Enshrouded Server Settings Not Changing: Fix

If your Enshrouded dedicated server settings aren’t applying when you change them, the fix is almost always one of two things: you’re editing the wrong file, or you’re not restarting the server process correctly. This guide walks you through the exact steps to make changes stick, explains why the game behaves this way, and covers the most common mistakes players make.

Why Your Settings Seem to Ignore You

Enshrouded dedicated servers read their configuration from a single JSON file, typically named enshrouded_server.json, located in the server’s root folder. When you launch the server, it loads this file into memory and uses those values for the entire session. If you edit the file while the server is running, the running instance keeps using the old values—it does not hot-reload. This is the single most common reason players think their settings are “not changing.” The server must be fully stopped, the file saved, and the server started again for any change to take effect.

The Correct Way to Change Server Settings

Here is the exact sequence that works for the vast majority of dedicated server setups (Windows and Linux alike):

1. Stop the server completely. If you’re using a control panel (like a game host’s web panel), use its Stop button. If you’re running the server from a terminal, press Ctrl+C and wait for the process to fully exit. Do not just close the window—make sure the process is gone (check Task Manager on Windows or ps aux | grep enshrouded on Linux).
2. Open enshrouded_server.json in a plain text editor. Notepad on Windows is fine, but avoid Word or other rich-text editors that might save in a different format. On Linux, nano or vim work well.
3. Make your changes and save the file. Double-check that the file still has a .json extension—some editors (especially on Windows) may silently append .txt if you’re not careful. If the file is named enshrouded_server.json.txt, the server will ignore it entirely.
4. Start the server again. Wait for it to finish loading (you’ll see the “Server started” message in the log), then join the game and verify the change took effect.

If you followed these steps and the setting still isn’t applied, continue to the next section.

Common Mistakes That Break Settings Changes

Beyond the restart issue, these are the frequent culprits:

• Editing the wrong file. If you run multiple servers or have an old backup, make sure you’re editing the file in the folder the server actually launches from. On Windows, this is usually where the enshrouded_server.exe lives. On Linux, it’s the directory you cd into before running the binary.
• Syntax errors in the JSON. A missing comma, an extra bracket, or a trailing comma will cause the server to fail parsing the file. When this happens, the server may fall back to default values silently, or it may crash on startup. Use a JSON validator (many free ones exist online) before launching. A common error is leaving a comma after the last item in a list—JSON does not allow that.
• Using the wrong value type. Some settings expect numbers, others expect strings. For example, "slotCount": 16 is a number, while "name": "My Server" is a string. If you put quotes around a number or omit them around a string, the server may reject the entire file.
• Permissions on Linux. If the user running the server doesn’t have write access to the JSON file, the server might not be able to read it, or your edits might be saved to a temp location. Run chown or chmod to ensure the file is readable by the server’s user.

What to Do If the First Fix Fails

If you’ve restarted and verified the file, but a specific setting still won’t change, try these in order:

1. Delete the JSON file and let the server regenerate it. Stop the server, rename enshrouded_server.json to something like enshrouded_server_backup.json, then start the server. It will create a fresh file with default values. Stop the server again, edit that new file with your desired settings, and start it once more. This clears any hidden corruption.
2. Check for multiple config files. Some hosts or launchers create a copy in a different directory (for example, in AppData on Windows). Search your entire server folder for *.json and see if there’s more than one. If there is, the server might be reading the other one.
3. Verify the server is actually reading the file. On Linux, you can run strace -f -e openat ./enshrouded_server 2>&1 | grep json to see which file it opens. On Windows, Process Monitor (from Sysinternals) can show the same. This is advanced, but it definitively tells you which file the server uses.
4. Check the server log for parse errors. The log file (often enshrouded_server.log) will show a message like “Failed to parse config” if the JSON is invalid. If you see that, fix the syntax error and restart.

Dedicated Server vs. In-Game Hosting

It’s important to distinguish between running a dedicated server and hosting a game from within the Enshrouded client. When you host from the main menu, the game uses a different settings screen (the one you see before launching). Those settings are stored in your local save, not in the JSON file. If you’re trying to change settings for a game you host from the client, you must change them in that pre-launch screen, not in enshrouded_server.json. The dedicated server file only applies to the standalone server executable, which is a separate download from the game itself.

How to Verify a Setting Actually Changed

Some settings are easy to verify in-game (like the server name, which appears in the server browser). Others, like playerCount or difficulty, require a bit more effort:

• Server name: Refresh the server list in the game’s join menu. The new name should appear.
• Max players: Have friends try to join until you hit the limit. If the old limit is still enforced, the change didn’t apply.
• Password: Try joining without the password—if it lets you in, the password setting didn’t take effect.
• Difficulty: This is trickier because it’s not shown directly. You may need to check the server log at startup; it often prints the loaded difficulty. Alternatively, kill a mob and compare its health to what you’d expect at the new difficulty.

If you can’t verify a setting, the safest assumption is that it didn’t apply, so re-check the file and restart again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my server reset to default settings every time I restart it?

This usually means the server can’t write to the JSON file, so it falls back to defaults and overwrites your changes. On Windows, check that the file isn’t marked read-only. On Linux, ensure the server user has write permission to the directory. Also, if you’re using a game host’s web panel, some panels overwrite the file with their own template—check if there’s a “custom config” toggle in the panel.

Can I change settings while the server is running?

No. Enshrouded’s dedicated server does not support hot-reloading. You must stop the server, edit the file, and start it again. Any changes made while the server is running will be overwritten when the server shuts down, because it saves its in-memory state back to the file.

I edited the file but the server won’t start now. What did I break?

You almost certainly introduced a JSON syntax error. Open the file in a JSON validator (many free ones exist) and look for missing commas, extra brackets, or unquoted keys. The server log will also show a parsing error. If you can’t find the mistake, delete the file and let the server regenerate it, then re-apply your changes one at a time.

Is there a difference between the settings in the game menu and the JSON file?

Yes. The game menu settings are for when you host a session from the client. The JSON file is exclusively for the dedicated server executable. They are separate systems and do not sync. If you’re running a dedicated server, ignore the in-game menu and edit the JSON.

Do I need to edit the file as administrator on Windows?

If the server is installed in Program Files or another protected folder, you may need to run your text editor as administrator to save changes. However, it’s better to install the server in a user-writable folder (like C:\EnshroudedServer) to avoid permission issues entirely.

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