If you can join your Valheim server but cannot administer it, check the active permission file and the player ID before installing a mod or enabling cheats. A server password admits players; it does not make them administrators. Likewise, administrator status is not a replacement for the permitted-player policy.
This guide covers the standard dedicated server and PC client administration. Keep file or SSH access to the host available while changing lists, so an incorrect entry cannot lock you out of the only recovery path.
Locate the files the running server actually reads#
Find the server's effective save directory. An explicit -savedir changes it. Without an override, the Linux default is ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim under the service account's home; Windows uses that account's %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim. Your own desktop profile may be unrelated. For a container, follow its persistent mount rather than editing an unused host folder.
The three files have different purposes:
adminlist.txtgrants administration privileges;bannedlist.txtblocks listed identities;permittedlist.txtrestricts admission to listed identities once the list contains players.
The filename is bannedlist.txt, not banlist.txt. Check exact spelling and hidden extensions before troubleshooting permissions. Save a private copy of all three files and record the intended change outside them. Do not restore an old world merely to undo one administrator entry.
Copy the current identity rather than constructing one#
Have the player connect and obtain the Platform User ID from the server log or the in-game F2 panel. Copy it exactly, including prefix, underscore and case. Use the entry associated with that player, not a server identifier, display name, join code or profile URL. If F2 does not expose the needed identity on the installed build, use the server's connection log.
This matters after the 1.0 transition. Iron Gate's 1.0.12 hotfix explicitly describes new IDs such as V_123456789 and older Steam_123456789 forms for the ban and permitted lists. Those numbers are the developer's symbolic examples, not IDs to paste into your files. The hotfix does not establish that every legacy form works identically in adminlist.txt.
For Steam and crossplay players alike, the safe procedure is to use the identity the current session reports. Do not invent an Xbox/PlayStation prefix, substitute a gamertag, or use an arbitrary PlayFab hexadecimal value from another log message. A migration between backends is a reason to recheck identities and access, not mechanically strip prefixes from every line.
Grant the smallest required privilege and verify it#
Edit the active adminlist.txt as plain text, keeping one complete ID on each line. Add the intended moderator and preserve the other entries. Avoid copying a whole log line, adding quotes around the ID or accidentally saving a second .txt extension. Keep ownership and file permissions appropriate for the server account.
Have the player reconnect and test an ordinary administrative capability. On the Steam PC client, add -console to Valheim's launch options and start the game through that entry; F5 opens the console. Making the console visible does not grant server authority.
Start with the non-destructive command:
banned
If the server refuses it as unauthorized, recheck the live save directory, exact identity and current file contents. If necessary, schedule a clean restart through the existing manager and test again; do not reset the world or enable devcommands to bypass a list problem. File reload timing should not be assumed from an old hosting tutorial.
Keep moderation separate from developer cheats#
The official dedicated-server guide documents kick PLAYERNAME, ban PLAYERNAME, unban PLAYERNAME and banned. Replace PLAYERNAME with the intended target and check the installed console's help before using a name containing spaces. Use a consenting test player during a quiet window if you need to verify removal and readmission.
A kick ends the current connection; a ban changes continued admission. After a ban or unban, inspect the resulting list and verify the intended outcome. Keep the reason, actor, date and review decision in a separate moderation record rather than depending on comments surviving a game-written file.
Being on the admin list does not make every single-player developer command available on a dedicated server. Item spawning, debug tools and mod-provided remote consoles have their own scope. Do not add an imagined RCON port or install a broad cheat mod just to test whether adminlist.txt is being read.
Enable a permitted list without excluding the owner#
Prepare the complete intended roster before activating a restrictive permitted list, including administrators who should still join. Keep the host recovery session open. With the owner’s approval, test one listed player and one consenting unlisted account; a successful owner join alone does not establish that the restriction works.
If someone is rejected with a banned message, inspect both the banned and permitted lists and the exact current identity. Do not immediately empty the permitted list: that removes the restriction for everyone. Correct the intended entries or restore the pre-change policy, then repeat the access check.
A shared password can be passed on. Hiding the server from discovery does not define who may enter either. Use the identity lists for the intended player policy and keep the password private.
When revoking a moderator, remove their admin entry, check whether ordinary player access should remain, and verify the result after reconnecting. Recheck these boundaries after an update or restoration. For managing the underlying Linux VPS, Nexardo can help organize your own infrastructure; the game's player identities and privileges still need explicit verification.
