Where to find Project Zomboid’s error log

Choose the file that matches the session

• Single-player or ordinary game client: start with %UserProfile%\Zomboid\console.txt on Windows.
• Player-hosted co-op: the official support forum points hosts to coop-console.txt in the same Zomboid user folder.
• Crash report or broader support request: look for logs.zip. An official Steam support reply says it keeps the last five launches; older archives are in the Logs folder.
• Dedicated server: use the server’s own console output or the file named by its host panel; do not substitute a client’s console.txt for the server log.

Do not search the Steam installation folder first just because that is where the game is installed. The ordinary client log is in the user-data folder.

Capture it before the next launch replaces it

1. Start the game and reproduce the error once. Note what you clicked, which save or server you used, and the exact time.
2. Exit the game if it is still open. Press Win + R, enter %UserProfile%\Zomboid, and open console.txt in a plain-text editor.
3. Save a copy of the file before launching Project Zomboid again. An Indie Stone support reply warns that console.txt is reset on each launch; do not wait until after a second test.
4. If the crash happened before you copied the current file, check logs.zip and the dated files under Zomboid\Logs. They may preserve context from recent launches, but they cannot recreate information that was never written.

Read the block around the failure

Open the text file and search for ERROR, Exception, STACK TRACE, Workshop, or the name of a mod. Start with the first block whose timestamp matches the action that failed, then keep several lines before and after it. A warning elsewhere in the file is not automatically the cause, and the final shutdown line may only describe what happened after the original failure.

For a mod problem, record the Workshop ID or mod folder named near the error, but do not conclude that every red line is a conflict. If the same failure disappears in a new disposable test world (or a copied backup) with the suspect mod set disabled, that is useful evidence; it is not proof that the last-mentioned mod is solely responsible. Keep your main save untouched.

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Share evidence without leaking private details

The official Tech Support page asks for exact issue details, computer specifications, crash reports when available, and the complete list of mods. Before posting any excerpt or archive, read it: local usernames, server addresses, IPs and account-related values can appear in diagnostic text. Redact those values while preserving timestamps, error names, file names, Workshop IDs and the surrounding stack trace. Share only a reviewed, redacted excerpt or archive; use a private support channel only when that channel explicitly provides one. Do not paste an unreviewed log into a public thread.

What the log can—and cannot—answer

A log is evidence for the next troubleshooting step, not an automatic repair tool. It may show that a mod file, Java class, Workshop download or memory condition was involved; it may also leave the exact cause unresolved. Do not delete the Zomboid folder or a save because a log contains errors. Preserve the original, make one controlled change at a time, and include the build number and whether the problem is solo, co-op or dedicated-server when asking for help.