To reset every stored character while keeping bases, tents, vehicles and other persistent world objects, stop the DayZ server cleanly, back up its persistence directory, then remove or rename storage_1/players/. Leave storage_1/data/ untouched. On the next start, DayZ creates fresh character records while retaining the saved world.
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This is a server-wide character wipe, not a reset for one named survivor. The exact persistence path depends on the server profile, mission, instance and storage configuration. Hosted console servers may expose different controls, so their panel documentation—not a generic PC file path—determines what is possible.
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What a DayZ character wipe actually resets
DayZ stores player-character persistence separately from persistent world-object data. A character wipe removes the saved records for characters on that server: position, health state, carried equipment, clothing, and inventory are regenerated when players next join. It does not, by itself, erase the map state.
When storage_1/data/ remains in place, the server can continue loading saved bases, tents, barrels, vehicles and other persistent objects. This is the distinction behind requests such as “respawn everyone but keep the map.”
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The operation affects every stored character in that persistence set. It is not a documented method for selecting one player by name, Steam identity or console account.
Decide the scope before deleting anything
DayZ has several different persistence operations. Choosing the wrong directory can remove substantially more than the intended character records.
| Operation | Directory or setting | Characters and inventories | World objects and map persistence | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Character wipe | Remove or rename storage_1/players/ |
All stored characters are reset | storage_1/data/ remains, so bases, tents, vehicles and other saved objects remain |
Fresh survivors without rebuilding the established world |
| Object wipe | Remove storage_1/data/ while leaving storage_1/players/ |
Characters and their inventories remain | Bases, tents, barrels, vehicles and saved dynamic-event state are removed | Clear the built world while retaining survivors |
| Full wipe | Remove the entire storage_1/ directory |
Fresh characters | Fresh world and newly created persistence | Start the server from zero |
| Loot re-randomization | A one-restart economy setting described in the persistence documentation | Not inherently deleted | Persistent state is not deleted by this operation | Reshuffle loot without performing a character or world wipe |
If your goal is specifically to keep bases and vehicles, use only the character-wipe row. Do not delete data/ or the parent storage_1/ directory.
Prepare the server safely
Announce downtime and clear the server
Tell players when maintenance will begin, ask them to log out, and prevent new connections. A character wipe is intentionally destructive to saved character state, so players should know that their current survivor and inventory will not return.
Stop the process gracefully
Use the server’s normal shutdown control and wait until the process has exited. Bohemia’s server-configuration guidance recommends a graceful shutdown so pending character and storage saves can finish. Terminating the process abruptly can leave persistence in an incomplete or inconsistent state.
Back up while the server is stopped
Copy the complete persistence directory to a separate location before changing it. The persistence guidance warns that copying or deleting files while the server is running can produce an incomplete backup or corruption. Keep the backup outside the live persistence path and make sure the copy contains the expected storage_1/ structure.
A backup is your recovery point if you discover that you selected the wrong instance, removed world data, or need to restore a player’s previous state. Do not delete it immediately after the first successful boot.
Self-hosted or file-persistent PC server procedure
The following procedure applies when you control the server files or a host gives you direct access to the persistence directory.
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- Schedule maintenance. Announce the character reset, disconnect players, and stop accepting new connections.
- Shut down cleanly. Use the server’s graceful stop mechanism and wait for the process to finish. Do not remove files from a running server.
- Create a complete backup. Copy the active persistence directory to a separate backup location. Preserve the original directory until the result has been confirmed.
- Find the active mission persistence path. The root is not universal: it is determined by the server profile, mission, instance and storage configuration. If the machine runs multiple instances, identify the one that serves the affected players rather than assuming the first similarly named folder is live.
- Open the active
storage_1/directory. Confirm that it contains both theplayers/anddata/directories before changing anything. Seeing both helps distinguish the live persistence set from an old backup or another instance. - Remove or rename only
storage_1/players/. Renaming it to a dated backup name is reversible and lets you inspect what was removed; deleting it is also effective, provided your separate full backup is intact. Do not alterstorage_1/data/for a character-only reset. - Start the server normally. On boot, DayZ creates fresh character records in the absence of the old players directory. World data remains available from the untouched
data/directory. - Verify with a test connection. Connect with an account that previously had a stored survivor and check that it receives a fresh spawn rather than the old position and inventory. This is an operator verification step; do not assume a wipe succeeded merely because the process started.
- Keep the backup. Leave the backup untouched until players have confirmed that characters were reset and the intended bases, tents, vehicles and other objects are still present.
If the server uses a launcher, control panel or service wrapper, its stop and start controls still need to result in a genuinely stopped process before you touch files. A panel saying “restarting” is not the same as a completed shutdown; wait for the old process to exit.
How to identify the right persistence directory
There is no single path that applies to every DayZ installation. The active location can change with the server profile, mission name, instance number and configured storage location. A machine may also contain old persistence from previous missions or test instances.
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- Use the instance’s current launch or service configuration to determine its profile, mission and storage settings.
- Match the directory to the instance’s active mission rather than to a similarly named archive.
- Confirm that
storage_1/players/andstorage_1/data/are present together before taking a backup. - If several instances share a host, stop and back up the persistence set for the correct instance only; wiping another instance will not reset the intended server and may damage an unrelated one.
If you cannot establish which directory is active, stop before deleting anything. Ask the host or administrator who maintains the launch configuration instead of guessing.
Can you wipe just one named player?
A universal, officially documented file operation for deleting exactly one named DayZ player was not established. Player records are opaque binary persistence records keyed internally by persistent identity, so opening files in a text editor or deleting a file that appears to match a name is unsafe. It can corrupt persistence or remove more than the intended survivor.
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A hosting panel or an administrator mod may provide a per-player reset, but the command, identifier format and data scope are specific to that provider or mod. Use its current documentation and confirm whether it resets position only, inventory, health state, or the complete character. Do not substitute the server-wide players/ deletion when the request is for one person.
If no documented per-player feature exists, the supported file-level choice is the all-character wipe described above, followed by a fresh spawn for every stored player.
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Bohemia Interactive’s private-console-server FAQ identifies Nitrado as the hosting partner, states that each player has a unique character on that server, and says the owner can decide whether to wipe the persistent server. The FAQ does not establish a current universal panel label or a guaranteed character-only option.
Consequently, do not publish or follow a generic click path such as “open Settings, select Character Wipe” unless the provider’s current documentation for your platform shows that control. Panel interfaces, available exports and wipe scopes can change.
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- Schedule maintenance and notify players.
- Use the provider’s stop control and wait for the server to finish shutting down.
- Use any provider-supported backup or persistence export before selecting a wipe action.
- Read the action’s stated scope. If it says “persistent server,” “world,” or “full wipe,” it is broader than a character-only reset.
- Apply only an explicitly documented character reset. If no such option exists, ask the provider whether a character-only operation is supported rather than deleting data through an unsupported route.
- Restart, allow the service to become ready, and verify with a test connection.
When a panel offers only a full persistent-server wipe, assume it will affect both characters and the world unless the provider explicitly says otherwise.
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Bohemia support describes random character wipes as a known issue and recommends waiting until a couple of minutes have passed according to the restarted server’s clock before reconnecting, to reduce the risk of losing gear after a restart. Treat that waiting period as a practical precaution after maintenance: let the server finish loading and settle before players return.
Do not let a crowd reconnect while you are still determining whether the correct instance was wiped. First verify the process is healthy, connect with a test account, and inspect the expected fresh-spawn behavior. Then reopen the server to the rest of the community.
Recovery if the wrong data was removed
You removed data/ or all of storage_1/
Stop the server immediately and prevent players from reconnecting. Restore the backed-up persistence directory in its entirety, preserving the directory name and location expected by the active instance. Start the server only after the restore is complete, then verify the world and characters before reopening access.
The backup was copied while the server was running
Do not treat that copy as reliable. A running server may still be writing character or storage records, so the backup can be incomplete or inconsistent. Stop the server cleanly, create a new offline backup, and use the known-good copy for any recovery.
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The server starts, but characters are not fresh
- Check that you changed the live instance’s persistence path, not an archive, another profile or a different mission.
- Confirm the old
players/directory is absent from the activestorage_1/after shutdown. - Make sure the server actually stopped before the deletion or rename; a second process may have recreated the directory.
- Check whether a hosting service or mod restored persistence automatically during startup.
- Verify with a player who was stored on that specific instance; a character from another server is unrelated.
The world objects are gone
That indicates that storage_1/data/ was removed, replaced or failed to load. Stop the server, restore the complete backup, and verify the active mission and storage configuration before trying again. Do not attempt to rebuild a damaged persistence directory by hand when a full backup is available.
One player still sees an old survivor
A genuine deletion of the active players/ directory resets all stored characters in that persistence set, not just some accounts. Recheck the instance, profile and server address used by that player. They may have connected to a different instance, or the host may have restored an older persistence copy.
Quick Recap
Operator checklist
- Maintenance notice sent and players disconnected.
- Server stopped gracefully and process fully exited.
- Complete persistence directory copied while offline.
- Correct active mission, profile and instance identified.
- Only
storage_1/players/removed or renamed for a character-only wipe. storage_1/data/left untouched.- Server restarted and a test connection produced a fresh spawn.
- Bases, tents, vehicles and other intended world objects checked.
- Backup retained until players confirm the result.
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