---
title: "Managing your 7 Days to Die server"
description: "Set up a restart schedule, daily backups, and quick fixes for horde night lag, mod loading, and crash recovery on your 7 Days to Die server."
url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/7d2d-maintenance/"
category: "7 Days to Die"
category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/"
published: "2026-07-02T02:46:07.951Z"
updated: "2026-08-16T10:55:09.072Z"
source_format: "markdown"
site: "GameServerKings"
---

# Managing your 7 Days to Die server

## Scheduled Restarts

7 Days to Die benefits from daily restarts due to memory creep. From the **Schedules** tab:

- Cron: `0 5 * * *` (5 AM server time)
- Tasks:
  1. Send Command: `say "Restart in 5 minutes."` — the [command reference](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/7-days-to-die-console-commands/) covers `say` syntax and the other server-side commands
  2. Send Power Action: Restart (offset 300s)

## Backups

The world save lives in the `Saves/` folder, which the **Backups** tab on [your 7 Days to Die hosting plan](/games/7-days-to-die-server-hosting/) captures.

> [!IMPORTANT] Horde nights raise the chance of a crash
> Schedule a daily backup at minimum, especially on horde nights when entity counts (and the chance of a crash) spike.

## Common Issues

- **Server starts but no one can connect**: Check the address, not the config. Take the IP and port from the **Address** at the top left of your panel and have players paste that exact pair into **Connect to Server** — the assigned port is often not 26900. 7 Days to Die also uses the two ports above the one you were given, and the panel allocates that whole block for you, so editing `ServerPort` in `serverconfig.xml` moves the server off its own allocation and causes this symptom far more often than it fixes it.
- **Mods not loading**: They go in `Mods/`, not `Data/Mods/`, and each mod needs its own subfolder.
- **Lag on horde nights**: Horde size is no longer a `serverconfig.xml` property. V3.0 moved it into the encoded `SandboxCode` value, so editing `BloodMoonEnemyCount` does nothing and reports no error. Lower **Blood Moon Count** in the in-game Sandbox Options menu — plus **Enemy Density** if the pressure is constant rather than horde-only — then paste the regenerated code into `serverconfig.xml`. The server-side cap `MaxSpawnedZombies` does still live in that file and is the fastest way to put an immediate ceiling on entity count. Pathfinding gets expensive past 100 active zombies. [The serverconfig.xml reference](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/serverconfig-xml/) covers the migration.
- **World corruption after a crash**: Restore the most recent backup. Always back up before mod installs.

## What to Read Next

- [serverconfig.xml Reference](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/serverconfig-xml/) for the SandboxCode migration and the properties that still live in that file
- [How to Install Modlets and Overhaul Mods](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/how-to-install-modlets-and-overhaul-mods/) for the mod install workflow
- [How to Upload Your Existing World to Your 7 Days to Die Server](/knowledge-base/7-days-to-die/upload-your-existing-world/) to move a single-player world onto the server

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