Disable LiteNetLib by editing the dedicated server’s ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols property, not by changing a client setting. Stop the server, open the serverconfig.xml file (or the XML file supplied with -configfile), and set the property to LiteNetLib:
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<property name="ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols" value="LiteNetLib"/>Save the file and restart the server with that same configuration file. This leaves SteamNetworking available. To disable both protocols, use LiteNetLib, SteamNetworking. The property is a deny list: it names protocols the server must not use; it does not select the protocol written in the value.
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What controls LiteNetLib
7 Days to Die uses the ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols server setting to prevent specific networking protocols from being used. The official server reference lists LiteNetLib and SteamNetworking as valid names and defines the value as a comma-separated deny list.
That distinction prevents the most common configuration mistake. Writing LiteNetLib does not turn LiteNetLib on. It turns LiteNetLib off and leaves any protocol not listed available. Writing both names blocks both protocols. Leaving the value empty allows both protocols.
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Value of ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols |
Result | When this makes sense |
|---|---|---|
LiteNetLib |
LiteNetLib is disabled; SteamNetworking remains available. | Use when you are troubleshooting LiteNetLib-related behavior while retaining SteamNetworking as an option. |
SteamNetworking |
SteamNetworking is disabled; LiteNetLib remains available. | Use only when your network layout and player connectivity are known to work with LiteNetLib. |
LiteNetLib, SteamNetworking |
Both listed protocols are disabled. | Use only for a deliberate test or a configuration that requires neither protocol. Test every player route afterward. |
An empty value, such as value="" |
Neither protocol is denied, so both remain enabled. | Use to remove this protocol restriction and return protocol availability to the unrestricted setting. |
Spacing after the comma is shown in the official example and is readable XML text. The important parts are the exact protocol names and the comma separating two names.
What you need before changing the file
- A dedicated server process you can stop and restart. The setting is administered through the dedicated server’s XML configuration.
- Access to the configuration file. This may be the usual
serverconfig.xmlor a custom XML file selected at startup with-configfile=.... - The actual startup configuration. Editing a file that is not passed to the running process will have no effect.
- A short maintenance window. Stop the server before editing so it cannot rewrite or reload the configuration while you work.
- A backup of the original XML. A copy makes it easy to undo the protocol change if connectivity gets worse.
- A test plan. Have at least one player connection to test, and note which platforms and network paths those players use.
Do not treat the protocol setting as a substitute for firewall or router configuration. It changes the protocols the server may use; it does not open ports, create a NAT mapping, or repair an unreachable host.
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Stop the dedicated server cleanly
Stop the 7 Days to Die dedicated server before opening its XML. Do not edit while the process is active. A running server or management wrapper may rewrite settings during shutdown or startup, which can overwrite an in-progress change.
-
Identify the XML file the process actually loads
Open the standard
serverconfig.xmlif the server uses its normal configuration. If the startup entry includes-configfile=..., follow that path instead and edit the named XML. The file selected by the startup command is authoritative for that launch; a similarly named file in another directory is not. -
Make a backup
Copy the XML before editing it. Keep the backup outside any automated configuration-generation step if possible, and record which file was copied. This gives you a known-good rollback if players can no longer connect.
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Find the networking property
Search the XML for
ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols. A configuration that currently disables SteamNetworking commonly contains:Free tools Windows power users keep installed
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Replace the value with LiteNetLib
To deny LiteNetLib only, change the line to:
<property name="ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols" value="LiteNetLib"/>The capitalization matters because the documented protocol identifier is
LiteNetLib. Keep the property name intact, and keep the XML quotation marks and self-closing syntax intact. -
Save the XML as plain configuration text
Save the file without converting it into a different format. Check that the editor did not add a second extension such as
.txtand that the edited file is the same path referenced by the server’s startup command. -
Restart with the same configuration selection
Launch the dedicated server using the same command or service definition as before, including the same
-configfile=...argument when one was used. Starting the server through a different shortcut, wrapper, or working directory can make it read another XML file and appear not to apply the change.Recommended: Fix Windows Errors and Clear Junk Files in Minutes - Free Scan →Recommended: Update Every Outdated Driver on Your PC in One Scan - Free →Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Rank #3
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Test with the real clients
Have players connect using the platforms and network paths that matter for your server. A successful connection from one location does not establish that every platform or NAT arrangement will behave identically. Record whether the server is reachable, whether discovery works as expected, and whether any client experiences a timeout.
Disable both protocols instead
If your test specifically requires neither LiteNetLib nor SteamNetworking, set the value to the two documented names separated by a comma:
<property name="ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols" value="LiteNetLib, SteamNetworking"/>Restart the dedicated server after saving, using the edited XML. Because this denies both available protocol names, it can remove the server’s usable protocol paths for some network arrangements. Apply it as a controlled test rather than as a default fix, and be prepared to restore a single-protocol or empty value.
Choosing between LiteNetLib and SteamNetworking
There is no universally correct value for every server. The appropriate restriction depends on how players reach the host and which platforms must connect. The official server settings guidance specifically says: “Dedicated servers should disable SteamNetworking if there is no NAT router in between your users and the server or when port-forwarding is set up correctly.” That is a network-topology caveat, not an instruction to disable LiteNetLib on every installation.
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| Decision factor | What to check | How it affects the choice |
|---|---|---|
| NAT placement | Determine whether a NAT router sits between the server and the players. | The official guidance treats the presence or absence of NAT as relevant to whether SteamNetworking should be disabled on a dedicated server. |
| Port forwarding | Confirm that forwarding is configured correctly for the server’s network path. | Correct forwarding changes the conditions under which the official guidance recommends disabling SteamNetworking. Verify the actual route instead of assuming forwarding is complete. |
| Player platforms | List the platforms that must join, including any cross-platform combinations used by your group. | The available sources identify both protocol names but do not establish identical platform behavior for every game version. Test the installed version with the platforms you support. |
| Server discoverability | Check whether players find the server through the expected listing or must connect another way. | A protocol change can alter observed connection behavior. Treat discoverability and direct connection as separate tests. |
| Observed timeouts | Note which clients time out, from which networks, and after which configuration change. | A timeout may result from protocol selection, a firewall, forwarding, or the client’s route. It does not by itself prove that LiteNetLib is defective. |
Change one variable at a time. If you alter the protocol deny list and router rules simultaneously, you cannot tell which change caused an improvement or a failure. Keep a record of the old value, the new value, the restart used, and the clients tested.
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Can you disable LiteNetLib without running a dedicated server?
The documented workflow is a dedicated-server XML workflow. A listen-hosted local game does not expose the same administration process or the same server configuration file used by a dedicated instance. Editing a dedicated server’s serverconfig.xml cannot change a session hosted directly from a local game client.
If you need this specific setting, run and administer a dedicated server, then apply the XML change described above. If you are hosting a listen session, investigate the networking controls available for that session in the installed game version; do not expect ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols in a dedicated-server file to affect it.
Troubleshooting after the change
The server behaves exactly as before
- Stop the process again and verify the property in the file you edited.
- Check the startup entry for
-configfile=...and compare its path character for character with the file you changed. - Look for a service, panel, wrapper, or launch script that substitutes another XML file.
- Confirm that the server was fully restarted after saving; editing a file does not change an already running process.
- Make sure the value is exactly
LiteNetLibrather than a misspelling or a different capitalization.
The most likely explanation for an unchanged result is that the running process read a different file or was not restarted with the edited one.
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First separate the protocol change from the surrounding network path. Confirm the server’s firewall rules, check the router’s port-forwarding configuration, and test from the affected player’s network. Compare a player who can connect with one who cannot, noting platform and route.
Do not conclude from a timeout alone that LiteNetLib is broken. A denied protocol, an unavailable alternative, incorrect forwarding, a firewall, or a platform-specific requirement can produce similar symptoms. If the server worked before the edit, restore the backup or change the value back to the previous setting, restart, and retest. That rollback is a diagnostic step: it tells you whether the deny-list change correlates with the failure, but it does not identify the underlying network cause by itself.
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Only some platforms or players fail
Keep LiteNetLib disabled while testing one platform group at a time, or restore the previous value and compare the same clients. The documented material does not establish a universal crossplay rule for every installed version, so verify behavior with the actual game build and player mix. Record whether the failing players are behind different NAT arrangements or use different routes to the server.
Disabling both protocols leaves nobody able to connect
Restore a usable configuration. Set the value to LiteNetLib if you intend to leave SteamNetworking available, set it to SteamNetworking if you intend to leave LiteNetLib available, or use an empty value to deny neither protocol. Save and restart with the same XML. Then test before making additional network changes.
The XML will not load after editing
Stop the server, restore the backup, and start it with the known-good file. If the backup works, reapply only the protocol value and save again as XML. Preserve the property’s surrounding syntax; the intended line is a single self-closing property element with a quoted name and value.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Reading the value as an allow list.
LiteNetLibmeans “deny LiteNetLib,” not “use LiteNetLib.” - Editing while the server is running. Stop first so the process cannot rewrite the file or continue using the old in-memory setting.
- Changing the wrong XML. A custom file selected with
-configfiletakes precedence over an untouched default file for that launch. - Disabling both protocols casually. This denies both documented names and can remove the paths your players need.
- Assuming NAT advice is universal. The official warning concerns dedicated servers and specific NAT or forwarding conditions; it is not a blanket instruction for every host.
- Using a single successful test as proof. Check all supported platforms and relevant network paths.
- Changing several networking variables at once. Keep the protocol value, firewall rules, forwarding, and client tests separable so the result is diagnosable.
Verification checklist
Before considering the change complete, confirm each item:
- The dedicated server was stopped before the XML was edited.
- The edited file is
serverconfig.xmlor the exact file passed through-configfile=.... - The property name is
ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols. - The value is exactly
LiteNetLibwhen only LiteNetLib should be denied. - The value is exactly
LiteNetLib, SteamNetworkingonly when both protocols should be denied. - The original XML was backed up.
- The server restarted with the same configuration selection.
- Players tested from the platforms and network paths the server must support.
- Firewall and port-forwarding checks were kept separate from the protocol change.
- A rollback value is ready if connectivity deteriorates.
For the usual request—disable LiteNetLib while retaining SteamNetworking—the final line should be:
<property name="ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols" value="LiteNetLib"/>That is the complete configuration change. The restart and connectivity tests determine whether it is appropriate for the server’s actual NAT, forwarding, platform, and player conditions.
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