# Find which Project Zomboid sandbox profile your server actually loads

If a Project Zomboid sandbox change disappears after a restart, first identify the profile the server loads. Editing a convincing-looking file with the wrong prefix will not affect the active instance. You need file-manager access and startup logs; this procedure does not require deleting the world or changing its identity.

## Establish the build and profile

Record the complete server build and the client build, including the selected Steam branch. Build 41 and Build 42 installations can expose different settings and behaviour. Do not paste an entire sandbox file from a guide written for another build. The old official multiplayer FAQ establishes the profile naming pattern, but its historical examples are not a current list of valid settings.

1. Open the game panel’s startup settings and find the server-profile name, if exposed. Record it exactly, including capitalisation.
2. Read the beginning of a recent startup log for the profile or configuration paths. Ask support to identify the effective profile argument if your template hides it.
3. Locate the matching profile files. The sandbox file follows the `PROFILE_SandboxVars.lua` naming pattern; use the prefix reported by your instance.
4. Download the existing sandbox file and the matching server settings file. Keep their names in your notes so a later restore uses the same profile.

## Change one supported setting

Before testing, ask players to leave, stop the instance and take a completed backup. Use the configuration generated by your installed build as the starting point. If you need the game’s settings editor to generate a reference, use a separate local test profile on the same build and compare only the relevant setting.

Edit one setting you can observe without destroying progress. Preserve Lua syntax, including commas, quotation marks and the enclosing table. Keep a copy of the exact original line. Do not change the profile name, world identifiers or mod lists as part of this test.

Start the server and check for Lua parsing errors. Reopen the file after startup to see whether a panel template or another configuration process rewrote it. If the value changed back, investigate that writer before making repeated manual edits.

## Distinguish an ignored setting from existing-world behaviour

Check the effect in the place and circumstances the option controls. A world-generation rule may affect newly created content rather than rewriting an existing map. Read that setting’s description in your installed build before using old terrain as proof that it failed.

If the file remains correct but behaviour differs, test the same setting in a separate, unmodded profile on the identical build. Keep the production save untouched. Capture the expected outcome, actual outcome, build, profile prefix and relevant log section for support.

## Undo the test

Stop the server and restore the recorded line if the change was unsuitable. Restart and confirm the previous rule. A configuration rollback preserves current world progress; restoring the full backup rewinds it. Treat those as separate decisions, particularly when players returned during testing.

## Related CloudExa help

- [Preserve a Project Zomboid server identity](https://help.cloudexa-hosting.com/books/survival-games/page/move-a-project-zomboid-save-and-preserve-its-server-identity)
- [Match Project Zomboid Workshop mods to the build](https://help.cloudexa-hosting.com/books/survival-games/page/configure-project-zomboid-workshop-mods-for-the-correct-build)
- [Back up game files before making changes](https://help.cloudexa-hosting.com/books/game-hosting/page/back-up-game-files-before-making-changes)

## Official references

- [The Indie Stone multiplayer FAQ and SandboxVars naming](https://theindiestone.com/forums/topic/6016-multiplayer-faq/)