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Survival & Sandbox

7 Days to Die Admin & Console Commands

9 min read Updated 12 September 2026 ESAGAMES Team

7 Days to Die console commands are typed into the F1 console, a telnet session or the web dashboard, and on a dedicated server your permission level decides which of them you may run. So this page starts with making yourself admin and locking down permissions, then lists the commands by task — syntax checked against the V3.2 dedicated-server command list.

Opening the console & getting admin

Press F1 to open the console. On a dedicated server, run admin add <name / entity id / platform + user id> 0 from the server console, telnet or web dashboard — level 0 is full admin, and anyone without a level has 1000. Type help <command> to see the exact usage your build accepts; aliases are shown in brackets below.

Admins, permissions & serveradmin.xml

CommandWhat it does
admin add <player> <level> [displayname]Give a player a permission level (0 = full admin, 1000 = default).
admin remove <player>Remove a player's permission level.
cp add <command> <level>Set the level a command requires; cp list shows them all.
whitelist add <player> [displayname]Add a player to the whitelist — once it has one entry, only listed players can join.
whitelist remove <player>Remove a player from the whitelist.

These are saved to serveradmin.xml — the file named by AdminFileName in serverconfig.xml — which also holds bans and the whitelist, so you can edit it while the server is stopped. A player may run any command whose level is equal to or above their own, and a command that is not listed in the file defaults to level 0: only full admins can use it.

Keep cm and dm at level 0

The stock serveradmin.xml leaves cm, dm, admin and cp at level 0 and gives kick, ban, say, whitelist and shutdown level 1. That is a sensible split: make moderators level 1 with admin add, and they can moderate without reaching the creative and debug menus.

Remote access: telnet & the web dashboard

  • Telnet — set TelnetEnabled, TelnetPort and TelnetPassword in serverconfig.xml. A telnet login can run every command, so treat that password like a root password. Without a password, telnet only listens on the local loopback interface.
  • Web dashboard — set WebDashboardEnabled in serverconfig.xml. Access uses tokens you create with webtokens add <name> <secret> <level>, not a password in the config.

Players & moderation

CommandWhat it does
listplayers (lp)List connected players.
listplayerids (lpi)List players with the IDs other commands take.
kick <player> [reason]Kick a player.
ban add <player> <duration> <unit> [reason]Ban for a time; the unit is minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years.
ban remove <player> / ban listLift a ban / list bans.
say <message>Send a message to everyone.
sayplayer <player> <message> (pm)Private message one player.
kickall [reason]Kick everyone, e.g. before a restart.

Example: ban add madmole 2 minutes "Time for a break". Leaving out the unit is the usual reason a ban command is rejected.

Time & world

CommandWhat it does
gettime (gt)Show the current day and time.
settime <day> <hour> <minute> (st)Set an exact day and time, e.g. settime 7 22 0.
settime <time>Set the world time as a raw value (1000 = one in-game hour).
settime day / settime nightJump to day 1 at 12:00 / day 2 at 00:00 — not just "make it daytime".
saveworld (sa)Save the world now.
shutdownShut the server down.
settime day rewinds the calendar

Because settime day and settime night go back to day 1 and day 2, running them on a live server resets the day count that blood moons follow. To change only the hour, read the day with gettime and use settime <day> <hour> <minute>.

Teleport, items & spawning

CommandWhat it does
teleportplayer <player> <x> <y> <z> (tele)Move a player to coordinates.
teleportplayer <player> <target player>Move one player to another.
teleport <x> <y> <z> (tp)Move yourself (also accepts a player as the target).
give <player> <item> <amount> [quality]Drop an item in front of a player.
listitems <text> (li)Search item names — give needs the exact name.
giveself <item> [quality] [count]Give yourself an item.
giveselfxp <amount>Give yourself experience.
spawnentity <playerId> <entity#> [count] (se)Spawn zombies or animals around a player (0 = yourself, count 1-100).
spawnairdropSpawn an air drop.
spawnwandering h (spawnw)Spawn a wandering horde (b spawns bandits).
killallKill all enemies — never players (killall all for every entity type).

Creative & debug tools

CommandWhat it does
creativemenu (cm)Toggle the creative menu.
debugmenu (dm)Toggle the debug menu (developer tools).
buff <name> / debuff <name>Apply / remove a buff on yourself; buffplayer and debuffplayer target another player.

Related 7 Days to Die guides

Setting a server up? See how to make a 7 Days to Die server and tune it with our best 7 Days to Die server settings. If it won't appear, see fixing 7 Days to Die not showing.

7 Days to Die hosting with console access

Our 7 Days to Die hosting gives you the console, admin tools and a full panel — run these commands and manage your server the easy way.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do I open the console in 7 Days to Die?

Press F1. On a dedicated server your commands are only accepted if your permission level allows them, so first give yourself level 0 with admin add from the server console, telnet or the web dashboard.

How do I make myself admin on a 7 Days to Die server?

Run admin add <name / entity id / platform + user id> 0 from the server console — 0 is the highest level, and players without a level have 1000. It is saved to serveradmin.xml, which you can also edit while the server is stopped.

Why is my 7 Days to Die ban command rejected?

ban add needs both a duration and a unit: ban add <player> <duration> <unit> [reason], where the unit is minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years — for example ban add madmole 2 minutes "Time for a break". ban list shows bans and ban remove lifts one.

Does settime day make it daytime?

No — settime day sets the world to day 1 at 12:00 and settime night to day 2 at 00:00, which rewinds the day count on a running server. Use settime <day> <hour> <minute> with the current day from gettime to change only the hour.

How do I teleport a player in 7 Days to Die?

teleportplayer <player> <x> <y> <z> (alias tele) moves a player to coordinates, and teleportplayer <player> <target player> moves them to another player. teleport <x> <y> <z> (tp) moves yourself. listplayerids shows the IDs.

How do I give items to another player?

give <player> <item name> <amount> [quality] drops the item in front of that player. The item name must be exact, so look it up with listitems <text>. giveself <item> [quality] [count] gives one to yourself.

How do I stop moderators using the creative and debug menus?

Give moderators a level such as 1 with admin add, and set what each command needs with cp add <command> <level>. The stock serveradmin.xml already keeps cm and dm at level 0, and any command not listed defaults to level 0.

How do I run 7 Days to Die commands remotely?

Enable telnet with TelnetEnabled, TelnetPort and TelnetPassword in serverconfig.xml, or the web dashboard with WebDashboardEnabled and access tokens from the webtokens command. A telnet login can run every command, so use a strong password.

How do I spawn a horde or zombies for testing?

spawnwandering h spawns a wandering horde, spawnentity <playerId> <entity#> [count] spawns specific zombies or animals around a player, and spawnairdrop drops a supply crate. killall clears the enemies again and never kills players.

Further reading

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