How to Fix a Project Zomboid Server That Will Not Start

Project Zomboid prints its reason for failing in the panel console. Open Console for your server and read from the top of the last start, not the bottom.

The server stops right after a settings edit

Two causes cover nearly all of these:

• You edited while the server was running. Project Zomboid writes the INI and Lua files back out on shutdown, overwriting your changes. Always stop first.
• A Lua syntax error in servertest_SandboxVars.lua. Every line inside the table needs a trailing comma, and values must not be quoted unless they are text. The console names the line number.

The server fails after adding mods

1. Check that WorkshopItems holds only numeric workshop IDs and Mods holds only the mod names. Swapping them is the classic mistake.
2. Check that every required library mod is listed before the mod that needs it.
3. Remove the last mod you added from both lines, start, and confirm the server comes back. Then add mods one at a time.

A workshop download failure appears in the console as the server being unable to fetch an item. That is usually a delisted or private workshop item, and no amount of restarting fixes it.

Players get Connection lost while loading

This is the client failing the mod check, not a server crash. Ask the player to:

• Confirm they are subscribed to every workshop item the server runs.
• Restart Steam so pending workshop downloads finish.
• Verify they are on the same game branch as the server.

The world reset or looks wrong

Check Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/ in Files. The save folder is named after the server. If the server name changed, Project Zomboid starts a new save rather than loading the old one, and the old folder is still sitting there. Set the name back and the original world returns.

The server is running but nobody can find it

• Public=true in the INI is what lists it in the browser. Direct joins by IP work either way.
• Players must use the SERVER_PORT value from the server overview, not the Steam port.

Recovering a save

Before any risky change, download Zomboid/Saves/ and Zomboid/Server/ from Files. Those two folders are the world and the settings. With both you can restore a working server on any machine.