Set Up Scheduled Restarts on Your Valheim Server
Configure automatic Valheim server restarts using the panel Schedules feature to keep performance smooth.
Regular restarts clear memory leaks and cached data, keeping your Valheim server at peak performance. Use the panel Schedules feature to automate this — no external tools or RCON required.
Why Restart Regularly
Valheim servers gradually accumulate memory usage from:
- Players connecting and disconnecting
- World exploration loading new chunks
- Mods running background processes
- Long uptime without restarts
A daily restart fixes most performance issues and prevents the server from becoming sluggish.
Set Up an Automatic Restart
Open Schedules
In the XGamingServer Panel, click Schedules in the sidebar.
Create a new schedule
Click New Schedule. Give it a name (e.g., "Daily Restart") and set the cron timing — for example, every day at 4:00 AM.
Add a Restart task
Inside the schedule, add a task with Action: Restart Server.
Save and activate
Save the schedule and ensure it's set to Active. The server will restart automatically at the scheduled time.
Tip: Schedule restarts during off-peak hours (usually early morning) to affect the fewest players. Check your server's player activity in Activity to find the quietest time.
Recommended Restart Frequency
| Server Type | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Small (1–5 players) | Once daily |
| Medium (5–10 players) | Once or twice daily |
| Large (10+ players) | Every 8–12 hours |
| Heavily modded | Every 6–8 hours |
Multiple Schedules
You can create multiple restart schedules. For a busy server:
- 4:00 AM — Early morning restart
- 4:00 PM — Afternoon restart between activity peaks
Save Before Restart
Valheim auto-saves before a graceful shutdown. To be extra safe, create a second scheduled task that sends a save command 5 minutes before the restart:
| Time | Action |
|---|---|
| 3:55 AM | Send Power → Custom Command → save |
| 4:00 AM | Send Power → Restart |
This guarantees the world saves immediately before the restart.
No Built-In Warnings
Valheim doesn't have a native restart warning system. Players will be disconnected when the restart happens and can reconnect once the server is back up (usually 30–60 seconds).
For warnings, use a mod like WebhookMessages or Server Sided Messages that can broadcast a message to all players ahead of the restart. Install via the panel Mods page.
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