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On PC, press F1 to open the 7 Days to Die console, then enter a command and press Enter. The command set covers player IDs, permissions, moderation, messages, saves, items, entities, buffs, time, and server shutdown; because syntax changes between builds, run help (or help <command>) in your own game before relying on an argument order.

How to open the 7 Days to Die console

On a standard PC keyboard, press F1 while in the game. Keyboard layouts can map the console to a different key; published command guides also report F2, the quote key, @, Ö, Ø, or Ñ. If F1 does nothing, try the key assigned to your layout rather than assuming commands are disabled. The opening-key variations are documented in guides from Hosthavoc and GamesOMG.

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  1. Load the world or connect to the server where you have permission to use commands.
  2. Press the console key and wait for the text prompt to appear.
  3. Type help and press Enter. This is the safest way to see commands and argument order supported by your build.
  4. Use help <command>, such as help giveself, when you need a command-specific syntax line.

The command prompt is not a substitute for server permissions. A command can be valid but still fail when your account lacks the required permission level.

Version and syntax cautions

The command page on 7D2D Wiki is labeled as a V3.3 list; its description says it was verified against V3.2.0 (b9) and rechecked on V3.3.0 (b18). Other guides still describe V3.2 behavior. Compare your build with the V3.3 command reference, then confirm every important argument with the in-game help output. Command names, aliases, permissions, entity IDs, and argument order can change in patches.

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This matters particularly for settime, spawnentity, giveself, and debuff. The published material does not agree on all of their details, so the examples below identify what is established and where you must verify the local syntax.

7 Days to Die console commands: reference list

The table groups the commands documented across the current guides. “Verify” means the command is reported, but you should still use help for the exact arguments in your version.

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Command Alias What it does Important usage note
listplayers lp Lists online players, including position and health. Run it before choosing a live player to moderate.
listplayerids lpi Shows the entity and platform IDs associated with players. Use the ID output for commands that target a player.
kick — Removes one player from the server. Use lpi first so you select the correct identity.
kickall — Removes all connected players. Useful immediately before a controlled restart.
ban add — Adds a player ban. Reported ban durations run from minutes through years; use help ban for the current duration and target syntax.
admin add — Assigns a permission level to a player. Level 0 represents full access; confirm the target-ID argument in help admin.
cp add — Sets the permission level required to run a command. It changes command-policy thresholds, not a player’s identity.
say — Sends a message to everyone on the server. Use it for restart warnings or announcements.
sayplayer pm Sends a private message to one player. Target the correct player ID when the build requests one.
saveworld sa Writes the current world state to disk. Run it before maintenance or shutdown.
pplist — Lists persistent player data. Useful when diagnosing stored-player or identity issues.
shutdown — Stops the server. Warn players, remove them if necessary, save, then shut down.
giveself — Places an item in your inventory. Quality is reported as 1–6; use internal item IDs, not display names.
spawnentity se Spawns a zombie, animal, or NPC. Entity IDs and the target/coordinate syntax vary; run help se.
giveselfxp — Grants experience to yourself. Check the local help line for the amount argument.
buff — Applies a buff to yourself. Buff names come from the game’s buffs.xml data.
buffplayer — Applies a buff to another player. Confirm whether your build expects a player ID or name.
debuff — Reported inconsistently: removing a buff in one guide and applying a debuff in another. Do not assume its meaning; run help debuff.
settime st Changes the in-game time. Published ranges conflict, and one guide warns that settime 0 can crash the game.
gettime gt Prints the current in-game day and time. Use it to record the current value before changing time.
help — Lists commands available in the console. help <command> narrows the output to one command.
listitems — Searches item IDs from inside the console. Pass a filter term to find the internal ID required by giveself.

These command groups and aliases are also summarized by Game Host Bros and Game Server Kings. Their pages are useful cross-checks, but the help output in your installed build is authoritative.

Player lookup, permissions, and moderation

Find the right player before targeting them

  1. Enter listplayers (or lp) to see who is online, along with position and health.
  2. Enter listplayerids (or lpi) to expose the entity and platform IDs.
  3. Copy the ID exactly as displayed before using kick, ban add, admin add, sayplayer, or buffplayer.

Using a name from memory is risky when players have similar names or reconnect with a different platform identity. The ID listing is the practical bridge between a visible player and a targetable account.

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  • Build – Design your fort with traps, electricity, auto turrets, and gadgets to survive in a fully destructible and mouldable world.
  • Cooperate or Compete – Work together to build settlements or against each other in a wasteland where zombies and outlaws rule the land.
  • Farm or Hunt – Plant gardens for sustainable resources or head out to the wilderness and hunt over a dozen unique animals.

Grant administrator access

Run admin add with the player’s identifier and the permission level requested by your build. The documented permission model uses level 0 for full access. Because guides do not establish one universal argument order, enter help admin first, then apply the syntax shown there. Grant full access only to a trusted operator; a player with it can alter the world, permissions, inventory, and server state.

Change command permission requirements

cp add changes the level required for a particular command. This is separate from adding an administrator: admin add changes a player’s level, while cp add changes the command’s threshold. Check help cp for the command-name and level order in your build, and record the original policy before changing it so you can restore it.

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Kick or ban safely

Use kick for a one-time removal and kickall when preparing a restart. The documented ban add command supports durations from minutes to years, but the exact duration token and reason fields are version-dependent. Run help ban rather than guessing. Always check lpi immediately before a punitive action so an ID recycled after a reconnect is not applied to the wrong person.

Messaging, saving, and a clean server restart

A safe maintenance sequence prevents lost progress and avoids leaving players in a world that is about to stop.

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  1. Use say to announce the planned restart and give players time to reach safety.
  2. Use kickall to remove connected players once the warning period ends.
  3. Run saveworld (alias sa) and wait for the console to accept the command.
  4. Run shutdown to stop the server cleanly.

For a private notice, use sayplayer or its pm alias instead of broadcasting. If you need to inspect stored identity information before bringing the server back, pplist lists persistent player data.

Giving items and experience

Find an internal item ID

giveself expects an internal item ID rather than the name shown in the user interface. Enter listitems <filter> and use a short distinctive term to search the available IDs. Examples cited in command references include gunAK47 and meleeToolPickaxeIron; these are IDs, not guaranteed display-name spellings.

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Use quality, count, and inventory options

The commonly reported parameter pattern is:

giveself itemName [qualityLevel=6] [count=1] [putInInventory=false] [spawnWithMods=true]

Quality is documented on a scale from 1 through 6. Because the fetched references do not confirm that every V3.3 build retains this exact optional-argument order, verify it with help giveself before issuing a large or valuable item grant.

A reported example for an AK-47 is giveself gunAK47 6 1 false true. Treat that as a syntax example to validate locally, not as a promise that an older build will parse it identically. For experience, use giveselfxp and obtain the amount argument from help giveselfxp.

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Spawning entities

spawnentity (alias se) can create a zombie, animal, or NPC. The available entity IDs can be displayed by running se while debug mode is enabled, according to the command references.

Published syntax descriptions conflict: one presents an entity name followed by coordinates, while another presents a player ID followed by an entity ID. Do not combine those forms or guess coordinate order. Run help se, then use the exact form printed by your build. If the command returns an invalid entity error, search the available IDs again and check spelling and capitalization exactly as listed.

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Buffs, debuffs, and time controls

Buff commands

buff applies a named effect to yourself, while buffplayer applies one to another player. Buff names are drawn from buffs.xml. Use the file’s exact identifier or the name accepted by help buff; a friendly label from the user interface may not work.

The meaning of debuff is not consistent across published guides: one describes removing a buff by ID, while another describes applying a debuff. Because those operations have opposite effects, run help debuff in your own build before using it on a live world.

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Read and change the clock

Enter gettime (or gt) first if you need a record of the current day and time. Enter settime (or st) only after checking its local help line. Published material gives incompatible ranges—one description uses 0 to 24000, while another uses 0 to 23; one also describes approximately 8000 as 8:00 AM. A low-confidence warning specifically advises against settime 0 because it may crash the game. Use a known-safe value for your build, save first, and test time changes on a backup or disposable world.

Whitelist and access-control pitfall

The most dangerous access-control mistake is creating only one whitelist entry and assuming the list is an allow-list that will be ignored until completed. Once a single whitelist entry exists, no one else can join unless they are also included. Before enabling a whitelist, add every intended player using the exact account identifiers required by your server version, and keep an administrator identity available for recovery. If friends suddenly receive connection rejections after the first entry is added, inspect and correct the whitelist rather than repeatedly changing unrelated permissions.

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Troubleshooting failed commands

“Unknown command” or missing alias

  • Run help to see whether the command exists in this build.
  • Try the documented long form if an alias fails, or the alias shown by your local help output.
  • Check the version: the V3.3 page was rechecked against V3.3.0 (b18), while several other guides describe V3.2 behavior.

Permission denied

  • Use lpi to confirm the target identity.
  • Check whether admin add assigned the intended level.
  • Check whether cp add raised the command’s required level beyond your account.

Player-targeting command affects nobody or the wrong person

  • Run lp and lpi again after the player reconnects.
  • Use the current entity or platform ID, not a stale ID copied from an earlier session.
  • Confirm the argument order with help for that command.

Item or entity will not spawn

  • Search with listitems and use the internal item ID, not the display name.
  • For entities, run help se and verify whether your build wants coordinates or player/entity IDs.
  • Check spelling exactly; an ID that looks plausible may not exist in your installed version.

The world behaves unexpectedly after a time change

  • Do not repeat settime 0 when troubleshooting a crash.
  • Restore the latest save or backup if the world fails to load.
  • Use gettime before another change and apply only a range confirmed by local help.

A practical command workflow for administrators

For routine administration, keep this order:

  1. Open the console and run help so you know which syntax your build exposes.
  2. Run lp and lpi before any player-targeted action.
  3. Grant or adjust permissions only after confirming the target ID and the level semantics.
  4. Use listitems before giveself, and use help se before spawning entities.
  5. Broadcast maintenance notices with say, remove players with kickall, save with saveworld, and finish with shutdown.
  6. Record your build number and any changed permission settings so a future patch does not leave you guessing.

The command names above give you a dependable starting map, but no static web list can replace the help output shipped with your exact game build. Treat that output as the final authority whenever a command can change permissions, time, inventory, or world state.

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