To make every new player appear at one location on a dedicated Project Zomboid server, stop the server, open the active profile INI in Zomboid/Server/, and set SpawnPoint=x,y,z. Save the file and restart the server. For example: SpawnPoint=10600,9500,0. The documented 0,0,0 value is a sentinel that is ignored, so it does not force a location.
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What the SpawnPoint setting does
SpawnPoint is a fixed-coordinate setting for new spawn flows. When it contains valid world coordinates, a newly created character is sent to that point instead of being offered the server’s normal starting choices. The value has three comma-separated parts: X, Y and Z.
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This setting applies to a dedicated server’s saved configuration profile. It does not move characters that are already in the world, and it does not replace the server’s collection of spawn regions unless you deliberately choose a fixed point. Treat it as a starting-location rule for new characters, not as a teleport command.
Before you edit anything
Use a dedicated server profile
Dedicated-server settings are generated in the host’s Zomboid/Server/ directory. The default profile is often named servertest.ini, but the filename can differ. A server may be started with a custom profile, so the important question is not which INI looks like a default; it is which profile the running service or launch script actually loads.
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If you edit an unused template or a different profile, the server will start normally and ignore your change. Check the launch command, service definition or hosting control panel for the profile name, then open the matching INI under Zomboid/Server/.
Stop the server cleanly
Do not edit a live file while the server is writing its configuration or saving the world. Shut the server down through its normal console or control-panel stop action, wait for the process to exit, and then make the change. A clean stop reduces the chance that a later save will overwrite your edit.
Back up the profile and spawn data
Copy the active INI to a separate backup before changing it. If the server uses custom spawn-point or spawn-region files, back those up as well. Keep the original filename and a dated copy so you can restore the exact previous state if the server fails to start or the location is wrong.
Check the game branch
Current dedicated-server instructions include Build 42-era material, while one widely used settings reference is explicitly for Build 41. The profile location and comma-separated syntax are treated as stable, but generated filenames and surrounding options can differ between branches. Always inspect the profile created by the exact Project Zomboid branch running on your server and make sure clients and server use the same build.
Set one fixed spawn point step by step
1. Identify the profile the server loads
- Stop the dedicated server.
- Open the host’s
Zomboid/Server/directory. - Find the INI named by the server’s startup configuration. If the server uses the default profile, this is commonly
servertest.ini. - Confirm that the file’s modification time and other settings match the world you operate. Do not assume that an unused default INI controls an existing save.
2. Back up the live INI
Make a copy before editing. A simple filename such as servertest.ini.before-spawn-change is enough, provided it is stored outside the file the server loads. Preserve any related spawn files for custom maps or regions.
3. Choose coordinates on the world map
Open the Project Zomboid online map, locate the building, road or town where new players should begin, and record the displayed X, Y and Z values. The setting uses world coordinates, not a town name, a building label or a map URL.
Pick a tile that is actually reachable and safe enough for a starting character. Avoid placing the point inside a wall, on an inaccessible upper floor, in deep water or in an area supplied only by a mod that is not installed on every client. If your target is a building, verify the floor represented by the Z value rather than assuming that ground level is appropriate.
4. Replace the value in the INI
Open the active profile in a plain-text editor and locate the SpawnPoint line. Replace its value with the three coordinates:
SpawnPoint=10600,9500,0Keep the commas between values and follow the spacing style already used by the profile. Do not add a town name, brackets or explanatory text on the same line. If the line is currently SpawnPoint=0,0,0, replace only the numeric triplet.
5. Save and restart
Save the INI, close the editor, and start the server again. Configuration changes are read when the server starts; editing the file while the process is running does not apply the new point to an already running session. Watch the startup output for parse errors or a failure to load the profile.
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6. Test with a genuinely new spawn
Join with a newly created character or use a new-spawn flow that has not already saved a position. Confirm that the character appears at the selected coordinates. An existing character normally keeps its saved location, so testing with an established survivor can make a correct setting appear ineffective.
Why SpawnPoint=0,0,0 appears to do nothing
0,0,0 is the documented default or sentinel value. It is ignored rather than interpreted as a literal location, so the server falls back to its normal spawn behavior. Leaving that value in the active profile will not force everyone to the origin.
If players still receive ordinary town choices after your edit, reopen the loaded profile and check the value character by character. Confirm that it is not still 0,0,0, that the line is not duplicated elsewhere in a way your profile format rejects, and that the server was restarted after saving.
Fixed coordinate versus spawn regions
A single coordinate and a set of spawn regions solve different problems. Use the fixed value when the design goal is “everyone starts here.” Use spawn-point or spawn-region data when players should choose among towns or when a custom map supplies several intended starting areas.
| Decision point | Fixed SpawnPoint |
Spawn points or regions |
|---|---|---|
| Where new players start | Every new spawn is directed to one X, Y, Z coordinate. | Players can receive or select from multiple defined areas, depending on the server’s region setup. |
| What you edit | One value in the active profile INI. | Spawn-point and/or spawn-region files associated with the profile and map. |
| Best use | A shared base, event hub or deliberately synchronized opening. | Several towns, role-play starts, large maps or modded worlds with distinct entry areas. |
| Reverting the change | Restore the prior triplet or return to the ignored default value. | Restore the previous spawn files and profile references. |
| Custom-map compatibility | Works only if the coordinate exists in the map and the required map/mod set is installed. | Requires the matching region and point files for the same map and mod set. |
Using spawn-point and spawn-region tools
If a fixed location is too restrictive, the pz-server-tools documentation exposes commands named pzserver spawnpoints for changing spawn points and pzserver spawnregions for changing regions. These tools are appropriate when you need a set of locations rather than one INI coordinate.
Use the commands against the same server profile and world that the game server loads. After changing generated files, stop and restart the server before testing. A region file from a different map, profile or mod collection can leave players with missing locations or cause the server to fall back to its standard choices.
Existing characters and the limits of this setting
Existing survivors stay where they were saved
The fixed spawn value is intended for new characters and new-spawn flows. It does not normally relocate active survivors. A player who reconnects with an established character should return to that character’s saved position, not the configured spawn point.
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The configuration material for this setting does not document a teleport command for already active characters. If you need to gather an established group at one place, handle that as a separate administrative or gameplay operation rather than expecting SpawnPoint to move them.
Troubleshoot an ignored or broken spawn point
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| New players still receive normal town choices. | The value is still the ignored sentinel, or the wrong INI was edited. | Verify the active profile path and filename, confirm the value is not 0,0,0, then restart. |
| Nothing changes after saving. | The server process was not restarted, or it rewrote the file on shutdown. | Stop cleanly, save while the process is off, start again, and inspect the file after startup. |
| The server fails to start after the edit. | Malformed syntax or invalid coordinate text. | Restore the backup, then re-enter three numeric values separated by commas with no extra annotation. |
| The point works on one setup but not another. | Different profile, game branch, map or mod collection. | Compare the loaded profile and exact server/client build; verify that the coordinate belongs to the active map. |
| A custom-map location is unavailable. | Spawn files or map mods are missing from the active profile. | Install the matching spawn files and regions for the same map/mod set, then restart. |
| A test with an old character appears unchanged. | The character already has a saved position. | Create a new character or use a new-spawn flow to test the setting. |
Restore safely after a bad edit
- Stop the server and keep the error output or console message for reference.
- Replace the edited INI with the backup copy.
- If you changed spawn-point or region files, restore those backups too.
- Confirm the server and client builds match exactly.
- Start the server and verify that the original world loads before attempting a smaller change.
Coordinate and map checks for reliable starts
- Use all three values. The server expects X, Y and Z in that order; omitting a value or changing the separator can invalidate the setting.
- Check the floor. A coordinate can be valid but place a survivor on the wrong level if the Z value does not match the intended floor.
- Check the map set. Coordinates selected on the standard map are not automatically valid on a custom map, and a modded location is unavailable when the required mod is absent.
- Check accessibility. A mathematically valid tile can still be inside an obstacle or otherwise unsuitable for a first spawn.
- Test with a new character. This distinguishes a configuration problem from the normal persistence of an existing survivor’s position.
Operational checklist
- Identify the profile named by the server startup configuration.
- Stop the server cleanly.
- Back up the active INI and any related spawn files.
- Choose X, Y and Z from the Project Zomboid map.
- Set
SpawnPoint=x,y,zwith comma-separated numeric values. - Save the file without adding spaces or comments that the profile format does not use.
- Restart the server.
- Test with a new character.
- If the result is wrong, restore the backup before changing several settings at once.
Practical choices for common server designs
Everyone should meet at one base
Use one fixed coordinate in the active profile. Select a reachable tile near, rather than inside, the base and test it with a new character before inviting the group.
Players should pick a town
Do not use one fixed coordinate. Configure spawn-point or spawn-region files so the server can present multiple intended areas, and keep those files synchronized with the map and mods used by the world.
You are running a modded map
First confirm that every required map and spawn file is installed for the server profile. Then select coordinates from that map and test a new character. If the location is missing, verify the profile’s mod and region setup before changing the coordinate again.
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Restore the backed-up INI, or return the active setting to SpawnPoint=0,0,0 so the sentinel is ignored. Restart the server and test a new spawn to confirm that normal spawn behavior has returned.
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