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# How To Restart A Project Zomboid Server

If you’re searching for how to restart a Project Zomboid server without losing progress, the answer is short: save the world, warn your players and press **Restart** in Apollo Panel. A reset is different: you delete the save folder, and the server will generate a new map.

Console page of a Project Zomboid server in Apollo Panel with the Start, Restart and Stop buttons

## Before you start

A restart is safe, but a reset or wipe deletes files. Create a backup on the **Backups** page first, and stop the Project Zomboid server before you edit files or server settings.

## Restart your Project Zomboid server from the console

Use it for lag, new mods or a game update. Your map, buildings and players’ characters stay as they were.

1. Open your server in Apollo Panel and go to the **Console** page.

2. Announce the restart. Write this command and press Enter:

```
servermsg "Server restart in 5 minutes. Find a safe spot."
```

1. Type save and wait until the console log confirms the save.

2. Click **Restart**. The panel stops the Zomboid server gracefully, checks that the process has ended and starts it again.

3. Let the startup log finish before players connect.

> **Important:** use **Kill** only if the server ignores **Stop** for several minutes. Killing a running process can corrupt the save and roll back progress.

## Schedule automatic daily restarts

Daily restarts are the recommended schedule for performance on a Project Zomboid server that stays running 24/7.

1. Go to **Schedules**, the panel’s automation tool, and create a schedule.

2. Set the time, for example, 0 6 \* \* \* for 6:00 daily, and enable **Only When Server Is Online**.

3. Add a **Send command** task with servermsg "Restart in 5 minutes".

4. Add a second **Send command** task with save and a 300-second offset.

5. Add a **Send power action** task set to **Restart**, then click **Run Now** to test it.

## Restart vs. soft reset vs. full wipe

A restart keeps everything, a soft reset cleans the world but keeps players, and a wipe gives everyone a fresh start.

| Action     | Map and buildings                             | Players | Server settings | When to use it         |
|------------|-----------------------------------------------|---------|-----------------|------------------------|
| Restart    | Kept                                          | Kept    | Kept            | Lag, new mods, updates |
| Soft reset | Loot, corpses, zombies and containers cleared | Kept    | Kept            | Looted towns, clutter  |
| Wipe       | Deleted, new world                            | Deleted | Kept            | Big gameplay changes   |
Reset when the world is no longer fun or stable. Seasonal wipes help communities plan a reset, and they work best after large changes like a new map or mod list.

## How to wipe your Project Zomboid server for a fresh map

Deleting the save folder resets the map. Settings are stored inside a separate folder, so they survive.

> **Important:** this deletes all player data and buildings. Back up before you proceed.

1. Click **Stop** and confirm the server shows as offline.

2. Create a backup and download it to your computer.

3. Open the **Files** tab and navigate to ServerFiles/Saves/Multiplayer/.

4. Rename the world folder to something like servertest-backup-before-wipe, or delete it.

5. Optional: to clear the whitelist and registered users too, delete the server file in ServerFiles/db/.

6. Start the server. It will create a new world.

If you changed the sandbox or the ini file, the new settings apply on this first boot. Also save a copy of the Server folder, where your settings live.

Files tab in Apollo Panel showing the world folder inside Saves/Multiplayer

## Check that your Project Zomboid restart worked

In **Console**, the startup should finish without errors. Then connect from the game and play with your friends to double-check that mods loaded and progress is intact.

If you host on your own computer, your Zomboid folder is at C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\Zomboid\\Saves\\Multiplayer on Windows or \~/Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer on Linux.

Project Zomboid multiplayer server list showing the server online after the restart

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I fully restart a server?

Run save, stop it, wait until the process ends and start it from the game panel. A graceful stop saves progress.

### How do I restart the world in Project Zomboid?

Stop the server and delete the world folder in Zomboid saves multiplayer. The next boot will generate a fresh map.

### How do I start a new Project Zomboid server?

Do a full wipe, adjust the sandbox options and start it. The new world keeps your mod list.

### How do I soft reset my Project Zomboid server?

With the server stopped, delete the map and chunk files and keep players.db.

## If something goes wrong

**Players can’t find the server** → the server isn’t updated → update it and restart. At this point, players should update their game too.

**Server stops on boot after a wipe** → missing Workshop files → find the mod ID in the console log and add it to your mods.

**Settings revert** → you saved them while the server was running → stop it, edit, save and start. Wrong configuration also causes connection issues.

**Players can’t log in** → wrong password, or their username isn’t on the whitelist → check both, plus your admin password. Still stuck? Contact support with your server ID so the support team can answer faster.