Setup · 7 min read

How to install mods on a 7 Days to Die server, and when to turn EAC off

Where modlets go on a 7 Days to Die server, the ModInfo.xml rules that stop a mod loading, which mods players need too, and when EAC has to be off.

Last checked 13 November 2026

Short answer

A 7 Days to Die mod is a folder with a ModInfo.xml file directly inside it. Stop the server, put that folder in the server's Mods folder, and start the server again. Mods made only of XML files run with EasyAntiCheat on. Most mods that bring their own code (.dll files) need it off, on the server and in every player's game. Mods that add models, textures or sounds have to be installed by every player as well.

The packing rules below come from the community wikis, last checked against their V3.3 pages; the folder order and the log lines are from our own V3.4 server. The anti-cheat setting and its default are from the game's own serverconfig.xml.

Which kind of mod you have

The kind decides who has to install it and whether anti-cheat can stay on. Each mod's own page says which it is.

Kinds of 7 Days to Die mod, who installs them and whether EasyAntiCheat can stay on
Kind	What's in the folder	Who installs it	Anti-cheat
XML modlet	What's in the folderModInfo.xml and a Config folder of XML files	Who installs itThe server	Anti-cheatCan stay on
Mod with new models, textures or sounds	What's in the folderThe same, plus asset files	Who installs itThe server and every player	Anti-cheatFollow the mod's page
Mod with its own code	What's in the folderThe same, plus one or more .dll files	Who installs itThe server, and every player unless the mod's page says it is server-only	Anti-cheatOff at both ends, unless the mod's page says otherwise
Overhaul	What's in the folderMany mods shipped as one pack, often with a server pack and a player pack	Who installs itThe server and every player, with matching files	Anti-cheatOff at both ends

An overhaul changes enough that it wants a new world and the exact game version it was built for. Check both on its page before you install it.

Where mods go

The server reads a folder called Mods, and each mod is one folder directly inside it:

Mods/
  BiggerBackpack/
    ModInfo.xml
    Config/
      ...

The server reads two Mods folders: the one in its user data first (%APPDATA%\7DaysToDie\Mods on Windows, ~/.local/share/7DaysToDie/Mods on Linux), then the one in the game's install folder. When the same mod is in both, the copy in user data loads, and the log says Mod with same name (…) already loaded, ignoring for the other. We checked that order on a V3.4 Linux server. Pick one folder and keep every mod there.

The rules that stop a mod loading are all about that one file:

One folder deep. Only folders directly under Mods are read. A download that unpacks to Mods/BiggerBackpack/BiggerBackpack/ModInfo.xml is never seen: move the inner folder up a level.
The exact name. The file is ModInfo.xml, with those capitals. Windows doesn't mind Modinfo.xml; a Linux server skips it.
The current format. The file lists Name, DisplayName, Version and the rest directly under <xml>. The older layout from Alpha 19 and 20, with a <ModInfo> element inside, is refused.
A plain Name. Letters, digits, underscores and hyphens only, and DisplayName must have something in it. The folder itself can be called anything.
One mod per folder. A pack that holds several mods has to be unpacked so each one sits in Mods on its own.

Install a mod, step by step

Stop the server. It reads its mods when it starts.
Unpack the download on your PC and find the folder that has ModInfo.xml directly inside it.
Copy that folder into the server's Mods folder. Make the Mods folder if there isn't one.
If the mod brings its own code, turn anti-cheat off (next section).
Start the server and read the log while it loads.
Send players the files they need, if the mod's page says they need any.

When EasyAntiCheat has to be off

A server runs EasyAntiCheat unless you turn it off: EACEnabled is true in the stock serverconfig.xml. A server loads XML modlets with it on (ours did, on V3.4), and the community wikis say players then join the normal way. Most mods with .dll files need it off, because anti-cheat blocks code it doesn't recognise. Set EACEnabled to false and restart.

Players then have to match. With anti-cheat off at the server, each player starts the game without EasyAntiCheat, which Steam offers as a second way to launch it. With it on, they start the game the normal way. A player who starts it the other way is refused when they connect; can't connect to your 7 Days to Die server has the rest of the join checks.

When a mod doesn't load

The server's log says what it did with each folder as it starts. These lines are from a V3.4 server:

Folder <name> does not contain a ModInfo.xml, ignoring: the folder is one level too deep, or there is no file named exactly ModInfo.xml in it.
<name>/ModInfo.xml does not define a valid non-empty Name (^[0-9a-zA-Z_\-]+$), ignoring: Name is empty or holds a character other than a letter, digit, underscore or hyphen, such as a space, an apostrophe or a dot.
Mod with same name (<name>) already loaded, ignoring: two folders hold a mod with the same Name, and the first one the server read is the one that loads.

The community wiki also lists XML patch for … did not apply: the mod loaded, but one of its changes matched nothing and was skipped, usually because it was written for another game version.

If the log doesn't mention the mod at all, it's in a folder the server isn't reading. If the server loads it and players are refused, check anti-cheat matches and that they have the same files.

After a game update

Mods are written for one game version, and an update can break them until their authors catch up. Overhauls are the strictest: they name the version they need. A server that updates itself will move past that version, so keep a modded server on the branch its mods were built for, and have players pick the same one in Steam's Betas tab.

On our servers

This section is about our 7 Days to Die servers only.

Upload the zip. Open the server's Mods tab and upload the mod as it came, as a .zip. The panel unpacks it, finds every folder with a ModInfo.xml directly inside, and puts each one in the server's Mods folder. A zip with the mod nested too deep, or with no ModInfo.xml in it, is turned back with the reason in plain words, and the Mods folder stays as it was. If a mod with the same name is already installed, the panel says so and offers Replace, which puts the mod from the zip in place of the old one.
Which folder. The panel installs into the Mods folder in the server's main folder and lists what is there. Keep every mod in that one.
Switch a mod off and on. Each installed mod has a switch. Off moves it out of the Mods folder and keeps it on the server, so you can test without one mod and switch it straight back on.
Anti-cheat. The switch is Anti-cheat, in Game → All settings → Server settings under Technical. When you upload a mod with its own code while anti-cheat is on, the panel tells you so.
Restart. Installing a mod leaves the server running. Press Restart when you're ready, and the mods load at that start.
The game version. Each server checks for a game update every time it starts. To keep a modded server on one version, open Settings → Game version, type the branch name, such as v3.3.0, and press Change version.

Mod rules checked against the community wikis' V3.3 pages; the folder order, the log lines and the upload, switch and restart steps under On our servers were run on one of our V3.4.0 servers, on 13 November 2026.