How to Ban, Unban and Kick Players on Your Project Zomboid Server

 

    Running a Project Zomboid server with other people eventually means removing someone — a griefer, a troll, or just a player you need gone for a while. Project Zomboid handles this with a small set of admin commands you run as the server admin: kick a player off, ban them by name or by Steam ID, and lift a ban later. This guide covers each command and when to use which, all from your gamever control panel. (For setting up the admin account itself, see passwords & admin; for the player whitelist, this guide covers only the ban-related commands.)

 

Before you start: log in as admin

 

    These commands only work for the server admin, so you need the admin account set up first. On Settings → Server Settings you'll find the Admin username and Admin password fields:

 

 

    Set both, Save and Restart, then join the server and log in with that account in-game. Full details are in passwords & admin. Once you're logged in as admin you can run the commands below.

 

Where to run the commands

 

    There are two places to issue admin commands:

 

• In-game chat — logged in as admin, type the command (it starts with /) straight into the chat box.
• The panel Console tab — open Console to watch the live server log (joins, leaves, chat) and send commands to the server.

 

 

    Quote any username that contains spaces, for example "My Player".

 

Kick a player

 

    A kick disconnects a player immediately, but doesn't stop them rejoining. It's the right tool for someone being briefly disruptive.

 

Command	What it does
/kickuser "username"	Disconnects that player from the server.
/kickuser "username" -r "reason"	Kicks and attaches a reason the player sees.

 

Ban a player — username vs. Steam ID

 

    A ban disconnects the player and stops them reconnecting. Project Zomboid lets you ban two ways, and the difference matters:

 

Command	What it does
/banuser "username"	Bans the account by its in-game username.
/banuser "username" -ip	Bans the username and their IP address too.
/banuser "username" -r "reason"	Bans with a reason attached (combine with -ip if needed).
/banid SteamID	Bans a player by their 17-digit Steam ID.

 

• Ban by username is the quick option when the player is connected and you can see their name.
• Ban by Steam ID (/banid) ties the ban to the player's Steam account, which survives a username change — the stronger option for a determined troublemaker. You can read Steam IDs from the server log in the Console tab as players connect.
• The -ip flag adds an IP ban on top; use it with care, since players sharing a network or a dynamic IP can be caught unintentionally.

 

Unban: lifting a ban

 

    Reversing a ban uses the matching unban command for how you banned them:

 

Command	What it does
/unbanuser "username"	Lifts a username ban.
/unbanid SteamID	Lifts a Steam ID ban applied with /banid.

 

    Use the command that matches the ban you set: if you banned with /banid, clear it with /unbanid; if you banned with /banuser, clear it with /unbanuser.

 

A note on the whitelist

 

    If your server uses a whitelist (only approved players can join), two related commands manage who's on it: /addusertowhitelist "username" adds a currently-connected player, and /adduser "username" "password" creates a new whitelisted account. These control access rather than punish, so they're a separate topic from banning — set up alongside your admin and password choices in passwords & admin and server settings.

 

Additional Tips

 

• Kick for a warning, ban to keep someone out. A kick is reversible the moment they reconnect; a ban is what actually removes them.
• Prefer /banid for repeat offenders — it's tied to the Steam account, so it holds even if they change their display name.
• Grab the Steam ID from the Console tab as the player connects, so you have it ready before you ban.
• Quote names with spaces — /banuser "My Player", not /banuser My Player.
• Use -ip sparingly — an IP ban can catch other players on the same network.
• Admins are immune to normal moderation, so run these from the admin account against regular players.

 

Conclusion

 

    Moderating a Project Zomboid server comes down to a handful of admin commands: /kickuser to disconnect, /banuser or /banid to remove someone for good, and /unbanuser / /unbanid to lift a ban. Log in as admin, run them from in-game chat or the panel Console tab, and your Knox County stays the server you want it to be. For the admin account and passwords behind it, see passwords & admin, and for the full field tour, server settings.

 

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