How to Become Admin on Your 7 Days to Die Server

To make yourself an admin on your 7 Days to Die server, you will need to edit one of the .config files found in the server files. You will add your Steam64ID number to the file, and that's how the server will recognize that you're an admin, and allow you to use admin commands.

If you don't know how to find your Steam64ID number, we have a separate guide that shows you how to find that number. See this article for information.

Edit server_admin.xml Config File

The config file that you need to edit is called server_admin.xml, located in the /saves/Saves folder.

NOTE: If you don't see the entire /saves folder, you will need to start the server up at least once and then stop it. The server makes a series of folders and files on its first start-up.

After locating the server_admin.xml file, select it, and click the edit button.

Look for the section that begins with <adminTools> then <users>, and edit the line there, which is shown below.

<!-- <user platform="Steam" userid="76561198021925107" name="Hint on who this user is" permission_level="0" /> -->

<!-- <group steamID="103582791434672565" name="Steam Universe" permission_level_default="1000" permission_level_mod="0" /> -->

We recommend you copy the entire line, insert a new line below it, and paste it in. You can keep the example line if you need to add more admins in the future.

Do not delete the line with </users> or as that is required to tell the game where that section ends.

Replace SteamID or UserID

Replace the sample SteamID or UserID shown in the example with the Steam64ID number of the person being made an admin.

Set Permission Level for Each Admin

The section of the line with "permission_level="0" is essentially a very very simple "permissions" system, and it controls which commands an Admin can use. An admin can use any command equal to or above their permission level, so "0" is access to everything.

How the permissions system works is explained in a separate section at the end of this guide.

Delete "Comment Characters"

The last step is to delete the characters <!-- as they are "comment characters" that tell the game to ignore everything past them. Any line that has those characters at the front will appear in dark gray text in the file. When you remove the comment characters, the line will change to red/green/yellow and white text, which means it will be read by the game.

Restart Your Server

You will need to restart your server for the changes to the admins to take effect.

Permissions System

There is a section in the server_admin.xml config file labeled <permissions>. This is part of a very basic "permissions system", which is a way of controlling who can use the admin commands. Some of the commands an admin can use are listed there, and at the end of each line is a section of the line with permission_level="XXXX". The number between the quotes is what permission level is required to use the command.

Each admin is assigned a permission level as well, and an admin can use any command with a level equal to or higher than their permission level. A level of 0 for an admin is access to all commands.

By editing the numbers in the <admins> section, and the permission levels in the <permissions> section, you can effectively control who can use each command. For example, if an admin's permission level is set to 500, they can use any command of a level 500, 550, 600, 800, 1000. But they can't use a command that has a level of 100, 200, 300, or 400 because those are lower than their permission level.