How To Install Workshop Mods On Your Left 4 Dead 2 Server

The Steam Workshop is packed with amazing custom campaigns, weapon tweaks, and new infected models for Left 4 Dead 2. Because Left 4 Dead 2 dedicated servers do not automatically sync with a Workshop collection like some newer games do, installing these mods requires you to download the files to your personal computer first and then manually transfer them to your MintServers host.

Step 1: Download the Mod on Your PC

Before putting the mod on your server, you need to force Steam to download the actual mod file to your computer.

1. Open Steam on your PC and navigate to the Left 4 Dead 2 Workshop.
2. Find the mod or custom campaign you want to use and click the Subscribe button.
3. Launch Left 4 Dead 2 on your computer and wait at the main menu. A loading bar will appear at the bottom of the screen as the game processes and installs the add-on.
4. Once the add-on is fully loaded and no longer showing a progress bar, you can close the game.

Step 2: Locate the File

Now that the mod is downloaded, you need to grab the raw file so you can upload it.

1. In your Steam library, right-click on Left 4 Dead 2, hover over Manage, and click Browse local files.
2. A file explorer window will open. Open the left4dead2 folder, and then open the addons folder.
3. Look inside the workshop subfolder. You will see files ending in .vpk with numbers for names. These numbers correspond to the Workshop ID of the mod you downloaded. You can check the URL of the mod's Workshop page to match the exact ID number.
4. Copy this .vpk file to your desktop or somewhere easy to find.

Step 3: Upload to Your Server

With the file in hand, it is time to move it over to your host.

1. Log into your MintServers panel and make sure your server is Stopped.
2. Navigate to the Files tab on the left-hand sidebar.
3. Click into your left4dead2 folder, and then click into your addons folder.
📁 left4dead2
📁 addons
📄 123456789.vpk (Upload your mod file here)
4. Drag and drop the .vpk file from your computer directly into the panel's file manager to upload it. If you are uploading a massive custom campaign that is larger than 100MB, we highly recommend using an SFTP client like FileZilla instead. You can find instructions on how to connect in our SFTP Connection Guide.

Step 4: Restart and Play

The files are in place! Now we just need to let the server load them up.

1. Return to the Console tab and click Start.
2. As the server boots up, it will read the contents of the addons folder and automatically load your new Workshop mods.