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Valheim Admin Commands & Console: The Complete Guide

Become admin via adminlist.txt, open the console and use the real server admin commands (kick, ban, unban, banned) — plus the clear line between them and cheats/devcommands.

Last updated July 15, 2026 · RespawnHost

Becoming admin on a Valheim server

You get admin rights on a dedicated server via the file adminlist.txt — not via an in-game password like in some other games. The file takes one player ID per line, with no extra text.

Here’s how in the RespawnHost panel:

  1. Open the file manager (or connect via SFTP) and find adminlist.txt in the server directory (Valheim config folder).
  2. Enter the player’s platform ID — one per line.
  3. Save and restart the server.

Note

Which ID? On a Steam-only server it's the SteamID64 (17-digit, decimal). With crossplay enabled, use the ID the game shows: in-game via the F2 panel or in the server log (e.g. Xbox_… or a PlayFab ID). The platform ID shown in the F2 panel/log always works.

Ban list and whitelist

Alongside adminlist.txt, the same folder holds:

  • bannedlist.txt — banned players (one ID per line).
  • permittedlist.txt — whitelist. Careful: as soon as there is even one entry, everyone else is locked out — the server becomes whitelist-only.

Opening the console

To type admin commands in-game, you need the console:

  1. Add the launch option -console to Valheim’s Steam launch options.
  2. In-game, open the console with F5.
Valheim in-game console (F5) showing the command list including kick, ban, unban and banned
The console (F5) with the command line — including kick, ban, unban, banned

The real server admin commands

These commands work once your ID is in adminlist.txt — including remotely on the dedicated server. Source: official Valheim server documentation.

CommandEffect
kick [name/ip/id]Kick a player from the server
ban [name/ip/id]Ban a player
unban [name/ip/id]Lift a ban
bannedShow the list of banned players

There are also general console commands like save (save the world immediately), ping and info (performance info). At RespawnHost, saving happens automatically anyway via the backup/save interval.

Tip

Kicks and bans can also be done conveniently in the panel under Players at RespawnHost — no console needed.

Important: admin ≠ cheats

A common misconception: admin rights do not unlock cheat commands. The well-known cheats like god, fly/debugmode, spawn or tod belong to devcommands — and those work natively only in single-player or a self-hosted game, not on a dedicated server.

To use such commands on your dedicated server, you need the Server Devcommands mod (see installing mods). Without it, devcommands does nothing on the server — regardless of whether you’re admin.

Common misinformation

  • “Always use the SteamID64 in adminlist.txt” — not universally correct. With crossplay, use the platform ID from the F2 panel/log.
  • “As admin I can use spawn/god on the server” — false, unless the Server Devcommands mod is installed.
  • lodbias is a purely graphical client command, not a server tool.

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