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How to Change Your DayZ Server Name

Edit the active DayZ configuration's hostname value, preserve its quotes and semicolon, then restart the server. This guide shows where to find the right file and how to troubleshoot stale names, wrong configs, and unsaved changes.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Change the name players see in the DayZ server browser by editing the hostname entry in the configuration file that your server actually loads, then restarting the server. On a standard installation that file is serverDZ.cfg; however, the launch option -config determines the filename, so a server may be using a differently named configuration.

The short procedure

Stop the DayZ server, open its active configuration file, replace the text between the quotation marks on the hostname line, save the file, and start the server again. DayZ reads this configuration during startup, so changing the file while the process is running does not reliably update the public name.

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hostname = "My New DayZ Server";

Keep the quotation marks and the trailing semicolon. The value between the quotes is the name displayed in the server browser. Do not edit the separate description field if your goal is to change the server’s name.

What you need before editing

  • Access to the server files. For a self-hosted server, use the operating system’s file browser or terminal. For a rented server, use the provider’s File Manager or connect with SFTP.
  • The correct server root. The relevant configuration is normally alongside the mpmissions/ directory, keys/ directory, and any @Mod folders. If you cannot see those items, you may be in a home directory, a profile directory, or the wrong game instance.
  • The active configuration filename. DayZ does not always read a file literally named serverDZ.cfg. The executable’s -config launch option selects the file it loads.
  • Permission to stop and start the process. A file can appear editable while the game panel or operating-system account prevents the saved copy from being used.

Make a backup copy of the configuration before changing it. A backup gives you a known-good version to restore if a typo affects startup or another setting.

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Step-by-step: change the name in serverDZ.cfg

1. Stop the server completely

Use the server control panel’s Stop button, or stop the dedicated-server process on a self-hosted machine. Wait until the panel reports that the process has stopped before editing. This prevents the running process or a shutdown routine from overwriting your change.

2. Locate the active configuration file

Open the server root and look for serverDZ.cfg next to mpmissions/, keys/, and your mod folders. If several configuration files are present, do not choose by filename alone. Find the startup command or launch-parameter field and identify the value supplied to -config.

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For example, a launch entry containing -config=serverDZ.cfg tells the server to load that file. If it contains another filename or a path, edit that target instead. A perfectly edited file has no effect when it is not the file selected at launch.

3. Open the file as plain text

Use the host’s built-in editor, a text editor over SFTP, or a plain-text editor on the server. Avoid word processors and editors that add rich-text formatting. Preserve the existing line endings and the rest of the configuration.

4. Find the hostname parameter

Search for hostname. A typical entry looks like this:

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hostname = "Old Server Name";

Replace only the value inside the quotation marks:

hostname = "My New DayZ Server";

The parameter uses a quoted string and ends with a semicolon. Keep both quotation marks and the semicolon. Do not remove the equals sign, change hostname to another spelling, or place the new name on a separate line while leaving the old entry active.

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5. Save the file

Save to the same path and filename selected by -config. If you are using SFTP, confirm that the upload finished and that the remote file’s modified time changed. In a web File Manager, make sure you clicked its explicit Save or Apply control rather than merely closing the editor.

6. Start the server again

Start the server from the control panel or launch command. DayZ reads serverDZ.cfg (or the file named by -config) at boot, so a restart is required after a name change.

7. Verify from a fresh server-browser search

Open the DayZ client and search for the new name. Allow for the browser to refresh its list, then check the server’s details. If the old name remains, follow the troubleshooting section rather than repeatedly editing the same file; the usual cause is that the server loaded a different configuration or did not restart with the saved change.

Hostname and description are different settings

DayZ’s configuration has a hostname value and a separate description value. They serve different purposes:

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Parameter Purpose What players see What to edit for a rename
hostname The server’s browser name The main name in the server list Change this value
description Additional server information Details shown in the client server-browser view Leave it unchanged unless you also want to revise the information panel

Changing description will not rename the listing. Changing hostname will not rewrite the description shown in the details view. If you want both updated, edit each field separately, preserving the same quotation-mark and semicolon syntax.

Why the new name does not appear

You edited the wrong configuration file

This is the most important check when a rename appears to do nothing. Servers can contain multiple copies of a configuration for different maps, test instances, or launch profiles. The -config launch option decides which one DayZ reads. Recheck the panel’s startup parameters or the service definition, then edit the exact file and path named there.

The server was not restarted

DayZ reads the configuration at boot. Saving the file while the process continues to run does not guarantee that the live server will adopt the new hostname. Stop it, wait for a complete shutdown, and start it again.

The edit was not saved to the remote machine

With SFTP, an editor may save a local copy instead of uploading it. Confirm the remote file’s contents by reopening it through SFTP after saving. With a hosting panel, verify that the panel reported a successful save and that you edited the active game instance rather than a backup or template directory.

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A quote or semicolon is missing

Each parameter is written as a value followed by a semicolon, and string values are enclosed in double quotes. A malformed hostname line can prevent the intended value from being parsed. A missing semicolon can also affect parameters that follow it or contribute to startup problems, so check the entire edited line and the lines immediately around it.

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Correct:

hostname = "My New DayZ Server";

Common mistakes:

hostname = "My New DayZ Server"        // missing semicolon
hostname = My New DayZ Server;         // missing quotation marks
hostName = "My New DayZ Server";       // wrong parameter name
hostname "My New DayZ Server";         // missing equals sign

Restore the original line if the server stops loading after an edit, then reapply the change carefully. Keep unrelated parameters intact.

You are looking at stale browser data

Server browsers do not always redraw instantly. Run a new search, change the filter and return to the list, or leave and reopen the browser before concluding that the server ignored the edit. Verify that the server is online and that you are checking the same address, port, map, and instance you changed.

The server starts from a different profile or instance

A host may expose several DayZ instances in one account. Each can have its own root and configuration. Check the instance name in the control panel, then confirm that the file path you edited belongs to that instance. Do not assume that two folders with similar names are interchangeable.

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The panel regenerates the file

Some hosting panels use a template or startup profile to create configuration files. If your change disappears after a restart, compare the file before and after startup and inspect the panel’s configuration or command-line fields. Edit the generated file only when the panel documentation identifies it as the authoritative copy; otherwise update the template or launch profile that recreates it.

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Using a rented DayZ server

The exact buttons differ by provider, but the workflow is consistent:

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  1. Open the correct DayZ instance in the provider’s control panel.
  2. Stop the instance and wait for the status to show that it is offline.
  3. Open File Manager, or connect to the instance with SFTP.
  4. Navigate to the server root, identified by folders such as mpmissions/, keys/, and @Mod folders.
  5. Identify the configuration selected by the instance’s -config launch option.
  6. Edit its hostname line, retaining the quotes and semicolon.
  7. Save or upload the file, then reopen it to confirm the new text is present remotely.
  8. Start the instance and verify the new name in the DayZ server browser.

If the panel offers both a quick “server name” field and direct file editing, use the method documented for that panel’s startup system. A quick field may update a template, while a direct edit may be overwritten when the service regenerates its configuration.

Self-hosted and command-line installations

On a self-hosted machine, the same file-level rule applies. First identify the command used to launch the dedicated server and read the value supplied to -config. The selected path may be relative to the server executable or may be an absolute path. Open that file, edit hostname, save it, and restart the service.

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Keep a copy of the launch command and the edited configuration together when you operate multiple instances. This makes it easier to tell which name belongs to which process and prevents changing a configuration that is used only for testing.

Choosing a reliable server name

Use a name that tells players what they are joining without depending on the separate description field. Include the community or server identity and, when useful, a concise indication of the rules or play style. Keep the text readable in a narrow server-browser row and avoid characters that make it difficult to search or distinguish from another instance.

Do not rely on an assumed universal character limit. Reported limits differ between guides, and no authoritative limit is established here. If a long name is rejected or truncated by a particular host or client, shorten it while preserving the identifying words and verify the result in the browser.

Remember that the hostname is only a label. It does not change the map, mods, difficulty, whitelist, mission, or any other server setting. Those are controlled by their own configuration parameters.

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A complete verification checklist

  • The server is fully stopped before the edit.
  • You located the server root containing mpmissions/, keys/, and any relevant @Mod folders.
  • You checked the launch command and confirmed which file the -config option selects.
  • The edited line is exactly hostname = "Your Name";, with double quotes and a trailing semicolon.
  • The file was saved or uploaded to the remote server, not only to a local computer.
  • The server was started again after the save.
  • You searched the client browser again and checked the correct instance.
  • If the old name persists, you tested the alternate configuration path, checked for a panel-generated file, and reviewed the edited line for syntax errors.

Safe rollback when something goes wrong

If the server fails to start or later settings behave unexpectedly after the rename, stop the process and restore the backup you made before editing. If no backup exists, replace the changed line with its original text and confirm that every edited parameter has its quotation marks, equals sign, and semicolon. Start the server again only after the file is valid and saved to the path selected by -config.

Once the server starts normally, make the hostname change again as a single, small edit. Avoid combining a rename with map, mod, mission, or gameplay changes; isolating changes makes it clear which edit caused a problem.

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