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How to Set Up a Whitelist on a DayZ PC Server

A precise DayZ PC server whitelist guide covering the active -config file, enableWhitelist setting, whitelist.txt location, DayZ UID format, graceful restarts and troubleshooting.
Length10 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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DayZ’s built-in whitelist is controlled by the server configuration that is actually loaded at startup. Set enableWhitelist = 1;, place a whitelist.txt file in the server root, and add each permitted player’s DayZ UID on its own line. The launch parameter, file location and identifier format matter: changing an unused configuration file, placing the list in the wrong directory or entering a SteamID64 will not grant access.

What the DayZ whitelist controls

The whitelist is an allow-list for a DayZ PC server. When it is enabled, the server accepts connections only from players whose identifiers appear in the list. Everyone else is refused before joining the game world. This is useful for private communities, testing servers, events and servers that should be limited to a known group without relying on a password alone.

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The feature is part of the dedicated server’s built-in configuration; it is not a separate mod or an additional access-control product. The important settings are the configuration-file selection made at launch, the enableWhitelist switch and the text file containing allowed UIDs.

What you need before editing files

  • Access to the machine or hosting control panel that runs the DayZ PC server.
  • Permission to stop the server and edit its files.
  • The startup command, service definition or panel setting that shows which file is passed to the server with -config.
  • The DayZ UID for every player who should be admitted. A Steam profile link or SteamID64 is not a substitute for this value.
  • A way to perform a controlled restart and inspect the server’s normal logs if a player is rejected.

On a self-hosted machine, you normally work directly in the server installation directory. On managed hosting, the provider may expose the same files through a web file manager, FTP/SFTP or a configuration editor. The labels and restart controls differ by host, so use the host’s current procedure for stopping, starting and viewing logs rather than assuming that every panel behaves the same way.

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Step 1: Identify the configuration file the running server loads

Do not assume that a file named serverDZ.cfg is necessarily active. Bohemia Interactive’s DayZ server configuration reference states that the -config launch parameter selects the configuration file and gives -config=serverDZ.cfg as an example. An administrator may choose a different filename, such as a file for a particular instance or event.

  1. Open the service, batch file, shell script, scheduler entry or hosting-panel startup settings used to launch the server.
  2. Find the -config argument. Record the complete filename and path supplied after it.
  3. Open that exact file, not a similarly named copy elsewhere in the installation.
  4. If the launch definition uses a relative path, resolve it from the server’s working directory so that you edit the file the process can actually read.

An edited configuration has no effect if the running instance points to another file. This is the most common reason an apparently correct whitelist change seems to do nothing, particularly when a host keeps separate configurations for test and production servers.

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Step 2: Turn the whitelist on

In the loaded configuration file, locate the whitelist option or add it as a top-level setting:

enableWhitelist = 1;

Bohemia Interactive documents this as a 0/1 switch. A value of 0 disables whitelist enforcement; a value of 1 enables it. Keep the semicolon and use the same syntax as the surrounding settings. If the file already contains enableWhitelist = 0;, change only the value to 1 rather than creating a second conflicting entry.

The official configuration reference establishes the switch and its values. A separate StarDZ-Team DayZ Modding Wiki configuration page explains the resulting behavior: with the option enabled, only UIDs present in whitelist.txt can connect. Treat that behavior description as community administration guidance, while the parameter itself is documented by Bohemia Interactive.

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Step 3: Create whitelist.txt in the server root

Create a plain-text file named exactly whitelist.txt in the server root. The StarDZ-Team access-control guide places this file in the root directory of the DayZ server installation. “Server root” means the main directory for that server instance, not a client-side DayZ folder, a profile directory or an arbitrary folder where you keep backups.

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  • Use the exact filename whitelist.txt, including the lowercase extension.
  • Save it as ordinary text rather than a word-processing document.
  • Put it alongside the server’s primary installation files in the instance root identified by your host or startup layout.
  • If several DayZ instances run on one machine, create or edit the file in the root belonging to the instance whose configuration you changed.

The official configuration page documents the enable switch and startup configuration selection; the server-root location and line format come from the community access-control guide. That distinction matters when layouts differ between a self-hosted installation and a provider’s panel.

Step 4: Add each permitted player’s DayZ UID

Enter one permitted player’s DayZ UID per line. The community guide describes the expected identifier as a 44-character DayZ UID and explicitly distinguishes it from a 17-digit SteamID64. Do not paste a Steam profile URL, display name or SteamID64 into the file in place of the DayZ UID.

Keep every identifier on its own line and preserve all characters exactly as supplied. Avoid adding explanatory text, commas or multiple values on one line. A list containing three approved players therefore has three separate UID lines; adding a fourth player means adding another complete line rather than editing an existing identifier.

The official Bohemia Interactive configuration reference consulted for this procedure does not specify the identifier length or explain how to obtain a player’s UID. Those details are supported here by the StarDZ-Team community guide. If a player cannot provide a value in that format, ask the hosting provider or consult current DayZ server-administration documentation instead of converting a SteamID64 by guesswork.

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Step 5: Save safely and apply the change

Save both the loaded configuration and whitelist.txt without changing their names or locations. Then use the normal stop/start process for your server. The available references do not establish a universal live-reload command for whitelist edits, so do not assume that saving the text file immediately changes an already running process.

Bohemia Interactive’s configuration guidance recommends a graceful shutdown to protect characters and saved server storage. Its wording is: “It is highly recommended to use the graceful shutdown method to avoid negative side effects on player characters and the server storage saving.” Use the server’s supported graceful-stop control, wait for the process to finish writing its data, and start it again through the same service or panel that supplied the -config argument.

If your host offers a restart button, check whether it performs a graceful restart or an immediate termination. When that distinction is not documented, consult the host’s current instructions or support channel before using a force-stop option, especially on a populated server.

Verify that enforcement works

After the server is back online, test with an account whose UID is on the list. That account should be able to proceed through the normal connection process. Test with an account that is intentionally absent only when you can do so without disrupting other players; it should be refused once whitelist enforcement is active.

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  • The process started with the configuration file you edited.
  • That file contains enableWhitelist = 1;.
  • The matching DayZ UID is present in the root-level whitelist.txt.

If an approved player is rejected, check the server’s normal startup and connection logs for the reason reported by that particular build or hosting environment. Log wording and panel locations vary, so there is no single universal log path established by the references used here.

DayZ UID versus SteamID64

Value or file Role What the available documentation establishes
enableWhitelist Server-side on/off switch Bohemia Interactive documents it as a 0–1 setting; 1 enables the whitelist and 0 disables it.
whitelist.txt Allow-list file The StarDZ-Team access-control guide places it in the server root.
DayZ UID Identifier written to the allow-list The same community guide describes one 44-character UID per line.
SteamID64 Different Steam account identifier The community guide explicitly says it is not interchangeable with the DayZ UID for this file.
-config Launch-time file selector Bohemia Interactive explains that this parameter determines which server configuration is loaded.

This distinction is why copying a number from a Steam profile can produce a perfectly formatted text file that still denies the intended player. The whitelist check uses the identifier expected by the DayZ server, not every identifier associated with the player’s Steam account.

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Troubleshooting by symptom

The whitelist appears to be ignored

  1. Re-open the startup definition and confirm the exact -config file used by the running instance.
  2. Check that the active file contains one effective enableWhitelist = 1; setting, with the semicolon intact.
  3. Confirm that the restart was performed through the same service or panel that launches this instance.
  4. Make sure whitelist.txt is in that instance’s server root, not in a profile, log or backup directory.

An approved player cannot connect

  • Compare the player’s entry character by character with the DayZ UID they supplied.
  • Check that the entry is a complete 44-character DayZ UID as described by the community guide, not a 17-digit SteamID64.
  • Confirm that the line contains only that one identifier and that the file was saved as plain text.
  • Verify that you edited the whitelist belonging to the same server instance and configuration file used for the test.

Only some players are admitted

That usually indicates that the whitelist is active and the remaining entries need checking. Compare each rejected player’s identifier with the line in the file, then inspect the server’s connection log for the exact failure reported by your version or host. Do not replace a rejected UID with a SteamID64 simply because it is easier to find.

A host panel does not show the file

Some managed services hide the raw installation root and expose whitelist editing through a panel instead. Ask the provider where its file manager maps whitelist.txt, which configuration it passes through -config, and which restart action applies file changes. The underlying DayZ settings remain the same, but the visible paths and controls are host-specific.

You are unsure whether a live reload occurred

The cited documentation does not define a universal hot-reload behavior for this file. Treat a saved edit as pending until the server has been restarted or the host explicitly confirms a supported reload operation. Use a graceful process whenever possible.

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Operating a whitelist over time

Adding a member

Obtain the member’s DayZ UID in the required format, append it as a new line in the correct root-level file, save the file and apply it through the supported restart or reload process. Test the new account before announcing access.

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Removing a member

Delete only that member’s UID line, preserve the other entries and apply the change using the same controlled process. Keep a private backup of the previous file if your community needs an audit trail, but do not leave backup copies named whitelist.txt in the active server root where an administrator could edit the wrong one.

Maintaining multiple instances

Give each instance a clearly separated root and configuration. Record which -config argument belongs to each service so that an event server, test server and public server do not accidentally share an allow-list. A correct file in the wrong instance is operationally equivalent to no change.

Backing up before changes

Before a large membership update, copy the current configuration and whitelist to a dated administrative backup outside the active root. Preserve the original values so that you can restore access quickly if an edit introduces a formatting or identifier error. Backups do not replace the need to verify the live file selected by -config.

Self-hosted and managed-server differences

The access-control logic is the same in both environments: the running process loads one configuration, the switch enables enforcement and the root-level text file supplies allowed UIDs. The practical difference is who controls the filesystem and restart sequence.

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Environment Your responsibility What may require host confirmation
Self-hosted dedicated server Inspect the launch command or service, edit the selected config and root file, then perform a graceful restart. Service working directory, permissions and the location of logs for that installation.
Managed hosting Use the provider’s file editor or documented access method and keep the whitelist synchronized with the active instance. How the panel maps the server root, which file is selected by -config, and whether its restart control is graceful.

No particular hosting provider is required for this feature. If a provider does not expose the file or setting, request its current DayZ configuration procedure rather than creating a second, unconnected configuration elsewhere.

Essential checklist

  • Locate the startup entry and identify the file selected by -config.
  • Set enableWhitelist = 1; in that active configuration.
  • Create or edit whitelist.txt in the corresponding server root.
  • Enter one complete DayZ UID per line; do not use SteamID64 values.
  • Save the files and apply them with the server’s supported graceful restart or documented reload.
  • Test one listed account and, when practical, one unlisted account.
  • If access fails, re-check the active config, root location, switch value and UID format before changing anything else.

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