To wipe every stored character on a self-hosted DayZ server while keeping bases, tents, vehicles and other world objects, stop the server cleanly, back up its persistence, then remove or rename the active mission’s storage_1/players/ directory. Leave storage_1/data/ untouched. Restart the server and verify with a test connection that a fresh character is created.
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This is a server-wide character reset, not a reset for one named survivor. DayZ stores player records in opaque persistence data, and no universal, officially documented method safely deletes exactly one player. Hosted console servers expose whatever wipe controls their provider currently supports, so their panel cannot be described with one reliable click path.
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What a DayZ character wipe actually changes
DayZ persistence separates survivor records from persistent world objects. The character area is storage_1/players/; the world-object area is storage_1/data/. Removing the first directory causes the server to generate new character records while preserving the saved world. Removing the second does the opposite: it removes placed and saved objects while leaving characters and their inventories in place.
| Operation | Delete or retain | What players lose | What remains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character wipe | Remove or rename storage_1/players/; retain storage_1/data/ |
Every stored character, including position, health state, equipment and inventory | Persistent world objects such as bases, tents, barrels, vehicles and other data stored in data/ |
| Object wipe | Remove storage_1/data/; retain storage_1/players/ |
Bases, tents, barrels, vehicles and saved dynamic-event state | Characters and their inventories |
| Full wipe | Remove the entire storage_1/ directory |
Characters and the persistent world | Nothing from the old persistence; the next boot creates new persistence |
| Loot re-randomization | Use the documented one-restart economy setting | Not a character deletion and not a persistence-folder wipe | Persistent character and world state, subject to the economy setting’s behavior |
The exact parent path varies with the server profile, mission, instance and storage configuration. Do not assume that every installation has the same absolute path; identify the active mission’s persistence location first.
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Before you delete anything
Announce downtime
Tell players when the maintenance window starts, what scope you intend to wipe and whether the world will remain intact. A character wipe affects every survivor record, so players should not log in expecting their current gear or position to remain. Disconnect players before stopping the process.
Stop the server gracefully
Use the server’s normal shutdown procedure rather than killing the process. A graceful shutdown gives pending character and storage saves time to finish. Abruptly terminating the server can leave incomplete saves or create avoidable corruption, undermining the backup you are about to make.
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Make a separate persistence backup
With the server fully stopped, copy the complete active persistence directory to a separate location. Keep the original backup outside the live mission path and label it with the date, server instance and intended operation. Never copy or delete persistence while the server is running: files may be changing, resulting in an incomplete backup or corrupted restore point.
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Confirm the target instance
Servers can have multiple profiles, missions or instances. Check the startup configuration and active mission so you do not wipe a test instance while the public server remains unchanged, or delete the wrong server’s records. The directory you change must be the one loaded on the next boot.
Step-by-step: wipe all characters and keep the map
- Start maintenance. Announce the wipe, stop new connections and disconnect current players.
- Shut down cleanly. Wait for the server process to finish its normal shutdown and for its files to stop changing.
- Back up persistence. Copy the entire active persistence directory to a separate backup location. Do not proceed without a restorable copy.
- Find the mission persistence root. Open the active mission’s persistence path and locate
storage_1/. The root can differ by profile, mission, instance and storage settings. - Check the two important subdirectories. You should see
storage_1/players/for character records andstorage_1/data/for persistent world-object records. - Remove or rename only the players directory. Delete
storage_1/players/, or rename it to a dated backup name such asplayers_before_wipe_2026-10-15. Renaming is often easier to reverse and still leaves the live path absent. - Leave world data alone. Do not remove, rename or edit
storage_1/data/. That is the data whose deletion would remove bases, tents, barrels, vehicles and other saved objects. - Start the server. On boot, DayZ creates fresh character records in a new players directory. The old world-object records remain available through
storage_1/data/. - Verify with a controlled connection. Connect with a test account after the server is ready. Confirm that it receives a fresh spawn rather than the previous character while an existing known world object remains present. This is an operator check, not a substitute for the backup.
- Keep the backup. Do not delete the old persistence copy until players have confirmed that the intended character-only scope was achieved.
What players should expect after the restart
Every stored survivor is reset because the operation removes the server’s character-record directory, not because it targets a particular Steam or console account. Players should expect a new spawn and none of the former character’s position, condition, equipment or inventory. Bases and other objects that are stored in storage_1/data/ should remain because that directory was not removed.
Bohemia Interactive support advises waiting until a couple of minutes have passed according to the restarted server’s clock before reconnecting after a restart. That pause is intended to reduce the risk of losing gear while persistence finishes initializing. Apply the same caution after a wipe: wait for the server to settle, then reconnect rather than immediately cycling through logins.
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Can you wipe only one named player?
There is no universal, officially documented DayZ procedure that safely deletes exactly one named player from the standard persistence folders. Player records are opaque binary data keyed internally by persistent identity. They are not ordinary text files that can be reliably opened, identified and removed by hand.
Why manual file editing is unsafe
- The file layout and identity keys are implementation details, not a supported player-management interface.
- Removing the wrong record can affect another survivor or make the persistence set inconsistent.
- Editing while the server is running can compound the risk of incomplete saves and corruption.
- A backup can restore the entire state, but it cannot make an unsupported per-record edit safe.
When a one-player reset may exist
A hosting control panel or an administration mod may provide a per-player reset. Treat that as provider- or mod-specific functionality: use the current documentation for that exact service, confirm whether it removes inventory, position, health, permissions or other data, and establish whether the action is reversible. Do not substitute a command from a different mod or an old panel version.
Hosted console servers and provider panels
Bohemia’s private-console-server FAQ identifies Nitrado as the hosting partner, confirms that each player has a unique character on the server and states that the server owner can decide whether to wipe the persistent server. The FAQ does not establish one current panel label or guarantee a character-only option.
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For a hosted console server, first look for the provider’s current persistence or wipe controls and read the scope description before confirming. If the panel offers only a complete server wipe, it may remove both characters and the world. If it offers separate character and world choices, record exactly which option you selected. When the interface is ambiguous, open a provider support ticket instead of guessing.
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- Does the operation reset all characters, one character, the world, or both?
- Is the action reversible through an automatic backup or snapshot?
- How long will the server be unavailable?
- Does the provider recreate only player data, or also loot and dynamic-event state?
- Which mission and instance will be affected if multiple servers share the account?
Character wipe versus other reset choices
Choose a character wipe when
- You want every player to start as a fresh survivor.
- You want to preserve established bases, tents, vehicles and other world construction.
- The goal is a seasonal or event reset focused on characters rather than map ownership.
Choose an object wipe when
- You need to remove abandoned bases, stashes, vehicles or other persistent objects.
- You want existing characters and inventories to survive while rebuilding the world.
Choose a full wipe when
- You want a genuinely new server state with new characters and no old persistent world objects.
- You have communicated that all stored progress will be lost and retained a restorable backup.
Use loot re-randomization instead when
You only want a different loot distribution. The documented economy setting can reshuffle loot on a restart without deleting the character and world persistence directories. It is therefore not a substitute for a character wipe and should not be described as one.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Recovery if the wrong data was removed
- Stop the server immediately. Prevent new saves from overwriting the state you are trying to recover.
- Keep the affected directory untouched. Do not allow repeated restarts or player logins while diagnosing the mistake.
- Identify the backup that matches the pre-wipe instance. Check its date, profile, mission and storage path.
- Restore the backed-up persistence directory. Replace the live persistence with the known-good copy while the server remains stopped.
- Start once and verify scope. Confirm that the expected characters and world objects are present before reopening the server.
- Tell players what happened. If any progress was made after the mistaken restart, explain which state was restored and when the server is safe to use.
If no backup exists, there is no guaranteed supported way to reconstruct deleted character or object records. Stop experimenting with individual binary files; further writes can make whatever remains harder to recover.
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Common mistakes and their fixes
Deleting the whole persistence directory
Symptom: Characters, bases and vehicles all disappear. Cause: The entire storage_1/ directory was removed instead of only players/. Fix: Stop the server and restore the complete backup before allowing reconnections.
Deleting data/ instead of players/
Symptom: Survivors still have their characters, but bases, tents, vehicles and other saved objects are gone. Cause: World-object persistence was removed. Fix: Restore the pre-wipe backup; do not attempt to recreate the binary records manually.
Changing files while the server is online
Symptom: The result is inconsistent, the backup is incomplete or the server reports persistence problems. Cause: Files were copied or deleted while the process was writing them. Fix: Stop cleanly, restore the last known-good copy and repeat the operation only while offline.
Using the wrong mission or instance path
Symptom: The server starts normally and players are unchanged. Cause: A different profile or mission’s storage_1/ was modified. Fix: Check the startup parameters and active mission, then identify the persistence path actually loaded by that instance.
Reconnecting immediately after restart
Symptom: A player sees missing or unexpectedly reverted gear after reconnecting. Cause: The server has not finished initializing persistence. Fix: Wait a couple of minutes according to the restarted server’s clock before reconnecting, as Bohemia support recommends.
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- Maintenance window announced and players disconnected
- Server stopped through its graceful shutdown procedure
- Complete active persistence backed up elsewhere
- Correct profile, mission and instance confirmed
storage_1/players/selected for a character-only wipestorage_1/data/left untouched- Server restarted and allowed to settle
- Fresh-spawn test connection completed
- Known world object checked for continued persistence
- Backup retained until players confirm the result
Bottom line
For a self-hosted DayZ server, a map-preserving character wipe means removing or renaming only storage_1/players/ while the server is stopped, after making a complete backup. Removing storage_1/data/ wipes the world objects, and removing all of storage_1/ wipes everything. A safe one-player deletion method is not universally documented; use a provider or mod’s current, explicitly scoped feature instead of editing binary records by hand. On hosted console servers, verify the provider’s exact wipe scope before confirming the action.
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