7 Days To Die Server Stuck Initializing Exclusive May 2026

Try these in order. The first few options won't delete your progress.

Never use kill -9 or Task Manager to stop the server. Use the console command: 7 days to die server stuck initializing exclusive

saveworld
shutdown

Or send Ctrl + C to the terminal.

Linux:

cd /path/to/saves/YourWorldName
find . -name "*.lock" -delete
find . -name "*.LCK" -delete

Windows: In File Explorer, search your save folder for *.lock and delete them. Also delete any __lock files (some server managers create them). Try these in order

If you made it to step 6 without success, your save file is likely corrupted beyond repair. Or send Ctrl + C to the terminal

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