7 Days to Die Admin Commands: How to Become Admin (V3, 2026)

To use 7 Days to Die admin commands on a dedicated server, you first need admin rights: run admin add YourName 0 in the server console while you are online, or add your ID to serveradmin.xml with permission level 0. Then press F1 in game to open the console and type commands like kick, ban add, settime and giveself. This guide covers both ways to become admin and the commands that matter, checked against V3.

How to make yourself admin

Option 1: The server console (easiest)

Join the server, then type this in the server console (the terminal where the server runs, or the console in your hosting panel):

admin add YourPlayerName 0

0 is the highest permission level. The change is saved to serveradmin.xml automatically, so it survives restarts. If there are several players with similar names, run lpi first to list player IDs and use the ID instead of the name.

Option 2: Edit serveradmin.xml

serveradmin.xml is created in the server's saves folder on the first start. Stop the server, open the file and add a line inside the <users> section:

<user platform="Steam" userid="76561198012345678" name="YourName" permission_level="0" />

• platform: Steam for Steam players. Crossplay players use their own platform.
• userid: your 17 digit SteamID64, which starts with 7656119.
• name: only a note for you, it has no effect.
• permission_level: 0 is full admin, 1000 is a normal player.

The old steamID="..." format from before 1.0 no longer works, so if you copied an old file, rewrite the lines in this format. If you changed SaveGameFolder or UserDataFolder in serverconfig.xml, the file lives in that folder instead. Save and start the server.

How to open the console in game

Press F1. Commands are typed without a slash. Type help to list every command your permission level can run, or help commandname for details on one.

Player management commands

Ban units are minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years.

World and time commands

Be careful with settime: jumping to a blood moon day triggers the horde when night falls.

Cheat and building commands

Item names come from the game's items.xml. Using debug or creative menus on a survival server is obvious to other players, so agree the rules with your group first.

Restricting commands with permission levels

Levels run from 0 (full admin) to 1000 (everyone). Use cp to decide who can run what:

cp add kick 10
cp add ban 10
cp add settime 0

Then give moderators level 10 with admin add ModName 10. They can kick and ban, but not change the time. cp list shows every command permission.

Running commands from a hosting panel

On a server with a web console, like our control panel, commands typed there run as the server itself, with full rights, even when nobody is in game. That makes it the easiest place to add your first admin, save before a risky blood moon, or kick someone when you are away from your PC. Our panel also has one click Save world, Broadcast and List players buttons for the commands you use most.

Common problems

• "Unknown command" or no permission: you are not admin yet, or you typed a slash. Commands in 7 Days to Die have no slash.
• Admin disappears after a restart: the server was started with a different saves folder than the one containing your serveradmin.xml. Check SaveGameFolder.
• The old steamID line does nothing: rewrite it in the platform and userid format shown above.
• giveself says the item is unknown: use the item name, not a number. Item IDs stopped working long ago.

Skip the setup

Running your own server means juggling SteamCMD, XML files and ports before you can type a single command. A 7 Days to Die server from GamezServers is online in about a minute with a full console in the browser, so admin add is the first thing you type. See how to host a 7 Days to Die server for the steps.

FAQ

How do I make myself admin in 7 Days to Die?

Join the server and type admin add YourName 0 in the server console, or add your SteamID64 to serveradmin.xml with permission_level="0" and restart.

How do I open the admin console in 7 Days to Die?

Press F1 in game. Type help to see what you can run.

Do I need to restart after editing serveradmin.xml?

Yes, if you edit the file by hand, do it with the server stopped. Changes made with admin add apply straight away.

How do I skip to the blood moon for testing?

Use settime to set the day to the next horde day and an hour just before dark, for example settime 7 21 0.