DayZ Server Whitelist: Add Friends Without Locking Yourself Out

A DayZ server whitelist lets you decide which accounts may join, but one wrong ID or an empty list can keep the owner out too. This guide is for DayZ on PC through Steam; it does not make an Xbox, PlayStation, or Microsoft Store/Game Pass PC server compatible with a Steam server. Add the owner first, enable the restriction after the list is ready, then test one allowed and one unlisted account before you invite the whole group. If you use Game Hosting’s DayZ server panel, the Players page accepts SteamID64s and the Settings page has a “Whitelist only” toggle.

Decide when a DayZ server whitelist beats a password#

A whitelist is useful when access should follow individual accounts: a small private group, a scheduled event, or a community that does not want a shared password forwarded outside the group. A join password is simpler if you only need to give a few trusted friends one secret. You can use both controls if your rules call for two gates, but remember that every intended player must pass whichever checks the server has enabled.

Bohemia’s DayZ server configuration reference documents both the password field and the enableWhitelist switch. The whitelist is not the priority queue: priority.txt changes login order, while the whitelist controls who may join. It is not a ban list either. The DayZ server settings guide shows where the password and whitelist setting live; the private-server guide helps you choose the access model.

For a friends-only server, start with the whitelist if you want to remove one person without changing everyone else’s access. Use a password instead if maintaining a list would be more work than your group needs. Neither option replaces your community rules or platform compatibility: a Steam PC allow-list cannot admit a console player to a PC server.

Find the right player ID for your setup#

Do not use a display name as the allow-list key. Steam names can change, and DayZ exposes more than one identifier. Steam’s support page about SteamID explains the account’s 64-bit ID; in a Steam profile, it appears as a long numeric value. The current Game Hosting Players form asks for that 17-digit SteamID64.

DayZ’s own file format needs more care. Bohemia’s server configuration reference names whitelist.txt but does not specify the identifier format for a manually managed file. Do not assume the 17-digit SteamID64 accepted by a host panel is also the value a self-managed file expects. Before editing one, confirm the current format against official documentation for your server build and the identifiers shown in your own server logs.

The Game Hosting panel accepts a 17-digit SteamID64 in Players → Permitted and serializes that input with a derived DayZ identifier into its whitelist file. That describes the current panel implementation; the unit test checks file serialization, not a real server connection. For a manually managed server, confirm the identifier format for your build and check it against your own logs before enabling the restriction.

Tip: Ask each friend to send the URL to their Steam profile, not a screenshot of their display name. Check the account’s numeric ID before adding it, especially when two friends use similar names.

Add the owner account before you restrict access#

Start with the owner’s ID. If the list is empty or has a typo when you turn on the restriction, the person who needs to fix it can be locked out. In the panel, use the SteamID64 printed in the owner’s Steam profile; for a self-managed server, verify the file format against current official documentation before editing. Keep the control-panel login available so you can correct the list even if the game refuses the owner’s client.

1. Add the owner to the permitted list

   Open the server’s Players page, choose Permitted, enter the owner’s 17-digit SteamID64, and add it. Check that the ID appears in the list before you continue. The panel’s confirmation means it wrote the entry; it is not a successful in-game join test.

2. Add each intended player

   Repeat with the SteamID64 from each friend’s Steam profile. Compare the number carefully before saving; do not substitute a display name, BattlEye GUID, or DayZ UID in the panel’s SteamID64 field.

3. Save a recovery copy before enabling the restriction

   Keep a copy of the current config and whitelist using your host’s supported file controls. Do not delete or overwrite a file whose identity you have not checked. If you manage the server yourself, verify the active file paths first, then back up the config and list you are about to change.

This order is deliberately owner-first. If a friend is missing, finish the list before switching the restriction on. If your panel labels the list “Permitted” rather than “Whitelist,” use the page that adds and removes permitted player IDs; the separate Settings toggle enforces that list.

Enable the DayZ server whitelist in Settings#

Bohemia documents enableWhitelist as the server configuration switch and whitelist.txt as the list it uses. In Game Hosting’s panel, the matching control is Settings → Whitelist only. Change that toggle after the owner and intended players appear under Players → Permitted.

1. Turn on Whitelist only

   Open Settings, find Whitelist only, turn it on, and save. If the server is running, the current panel restarts it to apply a changed DayZ setting. Wait for the server to return to its running state before starting the access check.

2. Confirm the saved setting

   Reopen or refresh Settings and confirm the switch remains on. If it did not save, read the panel’s error and correct that issue before telling players the server is private.

For a self-managed server, Bohemia’s reference shows the setting in the server configuration file as:

enableWhitelist = 1;

It also identifies whitelist.txt as the allow-list file. The official reference does not say when a running server rereads a manually edited list, so do not assume a hot reload. The Game Hosting Settings workflow restarts a running server when a changed setting requires it; a separate Players list edit writes the file and does not report a successful client connection. Treat those as different actions.

If you change the setting on a server with players online, expect a disconnect during the restart. Use a suitable maintenance window or your normal restart schedule, and let the group know the server is restarting before you test. Do not force-stop the process or alter unrelated persistence files to make the whitelist take effect.

Test one allowed and one unlisted account#

A saved list and an enabled toggle show that the controls were configured. They do not demonstrate that the exact account can connect or that an unlisted account is refused. Before sharing the server address broadly, use a small controlled check with an account on the list and, if you have one available, a separate Steam account that is not on it.

First, have the owner join with the exact account you added. If that account can reach the server, check a second account that is not listed and confirm it receives the not-whitelisted rejection. Bohemia’s DayZ error-code reference names NOT_WHITELISTED for a player absent from whitelist.txt. A server browser message or a panel toast alone is not proof that both sides of the rule behave as intended.

Only run this check on a server and with accounts you control. Do not test by removing the owner from the live list. If you cannot use a second account, verify the owner can join and keep the whitelist disabled until you have a safe way to validate the refusal case. If you edit whitelist.txt while the server is running, make a controlled new-connection test; the official reference does not confirm exactly when those edits are read.

Fix “You are not whitelisted” without guessing#

If a listed friend sees a not-whitelisted error, work from the identity and setting outward. Bohemia’s error reference says the player is absent from the active allow-list; that narrows the investigation, but it does not tell you which file, ID, or panel change is wrong.

1. Check the setting. Confirm Settings → Whitelist only is on only if you intend to restrict the server. If you are fixing an owner lockout, turn it off from the panel, save, and let the server restart before trying again.
2. Check the account ID. Compare the SteamID64 in the panel with the intended player’s Steam profile. A display name, another household member’s account, or a BattlEye GUID is not the value this panel field requests.
3. Check that the list was saved. Refresh Players → Permitted and confirm the entry is still present. If it is missing, add it again only after confirming the ID.
4. Check which workflow you used. The host panel accepts SteamID64 and serializes its own file entry. Bohemia’s published reference does not specify the exact ID format for a manually edited file; verify that format for your server build and do not copy a panel input value blindly.
5. Retest after the server is ready. If you changed a file directly and the server still refuses the correct account, use the documented restart process for that host, then test a fresh connection. Do not change ports, delete storage, or switch maps to solve an allow-list error.

Keep the list and the setting separate while diagnosing. If you turn Whitelist only off to recover access, the list remains available to correct; turning the setting back on is a separate step. Before sharing the server again, confirm the owner is listed and can join.

Keep the list current as your group changes#

Remove a player from Players → Permitted when that account should no longer be allowed to join. If the server is running, do not promise that a file edit takes effect immediately: the official Bohemia reference does not publish the reload timing. Check the server’s current behavior with a controlled new connection and use the host’s normal restart workflow if it continues to treat the previous list as active.

For a family or a few friends, a shared password may be easier to maintain; the DayZ private-server guide compares that choice. If you keep a whitelist, note whose Steam account each entry belongs to somewhere your moderators can maintain, and review it when someone changes accounts. A list is only useful when the owner can correct a mistake and the group understands how access is granted.

Game Hosting’s DayZ service is for the Steam PC build. Its current panel provides the Whitelist only setting and a permitted-player list, so you can manage those controls without editing server files by hand. If you want to run the server through that panel, see DayZ server hosting for PC/Steam. For broader moderation, continue with DayZ admin tools; for RP applications and community rules, see starting a DayZ roleplay server.

The exact self-managed file ID and live reload timing are the two details to verify against the build you run. Add the owner before enabling the list, keep a recovery route, and validate one allowed and one unlisted connection before your group depends on the restriction.