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How to Change a Windrose Server Name and Description

A practical Windrose dedicated-server guide covering ServerName, conflicting file locations, JSON layouts, the uncertain Description field, safe backups, restart verification, and troubleshooting.
Length9 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To rename a Windrose dedicated server, stop it completely, edit the ServerName value in the server’s ServerDescription.json, save the file, and start the server again. Windrose does not present a consistently documented description field: some field lists omit it, while one guide describes a 500-character Description value. Treat that field as build-dependent and verify the schema your installation actually uses before adding anything.

What you can change safely

The server name is the one setting established consistently across the available Windrose references. It is stored as ServerName in ServerDescription.json. The value is a string, so you can replace the existing text with the name you want players to see in the server browser or connection list.

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A separate public description is less certain. The field lists associated with recent dedicated-server configurations include PersistentServerId, InviteCode, IsPasswordProtected, Password, ServerName, WorldIslandId, MaxPlayerCount, and direct-connection settings, but they do not show a description key. Another Windrose support guide lists Name, Description, Slots, AdminPassword, and JoinPassword; that may describe an older or different configuration format. Do not assume that a key accepted by one build is valid in yours.

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Stop the dedicated server before touching the file

Shut down the Windrose process through the control panel, service manager, or console you normally use, then wait until the process has exited and the server directory is no longer being written. Editing while the process is active is the most common reason a rename appears to fail: one guide reports that Windrose rewrites ServerDescription.json during shutdown, which can overwrite changes made while the server is running.

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Stopping first also gives you a recovery point. If a malformed JSON file prevents startup, you can restore the copy you made before editing. Never make the change while players are connected or while an automated restart is in progress.

Find the configuration file Windrose is actually reading

Published instructions disagree about the path. Depending on the package and build, the file may be in the server-directory root, inside an R5 folder, or under SavedConfig. Some documentation recommends checking both the root and SavedConfig; another points specifically to R5.

  1. Open the directory that contains the Windrose dedicated-server executable or launch script.
  2. Search that directory and its subfolders for files named exactly ServerDescription.json. Include the R5 and SavedConfig directories in the search.
  3. If more than one copy exists, record each full path and its last-modified time. The file changed by the most recent successful shutdown is a useful candidate, but confirm it by checking for your current server name and other live settings.
  4. Make a backup copy before editing. Give the backup a distinct name such as ServerDescription.json.before-rename; do not leave two files with the same extension in a directory where the launcher might select the wrong one.

A hosting panel can expose a virtual file tree rather than the operating-system path. In that case, use the panel’s file editor to search for the filename, then keep a local copy of the original content. The important test is not the folder label but whether the server reloads the value after a clean restart.

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Change the server name

  1. With the server fully stopped, open the active ServerDescription.json in a plain-text or JSON-aware editor.
  2. Locate the ServerName property. Preserve the spelling and capitalization of the key.
  3. Replace only the text between its quotation marks. For example, change "ServerName": "Old Name" to "ServerName": "New Name". Keep the surrounding quotation marks, comma placement, and braces intact.
  4. Save the file as UTF-8 text without changing the filename or adding a second extension such as .txt.
  5. Start the dedicated server and wait for a complete, successful boot. Check the server browser or the connection information from a separate client to confirm the new name.

If the file uses a nested object, the same property still applies; it is simply inside that object. Do not flatten or restructure the file just to make the key resemble an older example.

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Recognize the two JSON layouts

Examples found for Windrose use two layouts. Older examples place settings at the top level. Newer builds reportedly wrap persistent settings in an object named ServerDescription_Persistent. The exact surrounding properties can differ, so copy the structure already present in your file.

Top-level layout

{
  "ServerName": "New Name",
  "WorldIslandId": "your-island-id"
}

This is an illustrative shape, not a complete configuration. Leave every unrelated property where it is.

Nested layout

{
  "ServerDescription_Persistent": {
    "ServerName": "New Name",
    "WorldIslandId": "your-island-id"
  }
}

The nesting name and additional keys must match the file generated by your installed build. Do not paste a complete example over an existing file; doing so can remove passwords, invite data, world identifiers, or connection settings.

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What to do about a server description

There is no cross-version instruction that proves a public description key works everywhere. One source describes a Description field limited to 500 characters, while the other field references omit it entirely. The disagreement means a description may belong to a different build, an older interface, or a separate hosting wrapper rather than the current dedicated-server JSON.

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Check whether your build already has the key

  1. Search the active file for "Description", ignoring capitalization only if your editor’s search supports it; JSON keys themselves are case-sensitive to the application.
  2. Look for an existing value generated by the server or control panel. If one is present, edit that value while preserving its type and location.
  3. Check the version or build notes supplied with your server package. The field list reported for build 0.10.0.3 and later does not include a dedicated description property, so absence in that family is not necessarily an error.

If the key is absent

Do not invent a new top-level property and assume it will be displayed. An unknown key may be ignored, rejected, or removed when Windrose rewrites the file. If your hosting panel exposes a documented description box, use that interface and let it generate the configuration. Otherwise, leave the JSON unchanged beyond ServerName until documentation for your exact build identifies the supported field and location.

If your build documents a 500-character description

Use the exact key and nesting shown by that build’s own generated file or interface. Keep the value within the stated 500-character limit, save while the server is stopped, and verify after restart that the text survives and is visible to a client. A description that saves locally but disappears after boot is evidence that the key is not supported in the active schema.

Verify the result after restarting

Verification should distinguish a display-cache delay from a configuration failure.

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  • Confirm the server process completed startup without a configuration or JSON parse error.
  • Reconnect or refresh the server list from a client instead of relying on a previously cached entry.
  • Open the file again after the first clean shutdown. If Windrose rewrote it, check whether ServerName retained the new value.
  • If the name is correct in the file but not in the browser, wait for the listing to refresh and test from another client or connection method.
  • If the value reverted, compare the active file path with the copy you edited and inspect the timestamp of every duplicate file.

Troubleshoot a name that does not stick

The old name returns after shutdown

You probably edited while the server was still running, or you edited a file that is not active. Stop the process, make the backup, edit the copy whose contents match the live server, and restart only after saving. If a management panel regenerates files, make the change through that panel or its documented startup configuration instead of editing a generated artifact.

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The server fails to start after the edit

Restore the backup immediately, then start the server to confirm that the failure came from the edit. Common causes are a missing quotation mark, an extra comma, a removed closing brace, or saving the file with an unintended extension. Once the original boots, change only the characters inside the existing ServerName value and use a JSON-aware editor to validate syntax before saving.

The file resets several values to defaults

Some guidance warns that startup problems can cause Windrose to reset fields. Restore the known-good backup rather than trying to reconstruct the file from memory. Reapply the name after the server has completed one clean boot, and keep the persistent identifiers and world settings intact.

The name changes, but a description never appears

That outcome is consistent with builds whose field lists contain no description property. Remove any unrecognized key you added, keep the supported name setting, and use a build-specific control-panel field only when it is documented for your installation.

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Do not edit the persistent identity

PersistentServerId identifies the server independently of its display name. The official guidance says it is expected to change in upcoming builds, and another warning says changing it can orphan save data. There is no reason to alter it when renaming a server. Leave the value exactly as generated.

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Other fields you may see in the same file

Knowing the neighboring keys helps you identify the correct file and avoid accidental changes. These are reported settings, not a recommendation to modify them while changing the name.

Key Meaning or constraint
ServerName Display name; accepts a string according to one reference.
PersistentServerId Persistent identity. Do not edit; changing it may orphan save data.
InviteCode Alphanumeric, at least six characters, case-sensitive; one source says it is generated on first boot when blank.
IsPasswordProtected Must be true for the password setting to apply.
Password Password used with password protection; preserve it when making a name-only change.
WorldIslandId Must match an IslandId in WorldDescription.json.
MaxPlayerCount Reported limits conflict: one source describes official support up to eight players, while another recommends four in Early Access and states ten as the maximum.
UseDirectConnection Direct-connection option reported for build 0.10.0.3 and later.
DirectConnectionServerPort Reported default is 7777 in the same build-family reference.
DirectConnectionProxyAddress Reported default is 0.0.0.0.
P2pProxyAddress Peer-to-peer proxy setting listed by the same references.

Version and hosting differences to account for

Build 0.10.0.3 and later field reports

The field list associated with build 0.10.0.3 and later includes direct-connection keys and the persistent settings named above, but it still does not establish a universal description property. Your generated file is more authoritative than a copied sample because Windrose may add nesting or rename interface fields between builds.

Player-slot limits

Do not infer a supported capacity from the name-edit procedure. The available references disagree about MaxPlayerCount: one states official support up to eight, and another says four players are recommended in Early Access with ten as a maximum. Use the limit documented for your installed build and hosting environment.

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Network ports

One guide says ports are assigned through NAT punch-through and generally cannot be fixed manually. Other documentation describes direct-connection settings, including a default server port of 7777. Those statements can both be true for different connection modes or builds. Renaming the server does not require changing ports; leave networking keys alone unless you are following instructions for your exact mode.

A repeatable rename checklist

  • Record the installed Windrose build and hosting method.
  • Stop the server and verify that its process has exited.
  • Find every ServerDescription.json under the server root, R5, and SavedConfig.
  • Identify the copy containing the current live name and back it up.
  • Edit only the existing ServerName string.
  • Preserve the file’s top-level or ServerDescription_Persistent nesting.
  • Validate the JSON and save it without a new extension.
  • Start the server, wait for a clean boot, and refresh the listing from a client.
  • Reopen the file after shutdown to ensure the value survives Windrose’s write cycle.
  • Leave PersistentServerId, world identifiers, passwords, invite codes, and network settings unchanged unless a separate, build-specific task requires them.

What a successful change looks like

A successful rename has three signs: the server starts without a parse or reset warning, the active ServerDescription.json retains the new ServerName after a clean restart, and a freshly refreshed client displays that name. If all three occur, the rename is complete. A public description can be considered successful only when your build explicitly supports the relevant key or hosting-panel field and the value remains present after the same restart test.

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