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The command to wake an unconscious dinosaur or other entity in ARK is cheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0. Aim your crosshair at the target, open the command console, and execute it. To wake your own player character, use cheat ExecSetSleeping false instead. On a multiplayer server, authenticate with enablecheats <adminpassword> before running either command; that authentication step is not required in single-player according to the ARK command reference.
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Which ARK wake-up command should you use?
There are two different commands because the game treats a crosshair target and the executing player as separate targets. Choosing the wrong one is the most common reason a wake command appears not to work.
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| What you want to wake | Command | Targeting method | Important value |
|---|---|---|---|
| A dinosaur, creature, or other entity in front of you | cheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0 |
Place the entity under your crosshair | 0 wakes it |
| Your own player character | cheat ExecSetSleeping false |
No crosshair target is needed | false wakes you |
The same target command uses 1 to knock the entity out: SetMyTargetSleeping 1. The parameter is not interchangeable with the player command, so use the exact syntax shown for the situation.
How to wake an unconscious dino
Step 1: Get a valid target under the crosshair
Stand where the unconscious creature is clearly visible and aim directly at it. SetMyTargetSleeping acts on the entity currently selected by your crosshair, not automatically on the nearest creature or on every unconscious creature nearby. If the crosshair is pointed at the ground, a structure, or a different creature, the command can affect nothing or the wrong entity.
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Step 2: Open the command console
On the keyboard version of ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA), press ~ to open the console. On ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE), press Tab. Console access must be enabled, and controller users must use the platform-specific pause-screen button combination provided by the game’s official command reference.
Step 3: Enter the wake command
Type the following command exactly, including the zero:
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cheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0Submit the command while the intended creature remains under your crosshair. The command reference defines the final argument as a state switch: 0 wakes the targeted entity, while 1 knocks that target out.
Step 4: Confirm the result
Close the console and watch the creature. A successful command should end its unconscious state. If nothing changes, work through the troubleshooting section below rather than repeatedly changing the command’s spelling or adding random arguments.
How to wake your own character
If your player character is asleep or unconscious, do not aim at a creature and do not use SetMyTargetSleeping. Run the player-specific command:
cheat ExecSetSleeping falseExecSetSleeping applies to the player executing the command. Its Boolean value is written as false to wake the character. The ARK Community Wiki describes this command as putting the current player character to sleep or waking them up.
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On a server, the command still requires the appropriate administrative access. In single-player, the wiki says the preliminary enablecheats authentication step is unnecessary.
Multiplayer: authenticate before using admin commands
Multiplayer servers normally require the player to authenticate as an administrator before administrative commands will execute. Enter:
enablecheats <adminpassword>Replace <adminpassword> with the server’s actual administrator password. The angle-bracket notation is a placeholder; do not type the brackets unless they are literally part of the password. After authentication, run the relevant wake command with the prefix accepted by your server:
cheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0for the entity under your crosshair.cheat ExecSetSleeping falsefor your own character.
Some multiplayer configurations require the admincheat prefix instead of, or in addition to, cheat. In that case, use the server’s accepted form, for example:
admincheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0admincheat ExecSetSleeping false
The exact prefix requirement is a server setting, so a command that works in local single-player may be rejected online until you authenticate and use the permitted prefix.
Opening the console in ASA and ASE
| Game edition | Keyboard console key | Version context |
|---|---|---|
| ARK: Survival Ascended | ~ |
Entered early access in 2023 for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S |
| ARK: Survival Evolved | Tab |
Launched in 2017 |
The key distinction is the game edition, not merely the keyboard layout. If Tab does nothing in ASA, try the ASA console key, ~; if ~ does nothing in ASE, use Tab. On consoles, the official reference lists pause-screen button combinations rather than a universal keyboard key, and the combination depends on the platform and input method.
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Before testing a command, make sure console access is enabled in the relevant game or server settings. Opening a chat box is not the same as opening the administrative command console; if the command is appearing as ordinary text, you are likely in the wrong input field.
Command syntax, values, and target rules
SetMyTargetSleeping
This command addresses the entity selected by the player’s crosshair. Its documented values are:
| Syntax | Effect |
|---|---|
SetMyTargetSleeping 0 |
Wake the targeted entity |
SetMyTargetSleeping 1 |
Knock the targeted entity out |
The wake version therefore needs a numeric 0, not the word false. Keep a space between the command name and the value. Do not append the creature’s name, coordinates, or an ID; the crosshair supplies the target.
ExecSetSleeping
This command addresses the player executing it. Its wake syntax is:
ExecSetSleeping falseHere the final argument is a Boolean word, false, rather than the numeric value used by SetMyTargetSleeping. The command does not require you to point at yourself or at another entity.
Prefixes
Use cheat where the game accepts that administrative prefix. Multiplayer servers may require admincheat, and both forms depend on successful server authentication. A missing or invalid prefix is a permissions problem, not a targeting problem.
Why SetMyTargetSleeping 0 may not work
The console is not open or enabled
If pressing the expected key does not display a command prompt, verify the edition first: ASA uses ~ on keyboard, while ASE uses Tab. If neither opens a console, enable console access in the applicable settings. Controller users need the correct pause-screen combination for their platform.
You are not authenticated on a server
In multiplayer, run enablecheats <adminpassword> first. Without administrator authentication, the game can ignore or reject a command even when its spelling and target are correct. Confirm the password with the server operator rather than guessing.
The server expects a different prefix
Try the prefix required by the server, commonly admincheat where plain cheat is not accepted. Do not mix a prefix from one server’s configuration with assumptions from single-player.
The crosshair is not on the unconscious creature
Move close enough to identify the creature, center it in the crosshair, and run the command again. The command is target-specific. A nearby unconscious creature outside the crosshair is not selected automatically.
You used the player command for a creature, or vice versa
For a dino, use SetMyTargetSleeping 0. For yourself, use ExecSetSleeping false. The commands have different target models and different final-argument formats.
The value is wrong
Check the final token character by character. A zero wakes a crosshair target; a one knocks it out. The player command needs the word false. Substituting 1, 0, true, or false in the wrong command changes the requested state or causes the command to fail.
You are entering the command in chat
If other players can see the text, it was sent as chat rather than executed as a console command. Reopen the administrative console using the edition-appropriate control and submit the command there.
Practical command recipes
Single-player: wake a dino
- Face the unconscious creature and place it under your crosshair.
- Open the console: press
~in ASA orTabin ASE on keyboard. - Enter
cheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0. - Submit the command and verify that the targeted creature wakes.
The wiki says single-player does not require enablecheats authentication.
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- Open the server’s command console.
- Authenticate with
enablecheats <adminpassword>. - Aim at the intended creature.
- Run
cheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0, or useadmincheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0if that is the server’s required prefix. - Confirm the creature’s state after the command executes.
Single-player or multiplayer: wake yourself
- Open the correct command console for your edition and input device.
- If you are on a multiplayer server, authenticate first with
enablecheats <adminpassword>. - Run
cheat ExecSetSleeping false, or the server’s acceptedadmincheatform. - Check that your player character is no longer unconscious.
What this command does—and what it does not target
The wake command is an administrative game action. It changes the sleeping state of the selected entity or the executing player; it is not a physical product, item, or device that must be purchased. The entity version is deliberately limited to the target under your crosshair, while the player version is deliberately limited to your current character.
That distinction matters when several creatures are close together. Run the command once for each creature, re-aiming before every execution, rather than expecting one command to wake an area. Likewise, waking yourself does not select or wake a nearby dinosaur.
Quick reference checklist
- Need to wake a dino? Aim at it and run
cheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0. - Need to knock the targeted entity out instead? Use the documented value
1. - Need to wake your own character? Run
cheat ExecSetSleeping false. - On multiplayer, authenticate first with
enablecheats <adminpassword>. - Use the prefix your server accepts:
cheator, where required,admincheat. - Keyboard console keys differ:
~for ASA andTabfor ASE. - For controllers, use the platform-specific pause-screen console combination.
- Keep the target under the crosshair and verify the final argument: numeric
0for a creature, Booleanfalsefor your player.
Bottom line
Use cheat SetMyTargetSleeping 0 to wake the entity under your crosshair and cheat ExecSetSleeping false to wake yourself. The command syntax, console key, and authentication step depend on whether you are in ASA or ASE and in single-player or multiplayer, so match those details before troubleshooting the command itself.
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