--- title: "DayZ Admin Commands: BattlEye RCon and Admin Tools" description: "DayZ has no native admin commands. The real routes are BattlEye RCon, serverDZ.cfg and admin mods — every verified command, with the Arma-vs-BattlEye distinction explained." url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/dayz/how-to-add-admins-and-commands/" category: "DayZ" category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/dayz/" published: "2026-07-02T03:21:22.997Z" updated: "2026-08-07T21:05:31.758Z" source_format: "markdown" site: "GameServerKings" --- # DayZ Admin Commands: BattlEye RCon and Admin Tools DayZ has no native in-game admin command system — there is no `/op`, no F1 console, and no admin chat commands in the base game. Administration happens through three real routes: BattlEye RCon, the server config and mission files, and an admin mod. This guide covers all three, with the full command set for each. > [!IMPORTANT] Most "DayZ admin command" lists are actually Arma commands > Lists containing `#login`, `#kick`, `#shutdown`, `#lock`, `#init` or `#exec ban` are copied from Bohemia's [Multiplayer Server Commands](https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Multiplayer_Server_Commands) page, which documents the **Arma** engine. DayZ runs on Enfusion and has no in-game chat command line. None of those work here — see section 4. ## 1. The Three Real Admin Routes | Route | What it gives you | Needs a mod? | |---|---|---| | **BattlEye RCon** | Kick, ban, unban, player list, server-wide messages — remotely, from outside the game | No | | **`serverDZ.cfg` + mission files** | Everything that is a *setting*: time, weather cycle, damage rules, MOTD, scheduled restarts, ban/priority lists | No | | **Admin mod** (CommunityOnlineTools or VPPAdminTools) | Teleport, spawn items, freecam, ESP, godmode, spectate, weather control — in-game, live | Yes | Nearly every server runs all three. RCon handles moderation, the config handles rules, and the mod handles day-to-day in-game work. ## 2. BattlEye RCon — Setup BattlEye ships with DayZ and runs as its own process alongside the server. RCon is BattlEye's own remote console and listens on a **separate port** from the game. Configuration lives in `BEServer_x64.cfg`, which must sit in the same folder as `BEServer_x64.dll` — controlled by the `-bePath` and `-profiles` launch parameters. On Linux the file is lowercase: `beserver_x64.cfg`. ``` title="BEServer_x64.cfg — RCon setup" RConPassword ChangeThisPassword RConPort 2306 RestrictRCon 1 ``` | Directive | What it does | |---|---| | `RConPassword [password]` | Password required to connect via RCon. **Required.** | | `RConPort [port]` | Port RCon listens on. **Required.** Must differ from the game server's ports. | | `RConIP [ip]` | Bind RCon to a specific IP. Optional — only needed on multi-homed boxes. | | `RestrictRCon 1` | Restricts RCon functions (kick / ban / connection restrictions). Documented by Bohemia for DayZ. | Any command in section 3 can also be placed in `BEServer_x64.cfg` to run automatically on server launch. > [!CAUTION] The RCon port must not be publicly reachable without a strong password > RCon authentication is a single plaintext password over UDP. Pick a long random one, never reuse your server password, and firewall the RCon port to your own IP or your RCon tool's host wherever you can. > [!TIP] On the GSK panel > You do not need to hand-edit `BEServer_x64.cfg` or run a separate RCon client for routine moderation. The **Console** tab of your [DayZ hosting plan](/games/dayz/) is already connected, so `players`, `kick`, `ban` and `say` work straight from the browser. ## 3. BattlEye RCon Command Reference This is the complete published command set. There are no others — BattlEye's documentation lists exactly these. | Command | What it does | |---|---| | `commands` | Show all available commands | | `version` | Show the current BE Server version | | `players` | List all players with their **BE GUID** and ping. The player **#** shown here is what the other commands take | | `admins` | List all RCon clients currently connected | | `kick [player #] [reason]` | Kick a player, optionally showing them a reason | | `ban [player #] [minutes] [reason]` | Ban a player's BE GUID. Omit the time or use `0` for permanent | | `addBan [GUID or IP] [minutes] [reason]` | Same as `ban`, but works on a player who is **not currently connected** | | `removeBan [ban #]` | Remove a ban. Get the ban # from `bans` | | `bans` | Show all BE server bans | | `loadBans` | (Re)load the ban list from `bans.txt`. Runs automatically on server launch | | `writeBans` | Re-write the current ban list to `bans.txt` — this is how expired bans get purged | | `say [player #] [message]` | Send an in-game message. `-1` sends to everyone; any other # sends privately | ``` title="Typical RCon session" players kick 4 Combat logging addBan 76561198000000000 0 Duping ban 7 1440 Toxic in chat writeBans ``` > [!WARNING] `ban` takes the player number, not the Steam ID > `ban` operates on the **player #** from the `players` output, and that number changes every time someone reconnects. To ban by identity — or to ban someone who has already left — use `addBan` with their GUID or IP instead. Note that a **BE GUID is not a Steam64 ID**. BattlEye issues its own GUID, derived from the Steam ID but not equal to it: `players` shows the GUID and `addBan` expects it, while `priority.txt` and the admin mods below want the 17-digit Steam64 ID. There are also two **client-side** BattlEye commands, typed by a player in chat as `#beclient `: | Command | What it does | |---|---| | `#beclient guid` | Show your own BE GUID | | `#beclient players` | Show all players on the server with GUIDs and ping | Third-party tools that speak the RCon protocol — **BEC** and **DaRT** are the two Bohemia names in the DayZ server documentation — wrap these same commands and add scheduling, chat logging and auto-kick rules on top. They do not add new engine commands. ## 4. Why `#kick` and `#shutdown` Do Not Work Arma servers expose an in-game admin console: log in with `#login `, then type `#kick`, `#shutdown`, `#lock`, `#unlock`, `#init`, `#restart`, `#reassign`, `#mission`, `#exec ban`, `#userlist` or the `#vote` family into chat. Those are **Arma** Multiplayer Server Commands, belonging to the Real Virtuality engine. DayZ Standalone is built on Enfusion. It has no chat command line, and Bohemia's DayZ server documentation defines no `#` command set. `serverDZ.cfg` still carries `passwordAdmin` — documented only as "Password to become a server admin" — but no in-game console ships that consumes it. Set it if you like; do not expect an admin menu. The practical replacements: | You wanted | Do this instead | |---|---| | `#kick` | RCon `kick`, or an admin mod's Player Manager | | `#exec ban` | RCon `ban` / `addBan`, or `ban.txt` | | `#shutdown` | A countdown message in `messages.xml` (section 6) | | `#lock` / `#unlock` | `password` in `serverDZ.cfg`, or VPPAdminTools' `ServerManager:LockServer` | | `#init` | Restart the server — DayZ does not hot-reload its config | ## 5. Config-Driven Administration Everything that is a rule rather than an action belongs in `serverDZ.cfg`. The file has no fixed name; `-config=` on the command line decides it. ``` title="serverDZ.cfg — the admin-relevant fields" password = ""; // set to lock the server passwordAdmin = ""; // see section 4 enableWhitelist = 0; // 0-1 disableBanlist = false; // false = ban.txt is used disablePrioritylist = false; // false = priority.txt is used motd[] = { "Rules: no duping", "Discord: example.gg" }; motdInterval = 1; verifySignatures = 2; // only 2 is supported forceSameBuild = 1; speedhackDetection = 1; // 1 strict … 10 benevolent MaxPing = 300; // kick above this ping, in ms ``` | Setting | Effect | |---|---| | `password` | Locks the server — the DayZ equivalent of Arma's `#lock` | | `disableBanlist` | `true` stops the server reading `ban.txt` | | `disablePrioritylist` | `true` stops the server reading `priority.txt` | | `verifySignatures = 2` | Verifies `.pbo` files against `.bisign` keys — leave at 2 | | `speedhackDetection` | 1 (strict) to 10 (benevolent) | | `MaxPing` | Ping in ms above which a player is kicked | | `allowFilePatching` | `1` lets clients connect with `-filePatching`. Set to `0` on public servers | **Priority queue** — put Steam64 IDs separated by semicolons into `priority.txt` in the server install root, e.g. `01234567890123456;01234567890123456`. Those players jump the login queue. Relevant launch parameters: | Parameter | Purpose | |---|---| | `-config=serverDZ.cfg` | Selects the config file | | `-profiles=` | Profile folder — logs, BattlEye/RCon files and every admin mod's settings live here | | `-BEpath=` | Custom path to the BattlEye files | | `-doLogs` / `-adminLog` | Enables full RPT logging / the admin log | | `-mod=@CF;@VPPAdminTools` | Client-facing mods, semicolon-separated | | `-serverMod=` | Server-side mods, not broadcast to clients | > [!WARNING] `allowFilePatching = 1` on a public server is an open door > It permits clients that launched with `-filePatching`, which loads unpacked, unsigned data. Combined with `verifySignatures` anything below 2, it is the single most common misconfiguration behind "how did they spawn that". ## 6. Scheduled Restarts and Graceful Shutdown There is no `#shutdown`. DayZ shuts itself down on a countdown defined in `messages.xml`, at `mpmissions//db/messages.xml` — you may need to create it. Set both `deadline` and `shutdown` to get automatic termination. ``` title="db/messages.xml — 10-hour restart cycle" 0 0 600 0 1 Hello, #name will shutdown in #tmin minutes. ``` Every time value is in **minutes**. Messages cap at 160 characters and accept three placeholders: `#name`, `#port` and `#tmin` (minutes remaining, countdown only). With `deadline` set, warnings fire at 90, 60, 45, 30, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2 and 1 minute out. > [!CAUTION] Never kill a DayZ server process to restart it > Bohemia explicitly recommends the countdown shutdown. Terminating the process instead risks damage to player characters and the persistence storage. Point your restart automation at `messages.xml`, not at `kill`. ## 7. Admin Logging These live in `serverDZ.cfg` and need `-doLogs` and `-adminLog` on the command line. | Setting | Logs | |---|---| | `adminLogPlayerHitsOnly = 1` | Player hits only. `0` logs all hits, including animals and infected | | `adminLogPlacement = 1` | Placement actions — traps, tents | | `adminLogBuildActions = 1` | Base building — build, dismantle, destroy | | `adminLogPlayerList = 1` | Periodic player list with positions, every 5 minutes | | `logFile = "server_console.log"` | Writes the console log alongside the other server logs | | `logAverageFps` / `logMemory` / `logPlayers` | Interval in seconds for FPS, memory and player-count logging | | `timeStampFormat = "Short"` | Timestamp format in the `.rpt` file (`Full` or `Short`) | ## 8. CommunityOnlineTools COT is the GUI admin mod with the finer-grained permission model. It requires **Community Framework (`@CF`)**. **Modules:** Player, Camera (freecam), ESP, Map, Map Editor, Object, Teleport, Loadout, Vehicles, Weather, Item Stats, Webhooks, plus a Namalsk module. Other mods — DayZ Expansion among them — plug their own menus into it. **Permissions** live under `-profiles`: | Path | Contents | |---|---| | `$profile:PermissionsFramework\Roles\` | Role definitions, `.txt` — ships with `admin.txt` and `everyone.txt` | | `$profile:PermissionsFramework\Permissions\` | Per-player overrides, named by hashed ID, `.txt` | | `$profile:PermissionsFramework\Players\` | Player records, `.json` | | `$profile:PermissionsFramework\Bans\` | COT's own bans, `.json` | | `$profile:CommunityOnlineTools\` | `Webhooks.json`, `Weather.json`, teleport presets, `Logs\`, `Loadouts\` | Role files are one permission node per line, dot-separated, followed by a level: ``` title="PermissionsFramework/Roles/moderator.txt" COT 2 COT.View 2 Admin.Player.Teleport 2 Admin.Player.Godmode 1 ESP.View.Player 2 Object.Delete 1 ``` | Level | Meaning | |---|---| | `0` | Inherit — fall through to the parent node or role | | `1` | Disallow — explicitly deny | | `2` | Allow | Because nodes are hierarchical, granting `Admin.Player 2` grants everything beneath it unless a child is set to `1`. That is how you build a moderator role that can teleport and heal but cannot spawn. **Default keybinds** (all rebindable under Controls → COT): | Key | Action | |---|---| | `End` | Toggle the COT menu | | `Insert` | Toggle freecam | | `H` | Teleport to cursor | | `Delete` | Delete object at cursor | | `U` | Toggle godmode on yourself | | `Right Alt` + a letter | Jump straight to a submenu — `T` Player, `Y` Camera, `U` ESP, `I` Map, `P` Entity, `J` Teleport, `K` Loadout, `L` Vehicle, `O` Weather | ## 9. VPPAdminTools VPP is the other mainstream option. It also requires `@CF`, and unlike COT it ships a set of **chat commands** in addition to the GUI. Install by copying `@CF` and `@VPPAdminTools` into the server root, copying both `Keys` folders into the server's `Keys` folder, and launching with `-mod=@CF;@VPPAdminTools -profiles=NameOfFolder`. Config files generate on first startup. Add your Steam64 ID, one per line, to `\VPPAdminTools\Permissions\SuperAdmins\SuperAdmins.txt`. Set the menu password in `Permissions\credentials.txt`, or skip it entirely by adding `vppDisablePassword = 1;` to `serverDZ.cfg`. Non-superadmin roles are defined in `Permissions\UserGroups\UserGroups.vpp`, using node names such as `PlayerManager:BanPlayer`, `ServerManager:RestartServer`, `ServerManager:LockServer`, `ServerManager:KickAllPlayers` and `EspToolsMenu:PlayerESP`. **Chat commands.** Typed into normal in-game chat. Multiple targets or arguments are separated by commas, and `self` targets you. | Command | What it does | |---|---| | `/heal ` | Heal a player | | `/kill ` | Kill a player | | `/strip ` | Strip a player's inventory | | `/bring ` | Teleport a player to you | | `/goto ` | Teleport yourself to a player | | `/return ` | Send a player back to their previous position | | `/tpt ` | Teleport yourself to a named town | | `/tpp ` | Teleport yourself to coordinates | | `/sph ` | Spawn an item in your hands | | `/spi ` | Spawn an item inside your inventory | | `/spg ` | Spawn an item on the ground | | `/ammo` | Spawn ammo for your current weapon | | `/spawncar` | Spawn a vehicle | | `/refuel` | Refuel the vehicle you are in | | `/unban ` | Remove a ban | | `/runevent ` | Trigger a Namalsk event — **only** when the Namalsk Survival mod is loaded | Every one is permission-gated (`Chat:HealPlayer`, `Chat:GotoPlayer` and so on) and written to the admin log and any configured Discord webhook. Note there is no `/ban` chat command — banning is done from the Player Manager menu or via RCon. **GUI menus:** Player Manager, Bans Manager, Server Manager, Item Manager, Object Manager, Teleport Manager, Weather Manager, ESP Tools, Spectate, Stats HUD, Permission Manager, Web Hooks, XML Editor and a commands console. > [!NOTE] Banning through a mod is not the same as banning through BattlEye > Mod bans are enforced by the mod, stored in its own list, and stop working the moment the mod fails to load or is removed. BattlEye bans are enforced before the player ever reaches the game. For anything serious — cheating, duping — ban through RCon, then optionally mirror it in the mod. ## 10. Choosing Between COT and VPP Both need `@CF`, and you should run one, not both — they overlap heavily and hook the same player and object systems. COT gives you hierarchical, file-defined permission nodes and is the one other mods extend, DayZ Expansion included. VPP gives you chat commands and an in-game permission editor, which is easier if you would rather not edit text files over SFTP. ## 11. FAQ ### Does DayZ have admin commands? Not natively. DayZ Standalone has no in-game console and no built-in command set. Moderation commands come from BattlEye RCon, which runs outside the game; gameplay commands like teleport or spawn only exist if you install an admin mod. ### How do I ban someone on a DayZ server? Connect via BattlEye RCon, run `players` to get the player number, then `ban ` — `0` minutes is permanent. If the player has already disconnected, use `addBan ` instead. Follow with `writeBans` to keep the on-disk list current. ### Why doesn't `#login` work on my DayZ server? `#login` and the rest of the `#` commands belong to Arma's engine, not DayZ's. DayZ runs on Enfusion and has no in-game admin console, so there is nothing to log into. Any guide showing `#kick` or `#shutdown` for DayZ was copied from Arma documentation. ### How do I restart my DayZ server on a schedule? Edit `mpmissions//db/messages.xml` and add a message with `deadline` set to the minutes until restart and `shutdown` set to `1`. The server warns players on a countdown, then terminates cleanly. Bohemia recommends this over killing the process, which can damage characters and persistence. ### Do I lose my bans when the server restarts? Only if they were never written to disk. BattlEye reads `bans.txt` automatically on launch via `loadBans`. Run `writeBans` after a batch of ban changes to flush the in-memory list to that file and clear expired entries. ### Which admin mod should I install? Either works. Pick CommunityOnlineTools for fine-grained, file-defined roles, or if you run DayZ Expansion — it plugs its own menus into COT. Pick VPPAdminTools if you want in-game chat commands and an in-game permission editor. Both need Community Framework (`@CF`); run only one. ## 12. What to Read Next - [Getting started with your DayZ server](/knowledge-base/dayz/getting-started-with-your-server/) - [Configuring your DayZ server](/knowledge-base/dayz/configuration-overview/) — the full `serverDZ.cfg` walkthrough - [How to Install Mods on a DayZ Server: Folders and Keys](/knowledge-base/dayz/how-to-install-mods/) — installing `@CF` and an admin mod --- Made with 💜 by GameServerKings