How to Make your Project Zomboid Server Private & Manage the Whitelist

Running a public server can attract unwanted guests. To restrict access and curate your community, Project Zomboid offers password protection and a whitelist system. This article shows how to configure privacy settings in world.ini, manage the whitelist using console commands and optionally hide your server from the global server list.

Add a Server Password

1. Log in to the Wabbanode Control Panel and Stop your server.
2. Go to Files and navigate to Zomboid/Server/<WorldName> and locate world.ini. This file contains all server variables for your world.
3. Locate Password=. If the line is blank, set a strong password.
   • Example: Password=MySecurePwd123
4. Save the file and Start your server. Players will now have to enter this password to join.

Enable Whitelist Mode

Whitelist mode requires each player to be approved before they can join, regardless of the server password. In the same world.ini file:

1. Set Open=false to enable whitelist mode. This prevents players who are not on the whitelist from joining.
2. Optionally, set Public=false to hide your server from the in‑game server list. Leaving Public=true displays your server publicly but still enforces the password and whitelist.
3. Save the file and Restart your server.

Other whitelist‑related settings include:

• AutoCreateUserInWhiteList When set to true, players who join with the correct password are automatically added to the whitelist. Set it to false if you want to manually approve every user.
• DropOffWhiteListAfterDeath When true, a player is removed from the whitelist upon death. This is rarely desired, so leave it false unless you run a hardcore server.

Manage the Whitelist via Console

Use these commands in the Console tab to add or remove players from the whitelist:

• AddUser <username> <password> Creates an account with a password and adds it to the whitelist.
• AddUserToWhitelist <username> Adds an existing user to the whitelist.
• RemoveUserFromWhitelist <username> Removes a user from the whitelist.
• AddAllToWhitelist Adds all currently connected users who have joined with a password to the whitelist.

Players on the whitelist can join without reentering the password (unless you change it) and bypass the Open=false restriction.

Hide Your Server from the Public List

If you want your server to be completely invisible to strangers:

1. Set Public=false in world.ini. This prevents your server from appearing in the in‑game browser.
2. Remove or anonymise the PublicName and PublicDescription fields to avoid advertising details about your server.

Your friends can still connect directly using the server IP and password.