How to Add Admins to Your 7 Days to Die Server

Admins have special privileges on your 7 Days to Die server including access to powerful commands, creative menu, and server management tools.

What Can Admins Do?

Admins have access to:

• Creative Menu (U key) - Unlimited items and building
• Teleportation - Instant travel across the map
• God Mode - Invincibility
• Flight - Free flying
• Item Spawning - Give any item instantly
• Player Management - Kick, ban, whitelist players
• Server Control - Shutdown, save, adjust settings
• Debugging Tools - Information overlays and diagnostics

Method 1: Using Server Console (Easiest)

The quickest way to add admins while your server is running.

Steps:

1. Navigate to your server's Console tab in the Loafhosts panel
2. Type the following command:

admin add <PlayerName> <PermissionLevel>

3. Press Enter to execute

Permission Levels Explained:

Examples:

Make someone full admin:

admin add Steve 0

Make someone moderator:

admin add Alex 2000

Verify Admin Was Added:

admin list

This shows all current admins and their permission levels.

Method 2: Editing serveradmin.xml

For adding admins when the server is offline or adding multiple admins at once.

Steps:

1. Stop your server
2. Navigate to File Manager in your Loafhosts panel
3. Open the serveradmin.xml file
4. Add the admin entry between the <admins> tags

File Structure:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<adminTools>
    <admins>
        <admin steamID="76561198012345678" name="Steve" permission_level="0" />
    </admins>
    <permissions>
    </permissions>
    <whitelist>
    </whitelist>
    <blacklist>
    </blacklist>
</adminTools>

Adding Multiple Admins:

<admins>
    <admin steamID="76561198012345678" name="Steve" permission_level="0" />
    <admin steamID="76561198087654321" name="Alex" permission_level="0" />
    <admin steamID="76561198011111111" name="Moderator" permission_level="2000" />
</admins>

Finding Player Steam IDs:

Method 1 - Steam Profile URL:

1. Go to the player's Steam profile
2. Look at the URL: steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198012345678
3. The long number is their Steam ID

Method 2 - Using SteamID Finder:

1. Visit https://steamid.io/
2. Enter player's Steam profile URL or username
3. Copy their SteamID64

Method 3 - In-Game (Server Must Be Running):

1. Player must connect to your server
2. In console, type: lpi
3. Lists connected players with their Steam IDs

Important Notes:

• Steam ID must be the SteamID64 format (starts with 7656)
• Name field is optional but helpful for identification
• Server must be restarted after editing serveradmin.xml

Removing Admin Privileges

Using Console:

admin remove <PlayerName>

Or by Steam ID:

admin remove <SteamID>

Using serveradmin.xml:

Simply delete the admin line from the file and restart your server.

Admin Commands Reference

Here are essential commands your admins can use:

Player Management Commands:

Teleport Commands:

Creative/Admin Tools:

Server Management:

World/Entity Commands:

In-Game Admin Controls

Once you're an admin, press F1 to open the console and use commands, or use these keyboard shortcuts:

• U - Creative Menu (if enabled with cm command)
• F1 - Open console for commands
• H - Toggle flying mode (if enabled)
• Q - God mode toggle (if enabled)

Permission Levels Explained

Level 0 (Full Admin):

• All commands available
• Creative menu access
• Complete server control
• Can add/remove other admins

Level 1000 (Moderator+):

• Most admin commands
• Cannot modify other admins
• Limited server control commands

Level 2000 (Moderator):

• Basic moderation tools
• Player management (kick, ban)
• Limited creative access
• Cannot use destructive commands

Recommendation: Use Level 0 for trusted admins, Level 2000 for moderators.

Best Practices for Server Admins

Only give admin to trusted players. Admin powers are extensive and can be abused.

Use the lowest necessary permission level. Not everyone needs level 0 access.

Keep a backup list of admin Steam IDs in case serveradmin.xml gets corrupted.

Test admin commands in single-player first if you're unsure what they do.

Document who has admin and why they were given access.

Review admin list regularly with admin list command.

Remove admin access from players who no longer play or need it.

Troubleshooting

Admin Commands Not Working:

Check permission level:

admin list

Ensure the player has level 0 for full access.

Verify Steam ID format:

• Must be SteamID64 (starts with 7656)
• Must be 17 digits long
• No spaces or special characters

Restart server: Changes to serveradmin.xml require a restart.

Creative Menu (U) Not Opening:

Enable creative menu:

cm

Type this in console while in-game (F1 to open console).

Player Can't Be Found:

Check exact spelling: Player names are case-sensitive.

Try using Steam ID instead:

admin add 76561198012345678 0

Changes to serveradmin.xml Not Working:

Validate XML syntax:

• Check for missing < or > brackets
• Ensure all tags are properly closed
• No special characters in names

Verify file location: Should be in your server's root directory.

Check file permissions: File must be readable by the server.

Admin Showing as Level 2000 Instead of 0:

Remove and re-add:

admin remove PlayerName
admin add PlayerName 0

Example serveradmin.xml

Here's a complete example with multiple admins:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<adminTools>
    <admins>
        <!-- Server Owner - Full Access -->
        <admin steamID="76561198012345678" name="OwnerSteve" permission_level="0" />
        
        <!-- Co-Admin - Full Access -->
        <admin steamID="76561198087654321" name="CoAdminAlex" permission_level="0" />
        
        <!-- Moderator - Limited Access -->
        <admin steamID="76561198011111111" name="ModeratorSam" permission_level="2000" />
        
        <!-- Helper Mod - Limited Access -->
        <admin steamID="76561198022222222" name="HelperJess" permission_level="2000" />
    </admins>
    <permissions>
    </permissions>
    <whitelist>
    </whitelist>
    <blacklist>
    </blacklist>
</adminTools>

Security Considerations

Never share your own admin account. Each admin should use their own Steam account.

Don't advertise who your admins are in public channels - prevents targeting.

Monitor admin actions if your hosting allows admin logging.

Change admin list if someone leaves your community.

Be careful with level 0 access - it allows server shutdown and world deletion.

Back up serveradmin.xml regularly in case you need to restore it.

Need Help?

If you're having trouble adding admins to your 7 Days to Die server, our support team can assist!

Contact us through the Loafhosts panel or join our Discord: https://discord.gg/loafhosts

Updated on: 08/11/2025