Zombie Apocalypse Admin: Project Zomboid Server Commands (Build 42.19)
Build 42.19 multiplayer admin chat commands, access levels, RCON, and common syntax mistakes—use in-game /help if your live build differs after a patch.
T, type /help, and use only commands your access level allows.
Promote a player with /setaccesslevel "PlayerName" "admin".
Self cheats: /godmode -true, /invisible -true.
Other players: /godmodeplayer, /invisibleplayer.
Two-player move: /teleportplayer "A" "B" (alias /tpp), not a bare two-name /teleport assumption.
RCON uses RCONPort and RCONPassword in server options—not a fictional -enablercon switch.
- Do not write two-player teleports as
/teleport "A" "B"—use/teleportplayer "A" "B"for player A to player B. - Do not run bare
/releasesafehousewithout the safehouse title—use/releasesafehouse "title". - There is no
AdminPassword=line in a genericServerSettings.inifor the built-in admin account password. - Do not enable RCON with
-enablerconor a server JSON block—setRCONPort/RCONPasswordunder Server Options. - Boolean toggles take
-true/-false(with the leading hyphen), not baretrue.
1. Quick start for new server admins
-
Get rights.
Log in as the dedicated-server
adminaccount (password set at first run or via the server’s-adminpasswordflow), or have an existing admin promote you with/setaccesslevel "YourUsername" "admin". From the server console you can also usegrantadmin "YourUsername"(no leading slash on console/RCON). - Open the admin tools UI when the client exposes it (Host / dedicated staff clients show an admin entry once your role has the right capabilities).
-
Use chat commands.
Press
T, start with a forward slash. Example: teleport yourself to Casey with/teleport "Casey". -
Try low-risk commands first:
/players,/help,/godmode -true(on yourself only), then turn it off with/godmode -false. -
Backup before destructive work.
Snapshot the multiplayer save folder before mass bans, large hordes, option reloads, or
/quit.
/createhorde 1000 or wrong coordinate teleport can wipe a session.
For broader hosting policy (ports, backups, PVP, loot), see
server administrator tips
and server survival admin tips.
2. Chat slash vs server console / RCON
In-game chat
Type the command with a leading / while connected with enough rights. Example: /players.
Username arguments with spaces need quotes: "My Player".
Server console & RCON
Same command names, usually without the leading slash: players, save, servermsg "Restart in 5".
Commands that default to “you” in chat often require an explicit player name from the console (horde, some weather/lightning targets).
Live syntax always wins: type /help and /help commandname in chat on the server you are running.
A full command table lives in the
administrator commands reference.
3. Become an admin
Built-in admin account
Dedicated servers create or reset the built-in admin account on first run, or when you pass
-adminpassword to the server process. Log in with username admin and that password.
The password is stored with the server’s account database.
It is not a plain AdminPassword= line in a generic ServerSettings.ini.
Do not confuse it with the public join Password ServerOption (that only gates clients joining the server).
Promote an existing character
From an admin client (chat):
/setaccesslevel "YourUsername" "admin"From the server console / RCON (no slash):
setaccesslevel "YourUsername" "admin"
grantadmin "YourUsername"
grantadmin is a dedicated promote helper; removeadmin "username" revokes admin rights.
Prefer the smallest level that fits the job.
/help returns a full staff list, self toggles such as /godmode -true succeed, and the admin / users tools UI becomes available when your role has the needed capabilities.
If promotion fails, fix rights from the console first—players cannot self-promote.
See also admin panel missing fixes
and how to admin someone.
4. Access levels
Built-in help documents these values for /setaccesslevel "username" "level":
Admin, Moderator, Overseer, GM, Observer.
In Build 42, exact powers follow the role’s capabilities—not folk wisdom about “mods can always ban.”
| Level value | Typical use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
admin |
Full server ownership | Highest trust; keep credentials out of public logs |
moderator |
Day-to-day kick/ban/chat moderation | Capabilities define the real tool set |
overseer / gm |
Events, spawning, scenario control | Names fixed in help; command set is capability-driven |
observer |
Minimal / spectate-style access | Some teleports may be limited to self only |
none (or demote via tools) |
Normal player | Use when removing staff rights; removeadmin targets admin accounts specifically |
5. Player management
Prefer exact names from /players. Quote names with spaces. Log a reason whenever you kick or ban.
Whitelist and accounts
/adduser "username" "password"
Add a user on a whitelisted server. Built-in help marks password optional in some flows; set one so the account is protected.
/addusertowhitelist "username"
Add a currently connected user (who already has a password) to the whitelist.
/addalltowhitelist
Add all currently connected users who have a password to the whitelist.
/removeuserfromwhitelist "username"
Remove a user from the whitelist.
/setpassword "username" "newpassword"
Change another user’s password. Players can change their own with /changepwd "old" "new".
Kick, ban, voice
/kickuser "username" -r "reason"
Immediately disconnects the player. Optional -r "reason" is recorded/shown.
/banuser "username" -ip -r "reason"
Ban by username. Add -ip to also ban the IP. Example: /banuser "rj" -ip -r "spawn kill".
/banid SteamID
/banip 1.2.3.4
Ban by SteamID or raw IP. Unban with /unbanuser, /unbanid, /unbanip.
/voiceban "username" -true
Blocks that player’s voice. Use -false to reverse. The hyphen on the boolean is required.
/players
List connected players. Related diagnostics: /connections.
/releasesafehouse "title"
Releases a safehouse by its title—the title argument is required. Related helpers:
/addtosafehouse "title" "username",
/kickfromsafehouse "title" "username".
6. World tools: teleport, items, hordes, cheats, weather
Teleport (correct split)
/teleport (alias /tp).
Moving player A to player B is /teleportplayer (alias /tpp).
Coordinates use /teleportto (alias /tpto).
/teleport "playername"
/tp "playername"
Teleport yourself to that player. After teleporting, wait a couple of seconds for the map to load around you.
/teleportplayer "player1" "player2"
/tpp "player1" "player2"
Teleport player1 to player2. Example: /teleportplayer "rj" "Casey".
/teleportto x,y,z
/tpto 10000,11000,0
Teleport to world coordinates. Built-in example shape: /teleportto 10000,11000,0.
Items, XP, vehicles, hordes
/additem "username" "module.item" count
Give an item. Username optional for self. Count optional; hard cap is 100 items per spawn call.
Example: /additem "rj" Base.Axe 5.
/addxp "playername" perkname=xp -true
Example: /addxp "rj" Woodwork=2 -true. The final -true optionally applies XP multipliers.
/addvehicle "script" "user or x,y,z"
Second argument is either a player name or a coordinate triple.
Examples: /addvehicle "Base.VanAmbulance" "rj" or
/addvehicle "Base.PickUpTruck" "12345,6789,0" (Z is treated as ground floor).
/createhorde count "username"
Example: /createhorde 150 "rj". Username is optional in chat (spawns around you) but required from the server console.
Large counts tank performance—scale carefully. Advanced form: /createhorde2 with flag-style options when your /help lists it.
/alarm
/gunshot
/chopper
/alarm sounds a building alarm at your position (must be in a room).
/gunshot and /chopper place those meta-style events on a random player.
Self vs other-player cheats
| Effect | Self | Other player |
|---|---|---|
| Invincible | /godmode -true (alias /godmod) |
/godmodeplayer "username" -true |
| Invisible to zombies | /invisible -true |
/invisibleplayer "username" -true |
| No-clip through walls | /noclip "YourName" -true |
/noclip "username" -true |
Turn effects off with -false.
Do not use /godmode "username" for other players—that is the wrong command shape.
Disable no-clip only when you are back in open space; turning it off inside solid geometry can stick you.
Weather
/startrain "intensity"
/stoprain
/startstorm "duration"
/stopweather
/lightning "username"
/thunder "username"
Rain intensity is optional, range 1–100. Storm duration is optional, in in-game hours. Lightning/thunder take an optional username in chat; the name is required when issued from the server console.
7. Server options, RCON, broadcast, save & quit
Live ServerOptions only
/changeoption optionName "newValue"
/showoptions
/reloadoptions
/changeoption edits a Server Option (the multiplayer settings family), not Custom Sandbox values.
Valid style: /changeoption SleepAllowed true.
Invalid style: /changeoption WaterShut 0—water shutoff is a sandbox setting, not a live Server Option.
/showoptions prints current server option values. /reloadoptions reloads server options from disk and pushes values to clients.
/servermsg "My Message"
Broadcast a message to all connected players.
RCON (correct configuration)
In the server settings UI, open the RCON group (same keys land in the server’s options INI):
RCONPort— remote console portRCONPassword— strong shared secret
-enablercon launch flag and no separate “enable RCON” JSON block in Server Options.
Do not invent a ServerSettings.ini AdminPassword field as a substitute for RCON or for the built-in admin account password.
Once port and password are set and the server is reachable, any RCON client can send the same command strings without a leading slash:
servermsg "Server restarting in 5 minutes"
save
quitKeep RCON passwords out of public scripts. Rotate them if a log leaks.
Save and shutdown
/save
Force a world save now.
/quit
Save and quit the server. Always announce with /servermsg, give players time to stash gear, run /save, then /quit.
Stats and pulse
/stats help
/sendpulse
Use /stats help (or /help stats) for the live subcommands on your build.
/sendpulse toggles sending server performance info to your client.
Backups (not a chat command)
- Back up the multiplayer world under the game’s
Saves/Multiplayer/<servername>tree plus your server config / options INI. - Take a fresh snapshot before version upgrades, soft resets, mass admin spawns, or experimental option reloads.
- Hosting panels often rotate backups automatically—confirm retention before you rely on them after a bad night.
8. Quick reference
| Task | Chat form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Help / promote | /help/setaccesslevel "user" "admin"/grantadmin "user" |
Levels: admin, moderator, overseer, gm, observer |
| List players | /players |
Verify exact names before targeting |
| Teleport self to player | /teleport "user" · /tp |
Wait for map load |
| Teleport A → B | /teleportplayer "A" "B" · /tpp |
Dedicated two-player command |
| Teleport to coords | /teleportto x,y,z · /tpto |
Example: 10000,11000,0 |
| Spawn item | /additem "user" Base.Axe 5 |
Max 100 per call |
| Spawn vehicle | /addvehicle "Base.VanAmbulance" "user" |
Or "x,y,z" as second arg |
| Horde | /createhorde 150 "user" |
Name required on console |
| God mode / invisible | /godmode -true/godmodeplayer "u" -true/invisible -true/invisibleplayer "u" -true |
Hyphenated booleans |
| No-clip | /noclip "user" -true |
Disable in open space |
| Kick / ban / voice | /kickuser "u" -r "…"/banuser "u" -ip -r "…"/voiceban "u" -true |
Also /banid, /banip |
| Release safehouse | /releasesafehouse "title" |
Title argument required |
| Server option | /changeoption Key "value"/showoptions/reloadoptions |
Not sandbox / Custom Sandbox keys |
| Broadcast / save / quit | /servermsg "…"/save/quit |
Console omits leading / |
| RCON config | RCONPort + RCONPassword |
Server Options group “RCON” |
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