Context
By default, a 7 Days to Die server is public, listed in the in-game server browser and open to anyone who finds it. For a server with friends, that is rarely what you want.
Two settings in serverconfig.xml are enough to take back control, the access password and the visibility in the list. Two more, region and language, decide where and by whom your server is found if you leave it public. This guide covers all four from the Winheberg game panel.
Requirements
- An active 7 Days to Die server on the Winheberg game panel
- Access to the Console and Files tabs of the server on panel.winheberg.com
The password protects the entrance, not the players' identity. To accept only a precise list of people, the whitelist is the right tool, and both combine very well.
1. Stop the server
Open the Console tab, click Stop and wait for the Offline state. The configuration file is only read at startup, a change made while the server runs would be ignored.
2. Open serverconfig.xml
In the Files tab, click the serverconfig.xml file at the server root to open it in the editor.
Every setting in this guide sits within the first twenty lines of the file.
3. Set a password
Find the ServerPassword line and put your password between the quotes. Empty, the server is open.
<property name="ServerPassword" value="MyPassword"/>
Take the opportunity to give the server a real name with ServerName, it is what your players will see in their list, and a description with ServerDescription.
Avoid quotes and special characters in the password, they break the XML syntax or get mistyped by players. Letters, digits and dashes are enough.
4. Choose the visibility
The ServerVisibility property decides whether the server shows up in the in-game server browser.
| Value | Effect |
|---|---|
2 |
Public, visible to everyone in the list |
1 |
Visible only to the Steam friends of players already connected |
0 |
Unlisted, the server can only be joined by its address |
For a private server, 0 is the right choice, combined with the password. Your players then join through Connect to IP with the address and port shown on the Console page of the panel.
<property name="ServerVisibility" value="0"/>
Value 1 has a subtlety, documented in the file itself. A dedicated server has no Steam friends, so it only becomes visible to the friends of connected players, which means the first player always has to join by address.
On the same capture, ServerMaxPlayerCount sets the number of simultaneous players. No need to show 32 slots for a server of six friends, lower the value and the server reads better in the list.
5. Region and language
These two properties only matter if the server stays public. They feed the server browser filters, and a French server declared as NorthAmericaEast and English will not show up for players filtering on Europe.
<property name="Region" value="Europe"/>
<property name="Language" value="French"/>
| Property | Values |
|---|---|
Region |
NorthAmericaEast, NorthAmericaWest, CentralAmerica, SouthAmerica, Europe, Russia, Asia, MiddleEast, Africa, Oceania |
Language |
The English name of the language, French, German, English, not Français |
6. Save and restart
Click Save Content at the top of the editor, go back to the Console tab and click Start. On restart, the server applies the chosen password and visibility.
Troubleshooting
❌ Players no longer find the server in the list
- That is the expected effect of
ServerVisibilityat0, give them the address and port, visible in the Console tab - If visibility is
2, checkRegionandLanguage, the game's default filters can hide a badly declared server - The list sometimes takes a few minutes to reflect a restart
❌ The password is refused
- Check that it contains no quote or special character, and that no space is left before or after
- Confirm that the server was restarted after saving
- Have players type the password by hand rather than paste it, one invisible character is enough to make it fail
❌ The server no longer starts after the change
- A missing or extra quote on a line makes the XML file invalid, reread the lines you changed
- Put the original value back if in doubt, then redo one line at a time
Best practices
- Combine the password with the whitelist on a closed server, the password always ends up circulating
- Declare yourself an administrator before locking the server, you keep control in case of a mistake
- Change the password when a player leaves the group on bad terms, it is the only protection it offers
- Keep
RegionandLanguagecorrect even on a private server, nothing to change the day you open it
Need help
If the server refuses to start after the change or if the password keeps being refused, open a ticket with our support from your client area, Technical department, with the server involved in the Related Product field. Our team can go through your serverconfig.xml with you.
Your server is no longer open to the four winds. 🔒
