Grant admin on a Valheim dedicated server
Admins on a Valheim server are the players listed in adminlist.txt, one platform ID per line. Being on the list lets you kick, ban, save and change world modifiers from the in-game console; it does not unlock cheats on a dedicated server. This page shows how to find the right ID, where to put it, and what admin rights actually do, checked against the Valheim 1.0.17 server code on 14 October 2026.
Step 1: find the player's ID
- In game: press F2 for the network panel. Its player list shows each connected player's ID:
V_and the SteamID64 for a Steam player,X_,S_orN_and a number for Xbox, PS5 and Switch 2. - Steam players can also be listed by SteamID64, the 17-digit number from their Steam profile, either bare or as
Steam_followed by the number. - Console players can only be listed by the ID the F2 panel shows for them, so have them join once and read it there.
Iron Gate's server manual and its guide to dedicated servers call these Platform User IDs, written [Platform]_[User ID], and note that they are case sensitive.
Step 2: add the ID
- On a Supercraft server: open the configuration tab, add the ID to the Admin List in the access settings, save, and restart. The server writes that list into
adminlist.txtevery time it starts and keeps any ID you added to the file yourself, so both ways last. Remove an admin where you added them: the panel puts its own entries back at every start. - On your own server: edit
adminlist.txtin the save folder (~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/by default, or your-savedir). The server rereads it within about 10 seconds, so no restart is needed.
Step 3: test it
Join, open the console with F5 (the game needs the -console launch option in Steam), and type banned. An admin gets the ban list; anyone else gets "You are not admin".
What admin rights do on a dedicated server
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
kick [name/ID] | Disconnects a player, found by platform ID first and then by name |
ban [name/ID] | Adds the player to bannedlist.txt; for a connected player given by name, the server stores their ID instead |
unban [ID] | Removes that exact entry from the ban list |
banned | Lists the banned entries |
save | Saves the world now, and asks every connected player to save their character |
setworldmodifier, setworldpreset, resetworldkeys | Change the world's modifiers without a restart |
The server checks every one of these against adminlist.txt before it acts. The world modifier commands are logged as "Remote admin '<ID>' executed command ...", and a kick as "Kicking" and the player's name. Command names are not case-sensitive. Cheat commands such as spawn, god, fly or raiseskill only run where the game itself is the server, so on a dedicated server even an admin gets "is not valid in the current context"; the full split is on the console commands page.
Troubleshooting
- "You are not admin": the listed ID does not match the player's. Compare it with the F2 panel; console players need their own
X_,S_orN_ID. - A removed admin came back after a restart on Supercraft: the ID is also in the panel's Admin List, which the server writes into the file at every start. Remove it there.
- The console will not open: add
-consoleto Valheim's launch options in Steam. - A ban did not hold: the banned ID does not match how the player connects; compare it with the F2 panel. On Supercraft, bans typed in game and the panel's Banned List both last across restarts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to restart the server after editing adminlist.txt?
Not for the file itself: the server rereads it within about 10 seconds of a change, and on a Supercraft server an ID you add to the file stays there across restarts. A change to the panel's Admin List does need a restart, because the server writes that list into the file when it starts.
Why does the console say You are not admin?
The ID in adminlist.txt does not match how you connected. A Steam player can be listed as Steam_ plus the SteamID64, the bare SteamID64, or the V_ form the F2 panel shows; an Xbox, PS5 or Switch 2 player only matches their own ID from the F2 panel.
Can admins spawn items or use god mode on a dedicated server?
Not in vanilla. Cheat commands only run where the game itself is the server, so on a dedicated server an admin gets an is not valid in the current context reply. Admin cheats there need a mod such as Server devcommands.
Are Valheim console commands case-sensitive?
No. The game lowercases the command name before it looks it up.
Do admins need to be online to use admin commands?
Yes. Admin commands are typed in the in-game console and sent to the server, so the admin has to be connected.
Is there a log of admin commands?
Partly. When an admin changes world modifiers from the console, the server log records Remote admin, the admin's ID and the command; a kick is logged as Kicking and the player's name.
Related guides
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