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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteTo keep a Factorio world simulating after everyone logs off, run the headless dedicated server with an existing save and set "auto_pause": false in the version-matched server-settings.json. Start it with factorio --start-server /path/to/save.zip --server-settings /path/to/server-settings.json.
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This deliberately makes the factory continue processing with zero connected players. Production, pollution, enemy activity and other simulation state can advance while nobody is connected, so enable it only if that is the behavior your group wants.
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Why a Factorio server pauses when everyone logs off
A normal dedicated multiplayer server pauses when no players are connected. That protects a world from progressing unattended, but it also stops belts, machines, trains, pollution and enemy activity until somebody returns. Factorio’s multiplayer documentation describes this as the default empty-server behavior and notes that it can be overridden in server-settings.json.
With the pause override enabled, the server keeps simulating at zero players. A factory can therefore consume inputs, finish research, accumulate pollution, trigger attacks and change other world state while the server is unattended. This is useful for a persistent community world, but it can also exhaust resources or leave the base in a worse condition if nobody is monitoring it.
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The setting that prevents the pause
In the settings file passed to the server, change the JSON property to:
{
"auto_pause": false
}The official settings template labels auto_pause as the control for pausing when no players are present. Use the template shipped with the same Factorio release as the executable; settings files from another release may contain different fields or defaults.
Set up an unattended dedicated server
1. Install the headless server executable
Install the Factorio server package, or use the game’s headless executable on the machine that will host the world. A headless server runs without the graphical interface. The executable and its settings template should come from the same Factorio release.
2. Create or locate a save file
The dedicated-server command starts from a save archive, so create a world first if you do not already have one. Keep the resulting .zip save in a directory the server process can read. A typical path is:
/srv/factorio/saves/main-world.zipThe path is only an example; use the actual location on your host. If the file is missing, mistyped or unreadable, the server cannot start that world.
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3. Copy the release-matched settings template
Find server-settings.example.json in the server installation and copy it to a working configuration file, such as server-settings.json. Editing a copy preserves the original template and gives you a file that can be backed up with the save.
4. Disable automatic empty-server pausing
Open the copied file and set auto_pause to false. Keep the file valid JSON: property names and string values require double quotation marks, and each property except the last needs a comma. Do not add comments inside the file.
5. Configure unattended saves
The same template exposes autosave_interval and autosave_slots. Set an interval appropriate for the amount of progress your group is willing to lose and retain several rotating slots rather than a single overwrite. Confirm that the save directory is writable by the account running the server. Rotating saves give you a recovery point if the host loses power or the latest save is damaged.
6. Start the world with the dedicated-server command
Launch the process by supplying both the save and the settings file:
factorio --start-server /path/to/save.zip --server-settings /path/to/server-settings.jsonThe --start-server SAVE parameter starts a headless dedicated server with no GUI. Replace both paths with absolute or correctly resolved paths for your installation. Watch the startup output for errors opening the save, parsing JSON or binding the network port.
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7. Keep the process supervised
A terminal window is not a reliable long-term supervisor. Configure the host operating system’s service manager, a container runtime or an equivalent process supervisor to start the server, keep it running after disconnects and restart it after an unexpected exit. This is an operational choice outside Factorio’s pause setting; make sure the supervisor preserves access to the save and settings paths.
Network access for returning players
Players joining remotely need the server’s UDP port allowed through the host firewall and, when the server is behind a router, forwarded to the hosting machine. Factorio’s documented default is UDP port 34197. If you changed the port in the server configuration, open and forward the configured value instead of the default.
- Allow the configured UDP port on the server’s operating-system firewall.
- Forward that UDP port from the router to the host’s local address when the host is on a private network.
- Use the host’s reachable address and the configured port when connecting.
- After a firewall or router change, test from a network outside the host’s local LAN.
A port-forwarding problem does not indicate that the simulation is paused. The server may be running normally while outside players are unable to reach it.
Version and mod matching
Every client must use a Factorio version compatible with the server and the same mods. A mismatch can prevent a connection even when the process is running and the UDP port is reachable. Update or roll back the server and clients as one group, and keep the mod set identical before troubleshooting networking.
What changes when the server never pauses
| Server state | Simulation behavior | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| No players connected with automatic pause enabled | The game is paused until a player joins. | Production and other world activity wait for the next connection. |
No players connected with auto_pause disabled |
The dedicated server continues simulating. | Production, pollution, enemy activity and other simulation state can advance unattended. |
| Players connected | The world simulates normally under the server’s configured settings. | Clients see the current state and can interact with the running factory. |
Continuous simulation is a policy decision, not a performance guarantee. The supplied documentation establishes the behavior but does not promise a particular UPS rate, maximum player count or hardware requirement. Monitor the host if your factory is large or heavily modded.
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Choose where to host the always-on process
Home computer
Running the server on a home machine avoids moving the save elsewhere and gives you direct access to files and logs. The computer, network connection and router must remain available for the hours you want the world to progress. Power interruptions, sleep settings and changing local addresses can interrupt access, so configure the operating system accordingly.
Virtual or managed hosting
A VPS or managed game-server service is an optional operational route for people who do not want to leave a home computer running. The Factorio settings are unchanged: upload the save, use the matching executable and settings template, expose the configured UDP port, and arrange backups and process supervision. Check the provider’s current Factorio, mod and networking support before committing; no universal uptime, price or compatibility guarantee follows from Factorio itself.
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Graphical client as a host
A player can host from the normal game client, but that is different from a headless dedicated process. The client must remain open and logged in, and closing it ends the host session. For a world that must continue with no players, the dedicated headless executable is the appropriate mode.
Operational checklist before you log off
- The server was started with
--start-serverand the intended save path. - The settings file supplied with
--server-settingsis the edited copy, not the untouched example. auto_pauseis set tofalseand the JSON parses without an error.- The save directory is writable and rotating autosaves are enabled.
- The process supervisor will keep the server alive after your terminal disconnects.
- The configured UDP port is allowed by the host firewall and forwarded by the router when required.
- All players have the same game version and mod set as the server.
- Someone understands that the factory, pollution and enemies may progress while nobody is online.
Troubleshooting common failures
The world still stops when everyone leaves
Confirm that the running process received the settings file you edited. A common mistake is changing one copy while the launch command points to another. Check the exact path after --server-settings, verify that auto_pause is a Boolean false rather than the text string "false", and restart the server after saving the file.
The server exits during startup
Read the first configuration or file-system error in the server output. Validate the JSON syntax, check that the save archive exists at the supplied path, and ensure the service account can read the save and settings files. If the settings file came from a different Factorio release, replace it with the template shipped beside the current executable.
Autosaves fail or old recovery points disappear
Check write permissions and available disk space in the save directory. Verify both autosave_interval and autosave_slots in the active settings file, then allow a complete autosave cycle before assuming the configuration worked. Keep copies outside the live save directory if you need protection from disk failure.
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Verify the actual configured UDP port, the host firewall rule and the router’s forwarding destination. Make sure the forwarding points to the host’s current local address. Test from an external network, because a successful connection from the same LAN does not prove that the router’s external path is configured.
A client is rejected despite an open port
Compare the client’s Factorio version and enabled mods with the server. Bring them to the same release and mod set before investigating less likely causes. Port reachability cannot correct a version or content mismatch.
When continuous simulation is the wrong choice
Leave automatic pausing enabled if your group wants the factory frozen between sessions, if unattended attacks would be unwelcome, or if the host cannot be monitored and backed up. Continuous simulation is most useful when the community explicitly wants a persistent world and accepts that resources, pollution and threats will change without a player present.
Stopping or changing the behavior later
To return to the default empty-server behavior, stop the dedicated process safely, change auto_pause back to true in the active settings file, and start the server again with the same save. Keep the existing autosave rotation so you can restore a recent state if the unattended period produced an unwanted outcome.
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