How to Fix “Could Not Retrieve Server ID” in 7 Days to Die

The fastest way to fix “Could Not Retrieve Server ID” in 7 Days to Die is to work through the connection path in order: match the client and server builds, permit both programs through Windows Firewall, forward the documented game ports, test antivirus interference, restart the game, server and router, then verify that the dedicated server is running and registered. Change Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) only as a last-resort workaround because turning it off removes a protection and can prevent crossplay.

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The available troubleshooting guidance is mostly community and hosting documentation published around 2025 rather than an official 2026 statement. Port advice also varies between sources, so the procedure below identifies the safest commonly documented rule and explains where broader rules appear.

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What “Could Not Retrieve Server ID” means

The message appears when the client cannot complete the step that identifies and reaches a game server. That can happen before you enter the world, so the problem is not necessarily a damaged save or a bad password. The failure can be on the player’s computer, on the route through the home network, or on the dedicated server itself.

Community guides associate the error with five recurring conditions: different client and server builds, a firewall rule that blocks one of the two applications, missing router port forwarding, antivirus interference, and a server that is offline or not registered correctly. Some reports also mention EAC or EOS services, but those explanations are not verified consistently.

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Use the order in this guide. It starts with checks that take seconds and avoids weakening security until the ordinary network and server settings have been ruled out.

Check these facts before changing anything

• Confirm whether you are connecting to your own dedicated server or someone else’s. Router and registration changes apply only to the server owner.
• Write down the server address, port and password exactly as supplied. A stale address or password can look like a connection failure.
• Check whether the server is intended to be private. A private server may simply be offline or unavailable when you try to join.
• Find the build or version reported by the client and by the dedicated-server console or log. They must represent the same release.
• If the game displayed a Windows Firewall prompt on first launch and it was declined, plan to create the permission manually rather than waiting for the prompt to return.

1. Put the client and dedicated server on the same build

A version mismatch is the first fix because the client and server cannot complete a compatible handshake when they are on different builds. One set of guides describes this as an EAC mismatch; the snippets do not fully document the mechanism, so treat the EAC wording as an indicator of a build or installation mismatch rather than proof that EAC itself is broken.

Update and verify the game client

1. Close 7 Days to Die completely, including any game process still running in the background.
2. In your game launcher, check for a pending update and allow it to finish. Do not start the game until the download and installation have completed.
3. Use the launcher’s file-verification function if an update was interrupted or the client reports a different build from the server. Verification replaces damaged files without changing your saved worlds.
4. Start the game again and record the build shown on its title screen, main menu or connection information.

Update and verify the dedicated server

1. Stop the dedicated server cleanly before applying an update or replacing files.
2. Update the server installation through the same distribution channel and branch used for the client. A server left on an older branch can continue running normally while rejecting current clients.
3. Start the server and compare the build reported in its console or log with the client’s build.
4. If a hosted server is involved, ask the administrator to confirm the installed build and whether an update is scheduled. Do not assume that a server listed online has already been updated.

Try the connection again after both sides report the same build. If the error remains, leave EAC enabled for now and continue with the network checks.

2. Allow both applications through Windows Firewall

Windows can block the game or the dedicated server after a first-run permission prompt is declined. The permission must cover the application that initiates the connection and, on a machine hosting the server, the dedicated-server application that listens for incoming traffic.

Use the standard allowed-apps page

1. Open Windows Security.
2. Select Firewall & network protection, then Allow an app through firewall.
3. Select Change settings and locate 7 Days to Die. Add the dedicated-server application as well if this computer hosts the server.
4. Enable the network profile that you actually use, such as Private for a trusted home network. Enable Public only when you understand the exposure and need the server reachable on that profile.
5. Save the change, restart the game and try the connection again.

If an application is not listed, use Allow another app and browse to its installed executable. Select the game executable for the player computer and the dedicated-server executable for the host. Adding only the launcher does not necessarily permit the game process that opens the network connection.

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Create a rule when the allowed-apps list is not enough

For a server that still cannot receive connections, open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security and inspect both Inbound Rules and Outbound Rules. Look for a blocked rule applying to the game or server executable. Disable the blocking rule or create an allow rule for the correct executable and the required ports. Apply the rule to the network profile used by the server, then restart the server so it binds again.

Do not leave the firewall disabled as a permanent test. An explicit application or port rule preserves protection for unrelated programs.

3. Forward the game ports on the router

Firewall permission on the computer does not open the router. When players connect from outside the server’s local network, the router must forward incoming traffic to the server computer’s local address. The commonly documented baseline is one TCP port and a four-port UDP range.

Some guides publish a wider Linux firewall example that allows TCP 26900–26903 as well as UDP 26900–26903. Because the sources disagree about the TCP range, begin with TCP 26900 and UDP 26900–26903. Open the wider TCP range only when the server’s own documentation or log specifically requires it.

Set up a router forward

1. Give the server computer a consistent local address, either with a DHCP reservation in the router or a correctly configured static address. A forward aimed at a changing address will stop working after a reboot.
2. Sign in to the router’s administration interface and open the section named Port Forwarding, NAT or Virtual Server.
3. Create a rule for TCP port 26900 that forwards the external port to TCP 26900 on the server computer’s local address.
4. Create a UDP rule covering 26900 through 26903 and forward that range to the same range on the server computer.
5. Save or apply the rules, then restart the dedicated server. Some routers do not activate changed NAT rules until the service or router is restarted.

Port forwarding differs by router manufacturer, so the menu names and field order will vary. Do not forward the ports to the player’s computer when a separate machine is hosting the server. If the router has separate external and internal port fields, keep the same values on both sides unless the server administrator deliberately chose a different internal port.

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Linux host firewall example

One published example uses these UFW commands:

sudo ufw allow 26900:26903/tcp
sudo ufw allow 26900:26903/udp

This example opens a broader TCP range than the conservative baseline above. Use it only when that broader rule matches your server configuration; otherwise allow TCP 26900 and UDP 26900–26903 separately. After changing UFW, confirm that the rules are active and that the dedicated server is listening on the expected port.

Interpret a port-related result

• If players on the same local network can join but players on the internet cannot, concentrate on the router forward, the host’s local address and any upstream NAT.
• If nobody can join, check the server process, the host firewall and the build before assuming the router is at fault.
• If the server’s port was changed in configuration, the router and firewall must use that configured value rather than the default.

4. Test antivirus interference, then add an exclusion

Security software can block a newly updated game or dedicated-server executable even when Windows Firewall appears to allow it. The recommended test is temporary: disable the antivirus protection briefly, launch the game and attempt one connection, then turn protection back on immediately.

Use the result safely

• If the error is unchanged while antivirus is disabled, re-enable it and move to the next section. Antivirus is unlikely to be the blocking layer.
• If the connection works only while antivirus is disabled, do not keep protection off. Add the main 7 Days to Die folder to the antivirus exclusion list. On a host, add the dedicated-server installation folder as well.
• After adding the exclusion, re-enable antivirus, restart the game and server, and test again. Keep the exclusion as narrow as the product allows and remove it if it does not solve the problem.

Folder names and exclusion menus differ by antivirus product. Exclude the actual installation folder, not an entire drive or the whole computer.

5. Restart the complete connection path

Restarting only the game can leave a stale server process, NAT mapping or router state in place. Use this order so every layer starts with fresh sessions:

1. Exit the game and confirm that it is no longer running.
2. Stop the dedicated server and start it again. Wait until its console indicates that startup has completed.
3. Restart the router or gateway if the problem began after a network change or if port forwarding was just edited. Allow it to reconnect fully.
4. Start the dedicated server again if the router reboot stopped the host machine or service.
5. Launch the game, enter the confirmed address and password, and try once more.

When possible, test the host computer with a wired connection. A wired test does not repair a blocked port, but it removes an unstable Wi-Fi link from the list of variables.

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6. Confirm that the dedicated server is running and registered

A server can be powered on yet unavailable to the public list. Community guides identify an improper startup, failure to register with Steam, a missing Game Server Login Token (GSLT), and an intentionally private or offline server as server-side causes of this message.

Check the server process and registration

• Watch the dedicated-server console during startup for a completed initialization rather than an immediate crash or repeated restart.
• Confirm that the server is configured to register with Steam when public listing is expected. A process that never registers cannot reliably be found through the public browser.
• Verify that the required GSLT is present when the server setup calls for one. A missing token is listed as a possible registration failure; the exact token-management procedure depends on the server administrator’s setup.
• Check whether the server is deliberately private. A private server may require a direct address and password and may not appear in a public listing.
• Confirm the advertised IP address. A home connection can expose a different public address after an ISP or router change.

Inspect serverconfig.xml

Guides place serverconfig.xml in the dedicated-server installation folder, next to serveradmin.xml. The exact path can vary with the installation method. Make a backup before editing it. Core settings called out in the guidance include:

• ServerName, which identifies the server.
• ServerPort, which must agree with the router and firewall rules when it is changed from the default.
• GameWorld, which selects the world the server loads.
• ServerMaxPlayerCount, which controls the player limit.
• The password setting, which must match what players enter.

After editing the file, stop and restart the dedicated server. Editing a configuration while the process is running may have no effect until the next startup.

7. Treat EAC as a workaround, not the first fix

The configuration setting is EACEnabled, and guides describe its default as true. A Steam forum report says one player cleared the error by disabling EAC, while modding guidance says EAC must be false for DLL-based mods and should remain enabled for crossplay.

When disabling EAC is reasonable

Use this only to isolate an EAC-related compatibility problem after build, firewall, port, antivirus and server-registration checks. It can also be relevant when a server intentionally runs DLL-based modifications. Tell every player that the server is operating without EAC protection.

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How to test it

1. Stop the dedicated server.
2. Back up serverconfig.xml and locate the EACEnabled setting.
3. Change its value from true to false, preserving the file’s XML structure.
4. Save the file and start the server again.
5. Test one connection. If the error disappears, the change identifies an EAC or compatibility interaction, not a general network repair.

Restore EACEnabled to true when the test is complete, especially if crossplay is required. Disabling a protection should not be the permanent answer to a firewall, port or version problem.

Use the symptom to choose the next check

The error appears for every server

Start with the local client: confirm its build, verify the game files, review Windows Firewall permission and test antivirus interference. A local block is more likely than a router setting when unrelated servers fail in the same way.

Only your own dedicated server fails

Check the server build, server startup output, ServerPort, registration status, GSLT requirement, host firewall and router forwarding. Confirm the server is not intentionally private or offline.

Local players connect but remote players cannot

Concentrate on NAT and port forwarding. Reconfirm the host’s local address, the TCP 26900 rule, the UDP 26900–26903 rule and any second router or gateway between the host and the internet.

The problem started immediately after an update or mod change

Compare client and server builds first. Then check whether the server requires EAC disabled for its DLL-based mods. Keep EAC enabled for an unmodified, crossplay-oriented server unless a controlled test proves a different requirement.

Final recovery checklist

1. Client and dedicated server show the same build.
2. Windows Firewall allows both the game and dedicated-server applications on the appropriate network profile.
3. The router forwards TCP 26900 and UDP 26900–26903 to the correct host address.
4. Any antivirus exclusion covers only the actual game or server folder, and antivirus protection is enabled again.
5. The game, server and router have been restarted after changes.
6. The server process finishes startup, uses the intended address and password, and is registered when public listing is required.
7. serverconfig.xml contains the intended port and server settings.
8. EAC remains enabled unless disabling it is a deliberate, temporary compatibility test or a documented requirement for the server’s mods.

These checks address the documented causes without leaving the computer unprotected. If the message persists after the checklist, preserve the client and server logs, note whether local or remote players are affected, and give the server administrator the exact build, port and registration details rather than repeatedly changing unrelated settings.

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