DayZ: Admin Commands & Server Management
DayZ has an unusual admin model. Vanilla DayZ has no traditional admin console — there is no in-game UI you can pop open to god-mode yourself or spawn items. Admin functionality lives in three separate places: the chat-side #login commands for global admin actions, BattlEye RCON for player and process control, and mod-supplied admin tools (Expansion Mod, CF + AdminTools, DayZ Editor Loader) that overlay an in-game UI. This page covers all three.
The chat side
#login <password> in chat unlocks server-side admin chat commands. The password is set in serverDZ.cfg via passwordAdmin.
The RCON side
BattlEye RCON gives you process-level control: kick, ban, restart, broadcast, list players. Used through external tools like DaRT, BERCon, or BattleMetrics.
The mod side
Modded servers (which is most of the active scene on PC) ship admin tools as a mod. Expansion AdminTools and CF + AdminTools give you the spawn/teleport/god UI players expect.
Chat Admin Commands (Vanilla)
Once you've run #login <passwordAdmin> in chat (the password from serverDZ.cfg), the following chat commands are available:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
#login <password> | Authenticate as admin. Until you do this, the rest do nothing. |
#logout | Drop admin privileges for the session. |
#shutdown | Cleanly shut down the server. |
#restart | Restart the server (mission script restart, not a full process restart). |
#mission <name> | Switch to a different mission file (rarely used live). |
#kick <name|id> | Kick a player by name or session ID. |
#exec ban <name> | Ban a player. Banned IDs are stored in ban.txt next to the server config. |
#monitor <interval> | Show diagnostic info in chat at the given interval (mostly for testing). |
That's the entire vanilla in-game admin surface. Notably absent: spawn-item, teleport, god mode. Those are mod-only.
BattlEye RCON
BattlEye RCON is the standard way to manage a DayZ server remotely. Configure it via BattlEye/BEServer.cfg (or BEServer_x64.cfg on x64 builds):
RConPassword YOUR_PASSWORD
RConPort 2310
RConIP 0.0.0.0Connect from a tool like DaRT or BERCon. The most-used RCON commands:
#shutdown— graceful shutdown.#kick <name> "<reason>"— kick by name with reason shown to the player.#players— list connected players (name, GUID, IP, ping).#ban <guid> <duration> "<reason>"— BattlEye-level ban (different from DayZ'sban.txt; goes inbans.txtin the BattlEye folder). Duration is minutes (0 = permanent).#say -1 "<message>"— broadcast to all players.#restart— mission restart.#exec <script>— run a server-side script (only if scripted by your mod set).
Modded Admin Tools (PC)
If you're running a modded DayZ server (which is the vast majority of active community servers), the real admin experience comes from one of these mods:
- Expansion AdminTools / Expansion Core — full in-game UI: spawn items, vehicles, AI; teleport; god mode; freeze; cloak; quest editor. Most modded servers run this.
- CF (Community Framework) + Community Online Tools — competing admin framework; fine-grained permissions and a per-action audit log. Common on roleplay/heavy-rules servers.
- DayZ Editor Loader — admin-side world editor. Used to place pre-built bases and POIs into the live map, not for moderation.
Each of these has its own keybind and permission system. None of them are vanilla DayZ commands — they require the mod installed on the server and on the admin's client.
Server Config Essentials (serverDZ.cfg)
The bits of serverDZ.cfg that drive admin behaviour:
passwordAdmin— password for in-chat#login.password— server connection password (separate from admin).verifySignatures = 2— checks mod signatures; required if you want clients to load only signed mods.BattlEye = 1— enables BattlEye anti-cheat; required for RCON.respawnTime,disableContainerDamage,disable3rdPerson, etc. — gameplay tuning rather than admin per se.guaranteedUpdates,networkRangeClose/Far— performance tuning.
Common Issues
"#login does nothing"
Three causes: (1) passwordAdmin isn't set in serverDZ.cfg, (2) you typed it in normal chat instead of system chat, (3) the password has invisible quotes/spaces. Edit the cfg, restart, retry.
RCON connection refused
RConIP is bound to localhost only by default. Set it to 0.0.0.0 for remote tools and open the RCON UDP port on the firewall.
Spawn-item commands don't work
You're on vanilla. Vanilla DayZ has no /give equivalent. Install Expansion AdminTools or Community Online Tools for spawning.
Console servers (Xbox / PS5)
Console DayZ admin is more limited — no mods, no RCON, no chat #login. Console community-server hosts manage through Bohemia's Nitrado dashboard rather than runtime commands.
Related Guides
Updated 2026. DayZ vanilla admin commands have been stable for years; the mod-driven admin scene continues to evolve. Check the active mod set on your server for its specific admin keybind and permission system.