How to Kick and Ban Players on Your DayZ Server
Use in-game admin commands to kick and ban players, manage ban.txt directly for permanent bans, and understand the difference between server bans and BattlEye bans.
Overview
DayZ gives you two tools for player moderation: in-game admin commands (fast, in the moment) and direct editing of ban.txt (for managing permanent bans outside of a live session). Here's how both work.
In-Game Kick and Ban
First, make sure you're logged in as admin. Press ~ or Insert to open the console, then:
#login YourAdminPassword
Kick a Player
#kick "PlayerName"
To include a visible reason (the player sees the message on disconnect):
#kick "PlayerName" Reason for kick
Ban a Player
#ban "PlayerName"
This immediately kicks the player and writes their Steam64 ID to ban.txt. The ban persists across server restarts.
Player names are case-sensitive. If the name has spaces, the quotes are required.
Finding a Player's Steam64 ID in the Logs
If you need a player's Steam64 ID for a manual ban or log review, check your server logs. Look in the profiles/ directory for DayZServer_x64.ADM or the console log. Search for the player's character name or connect time — Steam64 IDs appear next to player connection events:
2026-04-26 14:32:01 Player "ZombieHunter" is connected (id=76561198012345678 pos=<3421.50, 400.10, 6812.20>)
Managing ban.txt Directly
ban.txt lives in your server's profile directory alongside admins.txt and whitelist.txt. It stores one Steam64 ID per line:
76561198012345678
76561198099988877
To add a permanent ban manually — open the file, add the Steam64 ID on a new line, save. The ban takes effect on the player's next join attempt (no restart needed).
To lift a ban — delete the player's line from ban.txt and save. They'll be able to rejoin immediately.
If you ban a player via #ban while in-game, DayZ writes the entry automatically — you don't need to touch ban.txt manually unless you're doing bulk management.
Server Bans vs. BattlEye Bans
These are two completely separate systems:
| Type | Scope | Managed By |
|---|---|---|
Server ban (ban.txt) |
Your server only | You, via admin commands or file editor |
| BattlEye global ban | All BattlEye-enabled servers | BattlEye (automated, not reversible by you) |
A BattlEye-banned player will be blocked before they even reach your server ban check. You can't override a BattlEye ban, and BattlEye-banned players will see a specific BE error on kick — not your custom reason.
If a player claims they can't join but you haven't banned them, ask them to check for a BattlEye error on the kick screen.