How to Reset a Player's Character on a Project Zomboid Server

To reset one player's character on a Project Zomboid server, stop the server, open players.db in the save folder with a SQLite editor, delete that player's row from the networkPlayers table, and start the server again. Next time they join, they get the character creation screen while the world, their old base and everyone else stay as they were. There is also a no tools method: have the player join with a new username, which gives them a fresh character instantly.

When you need this

• A player's character is stuck: inside a wall, under the map, or in a loading loop at one spot.
• A character got corrupted after a crash and kicks the player on every join.
• Someone wants a fresh start without the whole group wiping.
• A cheated or duped character needs removing on a public server.

If the whole group wants to start over, that is a world reset instead. If only the sandbox needs changing, see changing sandbox settings on an existing world.

Characters and accounts are stored separately

Project Zomboid keeps two different things for each player:

<servername> is servertest by default, or whatever name the server was started with. On a GamezServers server it is your Save name setting, GamezServers unless you changed it, inside the .cache folder.

Deleting the character leaves the account alone, so the player keeps the same username, password and admin rights. Only the survivor is gone.

Method 1: Delete the row in players.db

This is the clean way and keeps the username.

Step 1: Back up and stop

Take a backup of the whole save folder first. Then stop the server. players.db is a SQLite database the server keeps open, and editing it while the server runs either fails or gets overwritten.

Step 2: Get the file

Download Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/<servername>/players.db through the file manager or SFTP.

Step 3: Open it in a SQLite editor

Use any SQLite tool. DB Browser for SQLite is free and works on Windows, Mac and Linux.

1. Open players.db.
2. Go to Browse Data and pick the networkPlayers table.
3. Use the filter box above the username column to find the player. Usernames are case sensitive.
4. Check the row is the right one. The name column shows the character's name, and x and y show where they are.

If the player has more than one row, for example from an old character and a new one, they belong to the same username. Delete all rows for that player if you want a full reset.

Step 4: Delete and save

Select the row, click Delete Record, then Write Changes (Ctrl+S). Close the editor so the file is fully written.

Step 5: Upload and start

Upload players.db back to the same folder, overwriting the old one, and start the server. When the player joins with their usual username and password, they create a new character.

Their old corpse does not appear, because the character never died. Their old items are gone with the character, apart from anything stored in containers or vehicles in the world. Bases and safehouses remain, though a safehouse owned by that player is still listed under their username.

Method 2: A new username

On an open server (Open=true), a new username creates a new account and a new character on the first join. Ask the player to type a different username in the join screen. Nothing to edit, no restart.

Downsides: the old character stays in the database, safehouse ownership and admin rights stay with the old username, and other players see a different name. On a whitelist server (Open=false) you also need to create the new account first with adduser "newname" "password", as covered in making the server private.

Method 3: Let the character die

When the player is not stuck and only wants a fresh start, the simplest option is in game: dying ends the character, and the player creates a new one on respawn. Admins can pull a stuck player to safety first with /teleport "player1" "player2" so they can move again, which is often enough without any reset. The admin commands list has the exact syntax.

Moving a character instead of deleting it

If the only problem is the location, such as stuck under the map, try fixing the position before you delete anything. With the player online, an admin standing somewhere safe can run /teleport "stuckname" "adminname" to pull them over. If they cannot stay connected long enough, the x, y and z columns in their networkPlayers row show where they are saved. Changing those to a safe spot on a road with z at 0 works on some builds, but the character data also stores a position, so if the player still loads in the old place, fall back to deleting the row.

Common problems

• The player still loads the old character. The server was running when you replaced the file, or you edited a copy from a different save name. Stop the server, check the path matches the save name, and upload again.
• "Database is locked" in the editor. You opened the file on the server while it was running. Stop the server first, or work on a downloaded copy.
• Server will not start after the edit. The file was damaged during upload. Put the backup back and try again, making sure the upload finishes before starting.
• Player lost admin rights. You deleted from the wrong database. Admin rights live in db/<servername>.db, not players.db. Restore that file from the backup.

Doing it on a hosted server

On a GamezServers Project Zomboid server the steps are the same, with less friction: one click backup, stop from the panel, download players.db from the Files tab or SFTP, edit it, upload, start. The live console shows the player reconnecting so you know it worked. If you are setting up a server for a group that does not want to deal with any of this on a home PC, see the Project Zomboid server for friends page.

FAQ

Can I reset one player without wiping the server?

Yes. Delete their row in the networkPlayers table of players.db with the server stopped. The world and other players are untouched.

Where is players.db on a Project Zomboid server?

In Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer/<servername>/, next to the map files of that world.

Will the player keep their password and admin level?

Yes. Those are in the account database, Zomboid/db/<servername>.db, which this reset does not touch.

Does deleting a character remove their safehouse?

No. The safehouse and its contents stay in the world, still tied to the username. Release or reassign it with the admin tools if needed.