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How to Change Server Links on an Unturned Server (Config.json Guide)

Edit the Browser.Links array in your Unturned server’s Config.json to change lobby buttons, then restart the server. Learn how this differs from BookmarkHost and GSLT-based persistent discovery.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To change the clickable links shown in an Unturned server’s lobby, stop the server, open its server-specific Config.json, edit the Browser section’s Links array, save valid JSON, and restart the server. Each link is an object with a Message label and a Url destination. These lobby buttons are separate from the address players use to find or join the server.

What Unturned server links actually are

Unturned can display clickable external destinations in the server lobby or details view. Typical entries point to a community website, Discord invitation, rules page, support page, or forum. The label players see comes from Message; the destination comes from Url.

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Changing this array does not create a permanent server address, redirect players to a new IP, or make a bookmark survive a port change. It only changes the external buttons exposed by the lobby. Persistent discovery uses the separate BookmarkHost and GSLT configuration described later.

Before you edit Config.json

  • Identify the specific server you intend to change. Unturned stores each server’s saved data and configuration below ...U3DSServers, with a separate folder for each server.
  • For the default server, the folder is ...U3DSServersDefault. A server with a custom name uses that name instead of Default.
  • Make a backup copy of the current Config.json before changing it. Keep the original outside the live configuration folder so it is easy to restore.
  • Use the server’s configuration file, not Commands.dat. The lobby links belong to the Server Configuration/Config.json data.
  • Have the complete, publicly reachable URLs ready. A label such as Discord is useful to players; a long internal hostname or unfinished URL is not.

Most Unturned settings cannot be changed reliably while the server is open. Editing a live file can be overwritten when the process shuts down, so perform the change during a clean stop.

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Step-by-step: change the lobby links

1. Shut down the server cleanly

Stop the Unturned server through its normal console, service manager, or hosting-panel stop control. Wait until the process has fully exited before opening the file. If your host shows a status indicator, continue only after it reports that the server is stopped.

2. Open the server-specific Config.json

Browse to U3DSServers<server name> and open Config.json in a text editor. On a managed host, open the panel’s Configuration Files area and choose the text editor beside the server’s Config.json. Do not edit a similarly named file belonging to another server instance.

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3. Find the Browser section and Links array

Search the file for "Browser", then locate "Links" inside that object. The array contains one object for each lobby button. Existing settings in the same Browser object, including Login_Token when configured, should remain untouched unless you deliberately need to change them.

4. Edit only Message and Url values

Replace the text between the quotation marks for each entry. Keep the property names, braces, brackets, commas, and quotation marks exactly as JSON requires. A minimal set of two links looks like this:

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"Links": [
  {
    "Message": "Community website",
    "Url": "https://example.com/"
  },
  {
    "Message": "Discord",
    "Url": "https://discord.gg/example"
  }
]

You can use shorter labels if the lobby has limited space:

"Links": [
  {
    "Message": "Website",
    "Url": "https://example.com/"
  },
  {
    "Message": "Rules",
    "Url": "https://example.com/rules"
  },
  {
    "Message": "Support",
    "Url": "https://example.com/support"
  }
]

Use a complete URL, including https:// where the destination supports it. Do not place comments inside the JSON, and do not add a trailing comma after the final object.

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5. Save valid JSON

Save the file without changing its extension. Before closing the editor, check that every opening { has a matching }, every opening [ has a matching ], and every property and string uses straight double quotation marks. A missing comma or quote can cause the server to reject the configuration or regenerate part of it.

6. Start the server again

Start the server through the same console, service, or hosting panel. Allow it to finish loading before checking the lobby. If the server fails to start or the links disappear, stop it again and restore the backup, then reapply the change with stricter JSON validation.

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7. Check each destination in the lobby

Open the server’s lobby/details view and select every button. Confirm that the displayed label is correct, the destination resolves publicly, and the page or invitation is intended for your players. This check catches copied URLs, expired invitations, private pages, and redirects that are inaccessible outside your own network.

Adding, changing, and removing individual links

Adding a link

Inside the Links array, add a comma after the previous object, then insert another object with its own Message and Url. The final object in the array must not have a comma after its closing brace.

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"Links": [
  {
    "Message": "Website",
    "Url": "https://example.com/"
  },
  {
    "Message": "Discord",
    "Url": "https://discord.gg/example"
  },
  {
    "Message": "Rules",
    "Url": "https://example.com/rules"
  }
]

Changing a destination

Leave the object structure intact and replace only the value after "Url". This is safer than deleting and rebuilding the whole section, especially when the same Browser object contains other server settings.

Removing a link

Delete the complete object, including the comma that separates it from its neighbor. If it is the only entry, use an empty array:

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"Links": []

Do not leave a half-deleted object or an empty string where a URL should be.

Using a hosting panel instead of local files

Managed hosts commonly expose the same file through a web editor. The labels vary, but the safe sequence is consistent: stop the server, open Configuration Files, select the editor for Config.json, edit Browser.Links, save, and start the server. The panel is only another way to edit the same server-specific JSON; it does not change the meaning of Message or Url.

If a panel provides a JSON validator, use it before saving. If it offers separate Save and Restart controls, save first and wait for confirmation before restarting.

Common failures and fixes

The new links do not appear

  • Confirm that you edited the folder for the running server, not another server under U3DSServers.
  • Check that the server was stopped before the edit and restarted afterward.
  • Verify that Links is inside the Browser object, at the same nesting level as the other Browser properties.
  • Check the file after shutdown. Some panels overwrite unsaved changes when a server is restarted.

The server rejects or resets the configuration

  • Restore the backup Config.json to bring the server back to a known-good state.
  • Look for a missing comma between objects, an extra comma after the final object, unmatched braces or brackets, and curly “smart” quotation marks.
  • Remove comments, because standard JSON does not allow them.
  • Reapply only the two required string values and save again.

A button opens the wrong page or fails for players

  • Copy the URL directly from the destination’s public share or invite control rather than typing it from memory.
  • Test from a device or network that is not logged in to your administrator account.
  • Replace expired or private invitations and check for accidental spaces inside the URL string.

The link changes after an IP or port change

That behavior is expected when you are using a lobby link or a direct address. The Links array is not a connection registry. Use BookmarkHost with a GSLT when players need a persistent way to rediscover the server.

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Lobby buttons versus a persistent server address

These two jobs are often confused because both may be described as “server links.” Choose the mechanism based on what the player must do.

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Requirement Use What it provides Address behavior Operational work
Show a website, Discord, rules, or support button in the lobby Browser.Links in Config.json Clickable external destinations Each URL remains whatever destination you entered; it does not track the game server’s IP or port Edit JSON or the equivalent hosting-panel file editor, then restart
Help players find the server after an address change BookmarkHost plus a GSLT Bookmark-based server discovery Can resolve a changing public address, depending on the method used Configure the host resolver and keep the token private
Use a stable hostname while retaining a fixed port DNS A record for BookmarkHost Hostname resolution to the server’s public IP Can tolerate an IP change, but retains the current port Update the DNS record when the public IP changes
Return both the current host and port HTTP or HTTPS BookmarkHost endpoint A plain-text address such as myunturnedserver.example.com:27015 Can provide both host and port dynamically Maintain an endpoint that returns only the current address as plain text

How BookmarkHost works

DNS method

Point a DNS A record at the server’s public IP and use that hostname as the bookmark host. This approach can continue working when the IP changes after the DNS record is updated, but it does not change the port value players use.

HTTP or HTTPS method

Use an endpoint that responds with a plain-text address, for example myunturnedserver.example.com:27015. This method can return both the current hostname or IP and the current port, which is useful when either value can change.

Fake-IP servers

The DNS approach is not applicable to fake-IP servers whose IP and port are reassigned after each restart. In that case, an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint that returns the current host and port is the relevant approach.

GSLT, Internet visibility, and Login_Token

An Unturned server without a GSLT is treated as anonymous and hidden from the Internet server list. A GSLT can also keep Server Codes linked between sessions and may transfer saved address details when server details change. Official documentation says that this transfer takes approximately 24 hours.

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Set the token in the Browser Login_Token property or provide it with the GSLT startup command, according to the way your server is launched. Treat the token like a credential: do not put it in a public lobby link, publish it in screenshots, or share it in a Discord channel.

A GSLT does not replace the Links array. You can use both: lobby links for community destinations and BookmarkHost/GSLT for durable server discovery.

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Choosing the right setup

  • Only need community buttons: edit Browser.Links and verify the destinations after restart.
  • Players lose the server whenever the IP changes: configure BookmarkHost and a GSLT instead of trying to solve the problem with a Discord or website URL.
  • The port is fixed but the IP can change: a DNS A record is the simpler BookmarkHost option.
  • The IP and port can both change: use an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint that returns the current address in plain text.
  • The server must appear in the Internet list: configure a GSLT and keep its value secret.

Final operator checklist

  • Server stopped cleanly before editing.
  • Correct server folder selected under U3DSServers<server name>.
  • Backup made before changing the file.
  • Browser.Links contains valid objects with Message and Url.
  • URLs are complete and publicly reachable.
  • JSON has balanced braces and brackets, valid commas, and straight double quotes.
  • Configuration saved before the server was started.
  • Every lobby button opened and checked after restart.
  • BookmarkHost and GSLT configured separately if the goal is persistent discovery.
  • GSLT value kept private.

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