Valheim admin commandsAdmin list, console and the commands that matter

Published on September 2, 2026 · last updated on October 21, 2026

Adding yourself as an admin

The server holds three simple lists as text files: one for admins, one for permitted players and one for banned ones. Each line contains a player ID.

For admin rights, you add your own ID to the admin list - via WebFTP in the browser or via SFTP. After a restart of the server, the rights apply. You can find your ID in the game by connecting and opening the console; alternatively, it is in the server logs.

How the other two lists work is explained in Password and whitelist.

Opening the console

Valheim hides the console by default - it has to be activated via a launch option of the game. After that, it opens with a key and you can enter commands.

An important distinction: there are commands that only take effect locally for you, and those that change something on the server. Only the latter require the entry in the admin list.

Commands for moderation

Everyday play needs only a few commands - these are enough for almost every situation:

• Show the player list - who is online, with which ID.
• Kick - remove someone from the server, for example when a client hangs.
• Ban and unban - permanent block, works via the ban list.
• Force a save - a good habit before every intervention.
• Ping and connection info - helpful when someone complains about stutter.

In a group of friends, you will never need most of these. But as soon as the server can be reached publicly, kick and ban are the tools you should know.

The powerful commands

With cheat mode activated, further commands are open to admins: flying, being invulnerable, creating items, spawning creatures, changing the time of day or setting the weather.

These commands have their place - above all for cleaning up. A player stuck in the terrain, a lost grave at an unreachable depth, a building in the wrong place: such cases are solved in two minutes instead of two hours.

The price is well known: a Valheim server on which the owner spawns equipment for themselves quickly loses its appeal. The clean line is therefore: admin commands for moderation and repairs, not for your own progress. If you want to progress faster, use the world modifiers - at least they apply to everyone.

Rights within the team

The admin list has no levels: whoever is in it may do everything. For small groups, that is not a problem; on a public server, you should be sparing with it.

For tasks that do not need in-game rights - restarts, uploading files, adjusting the configuration - there is a better way: subusers in our web interface. That way, someone can look after the server without being able to create items in the game. How it works is explained in Create subusers.

When commands do not work

• The console does not open. It has to be activated via the game's launch option.
• The command is rejected. The ID is not in the admin list, or the server was not restarted after the entry.
• Cheat commands are missing. They are only available after activating cheat mode.
• Wrong ID entered. Copy instead of typing - one digit is enough for it to fail.

If you cannot get onto the server in the first place, it is not about rights - then Fix connection problems helps.

Frequently asked questions