Steam App ID 108600

Short answer Subscribed Workshop packs live under <Steam library>/steamapps/workshop/content/108600/<Workshop ID>/. Local or hand-edited mods belong in Zomboid/mods/. The number 108600 is Project Zomboid’s Steam App ID, not a mod ID.

Steam App ID 108600

Workshop cache steamapps/workshop/content/108600/

Local mods Zomboid/mods/

Managed by Steam for Workshop; you for local copies

Do not treat the Workshop folder as a free edit/delete workspace Steam owns that cache. Looking and backing up is fine. Editing files in place can be overwritten on the next update or verify. Deleting a folder does not fully cancel a subscription. For development or permanent local changes, copy the mod into Zomboid/mods/ and manage load order from the in-game Mods menu.

1. Confirm your real Steam library root first

The classic Windows path under C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\ is only the default library. Extra drives, moved installs, and non-default library folders put Project Zomboid under a different root. Always resolve the library that actually holds the game before pasting a path.

Open Steam → Settings → Storage (older clients: Settings → Downloads → Steam Library Folders).
Select the library that lists Project Zomboid.
Note that folder’s root (for example D:\SteamLibrary or ~/Library/Application Support/Steam).
Append /steamapps/workshop/content/108600/ to that root.

On Windows you can also right-click Project Zomboid in the Steam library → Manage → Browse local files. That opens .../steamapps/common/ProjectZomboid. Go up two levels to steamapps, then open workshop/content/108600.

2. Default Workshop paths by platform

These are the usual locations when Steam uses its default library. Replace the library root if your install lives elsewhere.

Platform	Default Workshop content folder	How to open it quickly
Windows (default library)	`C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\108600\`	File Explorer address bar → paste path → Enter
Windows (custom library)	`<YourSteamLibrary>\steamapps\workshop\content\108600\`	Steam Storage / Browse local files, then walk to `workshop\content\108600`
macOS (default library)	`~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/workshop/content/108600/`	Finder → Go → Go to Folder… (⇧⌘G) → paste path
Linux (common Flatpak / native layouts)	Native: `~/.steam/steam/steamapps/workshop/content/108600/` or `~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/workshop/content/108600/` Flatpak: `~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/workshop/content/108600/`	File manager path bar or `cd` in a terminal; if missing, use your library root from Steam Storage
Steam Deck	Same as Linux under Desktop Mode: library’s `steamapps/workshop/content/108600/` (often under `~/.local/share/Steam/` or an SD-card library)	Switch to Desktop Mode; confirm library root in Steam → Storage first

Folder missing? workshop/content/108600 is created when Steam has actually downloaded at least one Project Zomboid Workshop item into that library. If you are not subscribed to any mods, or downloads have not finished, the path may not exist yet. Subscribe (or re-subscribe), wait for Steam to finish downloading, then reopen the path.

macOS: Library is hidden by default

If Finder’s Go menu does not show Library, hold Option (⌥) while the Go menu is open, or use Go to Folder and paste the full ~/Library/... path above. You do not need to permanently unhide Library for this task.

3. Workshop ID vs Mod ID (folder hierarchy)

A Workshop subscription is not a single flat file. Steam downloads a package by numeric Workshop ID. Inside that package you usually find one or more game mods, each with its own folder and mod.info (the Mod ID used in load order and many server configs).

steamapps/workshop/content/ └── 108600/ ← Project Zomboid App ID ├── 1234567890/ ← Workshop item ID (Steam URL number) │ └── mods/ │ └── SomeModFolder/ ← folder name often matches Mod ID │ ├── mod.info ← id=, name=, require=, etc. │ └── media/ ... └── 9876543210/ └── mods/ └── AnotherMod/ └── mod.info

Name	Where you see it	Used for
App ID `108600`	Always the parent folder under `workshop/content/`	Steam’s game bucket for PZ Workshop downloads
Workshop ID	Digits in the Steam Workshop URL; folder name under `108600/`	Server `WorkshopItems=` lines; “which Steam package to download”
Mod ID	`id=` in `mod.info`; often the inner folder name under `mods/`	In-game Mods list; many server `Mods=` lines; load order

One Workshop package can ship multiple Mod IDs. Server hosts must list the Workshop IDs for download and the Mod IDs for activation—they are not interchangeable.

4. Local mods folder (separate from Workshop)

Manual installs, copies you edit, and some offline packs go into the user-data mods folder, not into Steam’s Workshop cache.

Local / manual mods

Windows: %UserProfile%\Zomboid\mods\
macOS / Linux / Steam Deck: ~/Zomboid/mods/
In-game: Mods screen → open mods folder (when the button is available)

Related user-data paths

Windows: %UserProfile%\Zomboid\
macOS / Linux: ~/Zomboid/
Logs: console.txt and Logs/ under that folder

Safe workflow for editing a Workshop mod Copy the inner mod folder from 108600/<Workshop ID>/mods/<Mod ID>/ into Zomboid/mods/, then enable the local copy and disable the Workshop instance if both would load. That keeps Steam free to update the original without wiping your changes on the next verify.

5. What you should (and should not) do in each folder

Action	Workshop `108600` cache	Local `Zomboid/mods`
Browse files, read `mod.info`, find a Workshop ID	Yes	Yes
Back up a pack before an update	Copy out to another folder	Copy the whole mods folder if needed
Edit scripts / textures for personal use	Avoid in place — Steam can overwrite	Preferred place for permanent local edits
Add a brand-new mod	Do not drop loose files here expecting Steam to manage them	Yes — or subscribe via Steam Workshop
Remove a mod cleanly	Unsubscribe in Steam (then let Steam clean cache)	Delete the mod folder after disabling it in-game
Force a re-download	Unsubscribe/resubscribe, or verify after clearing that item’s folder carefully	Not applicable

6. Quick platform checklists

Windows

Confirm library root in Steam → Storage.
Open ...\steamapps\workshop\content\108600\.
Each numeric folder is a Workshop ID; look under mods\ for Mod IDs.
For local work, use %UserProfile%\Zomboid\mods\.

macOS

Finder → Go → Go to Folder… (⇧⌘G).
Paste ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/workshop/content/108600/ (or your custom library’s equivalent).
If the path fails, confirm Storage and that at least one Workshop item has finished downloading.
Local mods: ~/Zomboid/mods/.

Linux

Check the common native roots ~/.steam/steam/ and ~/.local/share/Steam/. For Flatpak Steam, check ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/. Also check any library on another mount.
Open .../steamapps/workshop/content/108600/.
Local mods: ~/Zomboid/mods/.

Steam Deck

Use Desktop Mode for file browsing.
Confirm whether the game lives on internal storage or an SD-card Steam library.
Same relative path: steamapps/workshop/content/108600/.
User data still uses ~/Zomboid/ under the Deck’s Linux home.

7. Related troubleshooting

Remember Default paths help most players, but the reliable rule is always: your Steam library root + steamapps/workshop/content/108600/ for subscribed packs, and Zomboid/mods/ for local mods you control.

Where Project Zomboid Workshop Mods Are Located (Windows, macOS, Linux)

1. Confirm your real Steam library root first

2. Default Workshop paths by platform

macOS: Library is hidden by default

3. Workshop ID vs Mod ID (folder hierarchy)

4. Local mods folder (separate from Workshop)

Local / manual mods

Related user-data paths

5. What you should (and should not) do in each folder

6. Quick platform checklists

Windows

macOS

Linux

Steam Deck

7. Related troubleshooting

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