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.
- Open your server in Apollo Panel and go to the Console page.
- Announce the restart. Write this command and press Enter:
servermsg "Server restart in 5 minutes. Find a safe spot."- Type save and wait until the console log confirms the save.
- Click Restart. The panel stops the Zomboid server gracefully, checks that the process has ended and starts it again.
- 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.
- Go to Schedules, the panel’s automation tool, and create a schedule.
- Set the time, for example, 0 6 * * * for 6:00 daily, and enable Only When Server Is Online.
- Add a Send command task with servermsg "Restart in 5 minutes".
- Add a second Send command task with save and a 300-second offset.
- 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.
- Click Stop and confirm the server shows as offline.
- Create a backup and download it to your computer.
- Open the Files tab and navigate to ServerFiles/Saves/Multiplayer/.
- Rename the world folder to something like servertest-backup-before-wipe, or delete it.
- Optional: to clear the whitelist and registered users too, delete the server file in ServerFiles/db/.
- 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.
Updated on: 04/11/2026
Thank you!