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When a 7 Days to Die dedicated server will not start, begin with the first error in its console or output log—not with port forwarding. A missing or misnamed -configfile, damaged server files, absent Windows runtime components, or a corrupt world can stop the process during launch. Ports and Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) usually explain a server that starts but cannot be joined.
Use the checks below in order. Stop the server before changing files, make one change at a time, and restart fully after configuration edits.
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The repair path depends on where the process stops. A server that exits, crashes, or never reaches a listening state has a startup problem. A process that remains running while players receive timeouts or failed joins has a network, firewall, version, or EAC problem instead.
| What you observe | Likely category | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| The console closes immediately or reports an exception during launch | Startup | Read the first error, then check the launch command, files, prerequisites, and world |
| The process stays running and finishes world initialization, but nobody can join | Connection | Check server and client versions, firewall rules, router forwarding, ports, and EAC compatibility |
| Players are kicked after joining, especially with DLL mods | EAC or mod compatibility | Compare EAC settings and the installed mod set |
| Only one saved world fails while a new world starts | World or map data | Back up the save and test a newly generated world |
There is no published failure-rate statistic that establishes which cause is most common. Treat the order below as an efficient diagnostic sequence, not as a measured ranking.
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Use the log to find the first real error
Scroll to the bottom of the console or output log after a failed launch, but identify the first error in the failure chain. Later messages often describe the shutdown rather than the cause. Record the complete line, the file or path named, and whether the server stopped before or after loading a world.
Make a clean observation
- Stop the server process and wait for it to exit. Do not overwrite a still-running log while troubleshooting.
- Start it once with no other changes.
- Copy the first error and the several lines immediately before it. Include the game build, operating system, launch script, and whether the installation is vanilla or modded.
- Search for words such as
No server config file loaded, missing DLL or runtime errors, file-validation failures, world-generation errors, and access-denied messages.
Do not treat a port warning as a launch failure if the process continues into world initialization. A listening process with unreachable players belongs to the connection branch later in this guide.
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Check the launch command and serverconfig.xml
A dedicated server can start without loading the settings file you edited. The command or script must pass a -configfile argument that points to the actual serverconfig.xml. A 2015 failure report showed the message No server config file loaded when the argument was missing or pointed to the wrong file. The wording may differ in newer builds, but the underlying check remains useful.
Verify the argument
- Open the shortcut, batch file, service definition, container command, or control-panel startup field that launches the server.
- Confirm that it contains
-configfilefollowed by the real file path. If the path contains spaces, quote the path according to your shell’s rules. - Check capitalization, spelling, and the file extension. Make sure the file is not really named
serverconfig.xml.txtbecause file extensions are hidden in the file manager. - Verify that the account running the server can read the file and its parent directories.
- Start the server and look for a configuration-load message or for your changed setting to appear in the startup output.
Do not assume that a copy of serverconfig.xml in the game directory is the one being used. The path in the launch command is authoritative. If a hosting panel generates the command, inspect its effective command line or ask the host which file it mounts.
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Restart after every configuration edit
serverconfig.xml is read at startup. Changes to difficulty, world settings, ports, EAC, or other options do not apply to an already-running process. Stop it cleanly, wait for the process to disappear, then start it again. If the server regenerates the file, compare the generated location with the path in -configfile before editing again.
Validate or reinstall the dedicated-server files
Interrupted updates, deleted Steam files, and mixed versions can cause an immediate crash or a failure while loading assemblies and assets. Back up saves and configuration first; validation can replace files, while a reinstall can remove files you still need.
Validate with SteamCMD
A commonly cited command is:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quitThe app ID 294420 is widely described in the troubleshooting material as the dedicated-server app ID, but the snippets used for this guide did not independently confirm it against a current official reference. Check the current dedicated-server documentation for your game build before running the command. Use the SteamCMD installation and destination appropriate to your operating system.
- Stop the server.
- Close any update, backup, or file-sync process that may lock the installation.
- Run the validation command against the same library or directory that the launch script uses.
- Read the validation output for files reacquired or failures to write.
- Start the server once without mods. If it launches, add modifications back in small groups.
When a clean reinstall is justified
If validation repeatedly fails, the directory contains files from several builds, or the server exits before producing a useful log, move the save and configuration folders to a safe backup location and reinstall into a new directory. One troubleshooting summary recommends deleting the steamapps folder before downloading again; do this only after confirming that saves, configuration, and any custom scripts are stored elsewhere. A new directory also prevents an old executable from being called by a stale shortcut.
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Install missing Windows prerequisites
A Windows dedicated-only installation may not include every runtime component present on a full game installation. A 2021 report described a server that stopped immediately after launch until the required Microsoft Visual C++ dependencies were installed; installing the full game on the same machine also supplied the missing components.
Practical checks
- Install the current supported Visual C++ runtime packages required by the server build, using the official Microsoft installers for the architecture your server uses.
- Reboot if the installer requests it, then launch the server from the same account and path as before.
- Check Windows Event Viewer or the application log for a missing DLL name if the process still exits instantly. Do not download individual DLL files from random sites.
- If the server runs on a minimal Windows installation, compare its installed runtimes with a machine where the full game launches successfully.
Runtime requirements can change with a game update. An old fix that names a particular package is evidence of a dependency class, not a guarantee that the same package is sufficient for every current build.
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A damaged map, world save, or generated chunk can halt startup after the executable and configuration have loaded. The strongest clue is that the server starts with a new world but fails with one existing save.
Safe world test
- Stop the server and copy the entire save or world directory to a separate backup location.
- Keep the original world name recorded so you can restore it exactly.
- Temporarily configure a new world or map, using the same server build and otherwise identical settings.
- Start the server. If the new world reaches normal initialization, the installation and basic launch command are probably sound.
- Restore the backup before attempting repairs, and look for a known-good backup or a world-repair procedure compatible with your build. If no repair is available, generating a replacement world may be the only practical recovery.
Do not delete a failing save as a first step. World data may be the only copy of a group’s progress.
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Ports and firewall rules: usually a join problem
Port settings rarely prevent the executable from launching. Investigate them after the console shows a running server and players still cannot connect. The troubleshooting summaries list TCP port 26900 and UDP ports 26900 through 26903; because the material is not tied to a verified current build, confirm the exact list for your version before publishing firewall rules or changing a production router.
| Traffic | Port(s) cited in troubleshooting material | Where to allow or forward |
|---|---|---|
| TCP | 26900 | Operating-system firewall and, for an internet server, the router to the host’s private IP |
| UDP | 26900–26903 | Operating-system firewall and router forwarding to the same host |
Check the network in the right order
- Confirm the server is listening on the intended local address and ports after startup.
- Allow the server executable or the required TCP/UDP ports through the operating-system firewall.
- Forward the ports from the router’s internet interface to the host’s fixed private address.
- Test from outside the local network; a test from the same LAN can be misleading because some routers do not support hairpin connections.
- Avoid assigning ports in the
27000–27099range when possible; the troubleshooting guidance warns that this range carries heavy Steam traffic and can create conflicts.
For a rented server, the provider normally controls the host firewall, router, and port allocation. Ask which public port maps to the game service instead of opening ports on your home router.
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EAC and mods: change this only for the right symptom
EACEnabled in serverconfig.xml defaults to true in the cited configuration guidance. Keep EAC enabled for an unmodified, ordinary server. EAC primarily determines who can join; it is not the first explanation for a process that crashes before world initialization.
When a mod requires EAC changes
Some DLL-based modifications require the server’s EAC setting to be false. Players joining that server must also disable EAC in their client launch options or game settings as required by the mod. If the server and client disagree, players can be kicked during connection even though the server itself starts normally.
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- Use matching game builds on server and clients.
- Install exactly the same mod versions where a mod requires client files.
- Change EAC only after confirming the mod’s instructions and understanding that disabling it changes who can join.
- Restore
EACEnabled=truewhen returning to a vanilla server.
Linux-specific launch checks
Linux failures often look like generic startup crashes when the real cause is a shell, permission, library, or service-definition issue. The available guidance includes a Linux server guide dated 2026, but current error text and defaults were not independently verified, so treat exact messages as build-dependent.
Check the effective service
- Run the same command manually as the service account, including the same working directory and
-configfilepath. - Make the launch script executable and use absolute paths for SteamCMD, the server binary, and the configuration file.
- Confirm the service account owns or can read the installation, save directory, and log directory.
- Inspect the service manager’s journal or captured standard output for the first error rather than relying only on a control panel’s “stopped” status.
- Ensure required 32-bit or 64-bit system libraries match the server binary and distribution.
If the manual command works but the service fails, compare environment variables, current directory, user permissions, and resource limits. Do not create a second configuration file until you know which path the service actually passes.
Common symptom-to-fix decisions
| Symptom | Most useful next check | Do not do first |
|---|---|---|
No server config file loaded |
Correct the -configfile argument and verify the file path and permissions |
Forward ports or disable EAC |
| Immediate exit with a missing DLL or runtime message on Windows | Install the supported Visual C++ prerequisites and inspect the named dependency | Delete the world save |
| Validation reports missing or corrupt files | Run validation, then reinstall into a clean directory if it cannot repair the files | Edit gameplay settings repeatedly |
| Only one world prevents launch | Back up the save and test a newly generated world | Overwrite the only copy |
| Server runs but external players time out | Check the current port list, firewall, router forwarding, and host address | Reinstall the server |
| Players are kicked when joining a modded server | Compare EAC and mod settings on server and client | Assume the executable failed to start |
Self-hosted versus rented servers
The diagnostic principles are the same, but you control different layers. On a self-hosted machine you can inspect the launch script, install runtimes, validate files, edit firewall rules, and forward router ports. On a rented server, the provider normally manages the operating system, network edge, and file installation; you usually control the configuration, save, and mod files through a panel or file transfer.
For a rented instance, provide support with the first error, exact start time, server build, effective startup command if visible, and whether a clean world starts. Ask the provider to confirm the allocated public port and whether the selected image includes the required runtime. Avoid repeatedly reinstalling from a panel before backing up saves and identifying the failing file.
Prevent the next failed launch
- Keep a dated backup of
serverconfig.xml, saves, world data, launch scripts, and mod versions. - Change one setting at a time and record whether the server was restarted afterward.
- Update the server and clients together, then validate files before adding mods.
- Keep the launch command in one maintained script instead of several shortcuts with different config paths.
- Test a new world after a major update before risking the primary save.
- Document the machine’s runtime packages, service account, firewall rules, and forwarded ports.
- Leave EAC enabled for vanilla play and document any deliberate exception for a modded group.
How much confidence to place in older fixes
The troubleshooting material behind these checks spans reports and guides from 2014 through a Linux guide titled for 2026. Dedicated-server behavior, error wording, defaults, port requirements, and installation IDs can change between game builds. The durable method is to read the first current error, verify the effective command and file path, and confirm version-specific details in the documentation for the build you are actually running.
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