Running into an error on your Project Zomboid server? Before you open a ticket, run through this guide first. It covers the three most common issues we see reported: the server refusing to start with a "No space left on device" error, crashes after adding mods, and crashes caused by running out of memory.
Fixing "No Space Left On Device"
This error can pop up even when your server plan has plenty of storage left, so upgrading your storage will not fix it. Project Zomboid saves worlds using tens of thousands of tiny individual files, and mods only increase that count. By default, the game tries to zip all of these into a backup every time the server starts, and once a save gets large enough, that backup process runs out of the temporary file handles it needs and throws this error instead.
The fix is to turn off the startup backup. Since MintServers already keeps its own automatic backups on MAX and ULTRA plans, this setting is safe to disable.
- Log into your MintServers panel and click the Stop button.
- Click on the Files tab in the left-hand sidebar.
- Navigate to the
.cachefolder, then open theServerfolder. - Open your server's
.inifile. It will be named after your server (for example,MintServers.ini). - Find the line
BackupsOnStart=trueand change it toBackupsOnStart=false.
📁 .cache
📁 Server
- Click the Save Content button at the top of the file editor.
- Head back to the Console tab and click Start.
Your server should now boot up normally. If you would still like startup backups, you can instead lower the BackupsCount value in the same file, which reduces how many old backups pile up, though disabling BackupsOnStart entirely is the more reliable fix.
Fixing Crashes After Adding Mods
If your server was running fine and started crashing right after you added or updated mods, the mods are almost always the cause. Work through these steps in order:
- Undo your most recent change first. If you just added a mod, remove it and restart. If the server boots up fine again, you have found your culprit.
- Double check that every mod you are running is built for your server's exact Project Zomboid version. A mod built for an older or newer build is one of the most common causes of a crash on startup.
- Check each mod's page for a list of required dependencies. A missing dependency mod will usually crash the server the moment it tries to load.
- If you have several mods installed and are not sure which one is at fault, remove all of them and add them back one at a time, restarting after each one, until the server crashes again.
If a specific mod keeps crashing your server after ruling out version and dependency issues, we recommend reaching out to that mod's developers directly, as they will know its code best. Checking the mod's page or Steam Workshop comments for other players reporting the same issue is also a quick way to confirm it is a known problem.
Fixing Crashes From Running Out Of Memory
The more mods you run and the more players you have connected, the more memory your server needs. If your server is crashing unexpectedly, memory usage is worth ruling out.
- Log into your MintServers panel and open the Console tab.
- Look through the recent console output around the time of the crash for an out of memory error.
If you have already trimmed down your mod list and player count and are still crashing, or you are not sure whether your server needs a higher-tier plan for a large modded setup, open a support ticket with your recent console output attached. Our team can check whether the crash is memory-related and advise on the right plan for what you are running.
🛠️ Before You Open A Ticket
- Check the Console tab for the exact error message. This is the fastest way to identify what actually went wrong.
- Ask yourself what changed right before the crash started, whether that is a new mod, an update, or a settings change, and try reverting it first.
- If it is a mod-related crash, note down which mods you have installed. Our support team will likely ask for this list.
- Copy the relevant error text from your Console tab into your ticket. It saves back-and-forth and gets you a faster answer.
Running through these steps resolves the vast majority of Project Zomboid crashes we see reported. If you have worked through this guide and your server is still acting up, no worries! Just open a support ticket with your console output and our team will gladly dig in and get your server back up and running.