¶ How to Use the Project Zomboid Chunk Cleaner Tool
Over time, your Project Zomboid server’s map can become cluttered, over-looted, or otherwise need a reset. Instead of wiping the entire server, you can selectively reset parts of the map while preserving player progress and safehouses. This guide will walk you through the process of resetting map chunks using the Zomboid Chunk Cleaner tool.
This is an Advanced Guide. Use at your own risk.
¶ Step 1: Stopping the Server and Backing Up Files
1. Stop the Server
*Note: Ensure your Project Zomboid server is completely stopped before making any changes to prevent data corruption.
2. Open the File Manager
3. Navigate to /server-data/Saves/Multiplayer/ and download the pzserver folder
4. You can use the ‘Pack’ feature to zip the file inside the File Manager. Keep this window active until it completes to avoid interruptions.
You can also just download the folder as is, but keep in mind this is a large folder and may take awhile. Filezilla is also a quick option.
¶ Step 2: Using the Zomboid Chunk Cleaner
1. Extract your save folder if it is compressed into a .tar.gz or .zip file.
2. Go to: Zomboid Chunk Cleaner
3. Click Load Map Data and select your pzserver folder.
¶ Step 3: Selecting Areas to Reset
1. Adjust the Safehouse Protection Zone
Use the Safehouse Padding setting to add a buffer around safehouses. This ensures that safehouse interiors and nearby areas remain intact. You can see all the Safehouse’s on the map marked by the owners name, and the padding is a green glow around them. If you change the number around ‘Safehouse Padding’ in real time you can see the size change to determine the space you want.
2. Manually Select Areas to Reset
Click and drag to highlight areas in red (these will be deleted). Hold Ctrl while selecting to invert the selection.
3. Resetting the Entire Map (Optional)
If you want to wipe the entire map except for safehouses, increase Safehouse Padding and select all red areas. If you want a complete map reset, select everything without adjusting safehouse padding.
4. Confirm Deletion
Click Delete X Chunks to remove the selected areas. The tool will clean out the chosen chunks, resetting them to their original state.
¶ Step 4: Uploading the Cleaned Save Back to Your Server
1. After cleaning, compress the pzserver folder into a .zip file.
2. Replace the old save folder in /server-data/Saves/Multiplayer/ with the cleaned version. We recommend renaming your old folder pzserverbackup or any other name just in case there is an issues or problems you can either redownload it or change the name back to pzserver and your server load the same as before.
3. Restart the server and confirm your edits have take effect..
¶ Important Notes
- If You’re Adding a New Map (Non-Fresh Wipe)
- The newly added area must be unexplored (i.e., should not appear as a visited chunk on the map).
- Any explored area (blocked in the tool) will not load new map tiles properly.
- Player Data Is Not Affected
- This process does not delete player characters, inventories, or safehouse ownership unless you delete those areas.
- Use Safehouse Protection Wisely
- If you want a fresh start but keep only player bases, expand the safehouse padding to ensure their survival.
¶ How Zomboid Treats Areas That Are Deleted Using Chunk Cleaner
- Any containers within deleted chunks (houses, shelves, lockers, etc.) are reset and refilled based on your Loot Rarity settings (Abundant, Normal, Rare, None).
- If loot rarity is set to Rare, expect significantly fewer items in buildings compared to a fresh map.
- Containers do not instantly repopulate - Zomboid treats these areas as newly generated and fills them as players enter.
- All vehicles in the deleted chunks are wiped and will respawn based on the Vehicle Spawn Rate in your server settings.
- If vehicle spawn is set to Rare, only a small number of cars will respawn in the world, meaning previously vehicle-heavy areas might now be empty.
- Vehicles also obey vehicle zone spawn rules (e.g., police cars at stations, wrecks at intersections).
- Any foraged items, trees, bushes, and crops in the deleted chunks reset to their default, unaltered state.
- If Foraging Rarity is set to Low, expect fewer foraged items compared to a fresh map.
- If the safehouse protection feature is enabled, areas inside the protected radius will not be deleted, preserving player structures.
- If a player’s base was in a deleted area without protection enabled, it is completely wiped and will not regenerate.
By following this guide, you can refresh parts of your Project Zomboid server without forcing a full wipe. This ensures a better gameplay experience while maintaining player-built structures and communities.