DayZ Server Admin Commands and How to Use Them

DayZ Standalone does not provide a general native in-game administrator console. For a reliable administration setup, use BattlEye RCon for remote moderation, the configuration and mission files for persistent rules and restart notices, and one compatible admin mod for live-world tools such as teleporting or spawning items. These layers solve different problems and require different identifiers and permissions.

The safest workflow is to configure RCon on a separate, protected port, run players before any command that targets a connected player, save ban changes with writeBans, and use the documented graceful-shutdown process rather than killing the server process.

What are the DayZ server administration command layers?

DayZ administration is split across three systems. Treating them as interchangeable is the source of many failed commands and unsafe server changes.

Layer	Where it runs	What it can do	Identity or file involved	Persistence
BattlEye RCon	Remote console client or a host’s web console	List players, kick, ban, manage bans, and broadcast messages	Short-lived player number, BattlEye GUID, or IP	Ban data is held in memory until written to bans.txt
Server configuration and mission files	Server file system loaded by the launch command	Passwords, verification, logging, rule switches, and scheduled shutdown messages	serverDZ.cfg, BEServer_x64.cfg, and mission files	Persistent until files are edited and the server is restarted or reloads them
Admin mod	In-game interface and chat commands	Teleport, free camera, ESP, healing, item and vehicle spawning, weather, and other world-changing actions	Mod permission roles and the player’s in-game identity	Depends on the mod and its permission/configuration files

RCon is the dependable native route for moderation. It is not a world-editing tool: the standard command set does not teleport a player, create an item, heal a character, or change weather. Those operations require a loaded admin mod such as CommunityOnlineTools (COT) or VPPAdminTools.

How do I set up BattlEye RCon safely?

Configure RCon in the BattlEye directory used by the running server, then connect with an RCon client or a host-provided web console. The exact directory is determined by the process’s -profiles and -BEpath launch parameters, so editing a similarly named file elsewhere has no effect.

1. Locate the active paths. Inspect the server launch command and note the values of -profiles and, when present, -BEpath. The BattlEye configuration must be under the path that this process actually uses.
2. Edit BEServer_x64.cfg. Set a long, unique RConPassword and choose an RConPort that is different from the game port. Do not reuse a password from the game panel, operating-system account, or another server.
3. Restrict the port. Use firewall rules or the hosting panel’s access controls to allow RCon only from trusted administrator addresses where possible. Never assume that an obscure port number alone is protection.
4. Restart or reload as required by the host. A server normally reads BattlEye settings during startup. Confirm the panel has started the instance with the same profile and BattlEye paths you edited.
5. Connect and test. Authenticate with the RCon client, run version, then run players. A response confirms that the connection is reaching the intended server.

The RestrictRCon control is available in BattlEye configuration. Its effect depends on the BattlEye deployment, so review the setting used by your host rather than copying an option from a different game or server version.

Which BattlEye RCon commands should I use?

Run commands first if you need to see what the connected server exposes. The following commands are the core moderation set.

Command	Use	Important detail
commands	Display commands available from the connected BattlEye server.	Useful for checking what this server build accepts.
version	Show the BattlEye server version.	Use it to verify that the client reached the expected instance.
players	List connected players.	Provides the temporary player number used by kick and ban.
admins	List connected RCon clients.	Helpful when checking for an unexpected staff connection.
kick <player#> [reason]	Remove a connected player.	The reason can be displayed to the player and should match your staff record.
ban <player#> [minutes] [reason]	Ban a connected player’s BattlEye identity.	0 is commonly used for a permanent duration.
addBan <GUID or IP> [minutes] [reason]	Add a ban by BattlEye GUID or IP, including for an offline player.	Use the identifier type the command expects; a Steam64 ID is not a BattlEye GUID.
bans	Show the current BattlEye ban list.	The output includes ban numbers used by removeBan.
removeBan <ban#>	Remove the entry identified by its ban-list number.	Check the list immediately before removing an entry because numbers can change.
loadBans	Reload bans.txt after manual edits or where the running server supports it.	Use it after editing the file outside RCon.
writeBans	Write the in-memory ban list to bans.txt.	It also clears expired entries; run it after a batch of changes.
say -1 <message>	Broadcast a message to everyone.	Replace -1 with a player number for a private message.

How do I kick or ban someone in DayZ?

Start with a fresh player list, identify the correct entry, perform the action, and record the reason. A player number is a session handle, not a permanent identity.

Kick a connected player

1. Run players.
2. Match the displayed name and player number to the incident. If the name is ambiguous, gather additional identity information before acting.
3. Run kick <player#> [reason], replacing the brackets with the current number and a concise reason.
4. Check the RCon response and your staff log. If the player reconnects, run players again instead of reusing the old number.

Ban a connected player

1. Run players immediately before the ban.
2. Use ban <player#> [minutes] [reason]. Use a duration appropriate to your written policy; 0 is commonly interpreted as permanent.
3. Run writeBans after the action, especially when several bans were made in succession.
4. Run bans to verify that the entry is present and to capture its ban number for future administration.

Ban an offline identity

Use addBan <GUID or IP> [minutes] [reason] when the person is no longer connected. Confirm whether the value is a BattlEye GUID or an IP address before entering it, then save the updated list with writeBans.

Remove a ban

1. Run bans and locate the intended entry.
2. Run removeBan <ban#> with the current list number.
3. Run writeBans so the removal is persisted to bans.txt.

Keep a staff record containing the player identity, command, reason, duration, administrator, and time. That record is separate from BattlEye’s ban file and makes appeals and mistaken-action recovery possible.

Why does #login not work on my DayZ server?

Many web pages list #login, #kick, #shutdown, #lock, #unlock, #restart, or #exec ban as if they were universal DayZ commands. These lists commonly describe Arma engine or legacy server commands, not the current DayZ Standalone administration interface.

DayZ Standalone has no native in-game administrator console that turns those hash commands into a complete toolset. Use BattlEye RCon for moderation and a supported admin mod for live-world actions. If a host, mod, or specific server build documents a hash command, verify it against that exact build before using it; a command copied from an Arma reference can simply be ignored or rejected by DayZ.

Which server configuration files control administration?

Use the configuration file selected by the process’s -config launch parameter. A typical launch checklist includes:

-config=serverDZ.cfg
-profiles=<profile path>
-BEpath=<BattlEye path, when customized>
-doLogs
-adminLog

What belongs in serverDZ.cfg?

The official DayZ configuration reference documents passwordAdmin, ban and priority-list switches, signature verification, logging, ping controls, forceSameBuild, and other server rules. Set passwordAdmin only when your deployment or toolchain explicitly uses it. RCon authentication itself comes from RConPassword in BEServer_x64.cfg; the two passwords are not interchangeable.

How do launch paths affect troubleshooting?

-profiles controls where profile data and logs are written, while a customized -BEpath can move BattlEye files. If you edit a file in a default installation directory while the service launches with different paths, your changes will appear to do nothing. Compare the command line, the active log location, and the file timestamps before changing settings.

What logging should I enable?

Use -doLogs and -adminLog when investigating moderation or startup problems. Keep logs long enough to correlate an RCon response with a kick, ban, connection, or restart event, and protect them because they can contain player and staff identifiers.

How can I teleport, spawn items, or control the world?

Teleporting, item and vehicle spawning, healing, weather control, free camera, ESP, and similar actions come from an admin mod, not the basic RCon command list. Install and load one supported ecosystem, then grant only the permissions each staff role needs.

CommunityOnlineTools

CommunityOnlineTools (COT) provides modules for player management, camera and freecam, ESP, maps, objects, teleportation, loadouts, vehicles, weather, item statistics, and webhooks. Its permissions are stored under the profile path and use hierarchical role nodes with allow and deny levels. Protect those files and back them up before changing role inheritance.

VPPAdminTools

VPPAdminTools supplies a graphical interface and permission-gated chat commands. Documented examples include /heal, /kill, /strip, /bring, /goto, /return, /tpt, /tpp, /sph, /spi, /spg, /ammo, /spawncar, /refuel, and /unban. They work only when VPP is installed, loaded, and the administrator has the relevant permission.

How should I choose between the mods?

Use one primary admin-mod ecosystem unless you have verified compatibility between multiple tools. Two systems can duplicate menus, permissions, keybinds, or event handlers and make it unclear which action was recorded. Test every permission level on a private instance before granting it on a live server.

Are mod bans the same as BattlEye bans?

No. A mod ban is enforced by the mod after the player reaches the game, while a BattlEye ban is enforced before the player can complete the normal connection path. For serious cheating or duping, use the BattlEye ban workflow and mirror the decision in the mod only when your documented procedure requires both.

What is the difference between a player number, BattlEye GUID, and Steam64 ID?

These identifiers serve different systems and cannot be substituted.

Identifier	Where you obtain it	Typical use	Stability
Player number	The current output of RCon players	Targeting a connected player with kick, ban, or a private say	Short-lived; can change when players reconnect
BattlEye GUID	RCon output or BattlEye-related records	Persistent BattlEye bans with addBan	Different from a Steam64 identifier
Steam64 ID	Steam account data or a tool that displays it	Identity and permission systems that explicitly request Steam64 IDs	Not accepted where a BattlEye GUID is required

If a command rejects an identifier, first check the command’s expected format rather than adding punctuation or copying a value from another system. A 17-digit Steam64 ID pasted into a BattlEye GUID field will not produce the intended ban.

How do I schedule a safe DayZ server restart?

Do not treat a process kill as a normal restart. The DayZ configuration documentation strongly recommends graceful shutdown because an abrupt termination can harm player-character persistence and server-storage saving.

Configure a countdown message

1. Open mpmissions/<mission>/db/messages.xml for the mission the server actually loads.
2. Add or edit a message entry with a deadline and shutdown enabled.
3. Write clear warnings for players. The message system supports placeholders such as #name, #port, and #tmin for player-facing text.
4. Validate the XML structure, back up the file, and restart or reload the mission according to your deployment’s procedure.

Announce the schedule early, repeat the warning as the deadline approaches, and allow time for players to leave dangerous areas. A graceful shutdown is a persistence safeguard, not merely a courtesy message.

What should I check when an admin command fails?

Inspect the exact RCon response after every command. Then work through the failure that matches the symptom.

Symptom	Likely cause	Correction
RCon cannot connect	Wrong port, password, BattlEye path, firewall rule, or server instance	Compare RConPort and RConPassword with the active BEServer_x64.cfg, confirm the port differs from the game port, and restrict or open the firewall deliberately.
kick or ban affects nobody	Stale player number	Run players again and use the newly returned number.
An identity ban does not match	Steam64 ID supplied where a BattlEye GUID was required	Obtain the correct BattlEye GUID or use the command’s explicitly supported IP form.
Edited server settings have no effect	The process loaded another file	Check -config, -profiles, and -BEpath in the actual launch command.
Teleport or spawn command is unknown	The admin mod is not installed, not loaded, or permission is missing	Check mod startup output, loaded-mod order, role files, and the administrator’s permission node.
Bans disappear after a restart	In-memory changes were never written	Run writeBans, then verify the entry in bans.txt.
Players lose progress after restart	Process was killed instead of gracefully shut down	Use the mission message countdown and graceful shutdown procedure.

Which administration approach is right for a DayZ server?

Choose by the operation you need, not by the command syntax shown in an online list.

Need	Recommended layer	Permission granularity	Operational risk	Audit evidence
Kick, ban, unban, or message players remotely	BattlEye RCon	RCon access and staff process	High if the port or password is exposed	RCon responses, BattlEye files, and staff log
Set verification, lists, logging, or server rules	serverDZ.cfg and launch parameters	File-system and deployment access	High if the wrong file is edited or syntax is invalid	Configuration version history and startup logs
Teleport, spectate, spawn, heal, or change weather	One admin mod, such as COT or VPPAdminTools	Hierarchical roles or command permissions	High because actions alter the live world	Mod logs or webhooks when configured, plus staff records
Warn players and save before maintenance	messages.xml graceful shutdown	Mission-file access	Lower than a forced process kill	Message configuration and server logs

For a small team, keep RCon credentials separate from mod permissions, assign the least powerful role that supports each job, and require a second staff member to review permanent bans. For a larger operation, version-control configuration and permission files, test updates on a private server, and make writeBans part of the moderation checklist.

What is the practical DayZ admin checklist?

• Confirm the launch command’s -config, -profiles, and -BEpath values.
• Set a unique RCon password and a dedicated RCon port, then restrict that port with firewall rules.
• Connect through RCon, run version, and run players before targeting anyone.
• Use the current player number for connected-player actions; use a verified BattlEye GUID or IP for offline bans.
• Run writeBans after ban-list changes and verify with bans.
• Do not expect Arma hash commands such as #login to provide a DayZ Standalone console.
• Load one primary admin mod and test its permissions before using teleport or spawn tools live.
• Enable -doLogs and -adminLog when investigating incidents.
• Use messages.xml deadlines and graceful shutdowns for maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run DayZ RCon commands from a web browser?

Some managed hosts provide a browser-based RCon console, but it is still an RCon connection underneath. Confirm that the panel is pointed at the active BattlEye port and that it displays the same responses as a standalone client before relying on it for moderation.

What happens if two administrators use RCon at the same time?

Both sessions can appear in the admins output and their actions can interleave. Use a shared staff log and announce ban-list changes so one administrator does not overwrite or misidentify another person’s action.

Should I keep an IP ban and a GUID ban for the same player?

Only do so when your written policy and applicable privacy rules justify it. IP addresses can be shared or change over time, while a BattlEye identity ban targets the account identifier; record why each form was used and set an expiration where appropriate.

How can I test an admin mod without risking the live server?

Create a private instance with the same mission and mod versions, then assign a test role with only one permission at a time. Verify startup order, command responses, persistence, and log output before copying the permission configuration to production.