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Freedom251 › Blog › ACC server

How to Add an Admin to an Assetto Corsa Competizione Server

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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On a self-hosted Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC) server, add an adminPassword property to the active settings.json, save the file as UTF-16LE, restart the server, then elevate in-game by opening chat with Enter and typing /admin your-password. A hosted server may put this setting in its control panel instead of exposing the file.

The important distinction is whether you control the server files. The procedure below keeps the existing configuration intact, explains the encoding requirement, and shows what to check when the command is rejected or the setting does not load.

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Choose the correct method first

ACC uses the same administrator-password concept in both environments, but the place where you set it differs.

Server type Where you set the password What you edit How you elevate in game
Self-hosted dedicated server The server’s active settings.json The adminPassword JSON property, saved in UTF-16LE Open chat with Enter and enter /admin <password>
Hosted server Your provider’s server-control panel A panel field or provider-managed setting; the file may be read-only or regenerated Open chat with Enter and enter /admin <password>

Do not apply a provider’s panel instructions to a self-hosted installation, and do not assume that editing a file on a hosted service will survive a panel restart. For example, XGamingServer’s ACC documentation shows "adminPassword": "set-in-panel" and says the value is set in the panel rather than in the file. Your provider’s labels and restart controls may be different.

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What the ACC admin password does

adminPassword is the credential used to elevate a connected player to server administrator. It is separate from the password that controls who may join and from any spectator-password setting. The ACC Server Admin Handbook excerpt describes the property as the “Password to elevate via ‘Server admin commands’.”

Elevation happens after you have joined the server as a driver or spectator. It is not a Steam account role, a Windows administrator permission, or a permanent account assignment. The password is entered through ACC’s in-game chat, and the server decides whether the session is elevated.

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The handbook’s example is /admin adminPw123. Replace the example value with the exact password configured on your server. The command list documented for early handbook versions was limited and expected to grow, so successfully becoming an admin does not guarantee that every command found in a newer guide is available in your build.

Self-hosted setup: step by step

1. Identify the configuration used by the running instance

Find the settings.json belonging to the dedicated-server instance you actually start. A secondary guide places the file in the server’s cfg folder, but that location was not confirmed by the official handbook excerpt. Installations with multiple instances can contain several JSON files, so editing an unused copy produces no visible change.

  • Use the configuration directory associated with the launch shortcut, service, or server instance you operate.
  • If you run more than one ACC instance, match the file to the instance’s port, name, or other known settings.
  • Do not delete files merely because the expected property is absent. Regenerating defaults can remove existing server configuration.

Before changing anything, make a dated backup copy of the file. Keep the original in a safe location so you can restore it if the server refuses to start or a panel overwrites the edit.

2. Stop the server before editing

Stop the dedicated-server process cleanly before saving the file. A general Assetto Corsa administration guide warns that a running server can write its in-memory configuration back to disk during a restart; the ACC-specific overwrite behavior is not clearly established, but stopping first avoids that risk and prevents a race between the process and your editor.

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Confirm that the process has actually stopped before opening the file for a final edit. If you operate the server as a service, use the service’s normal stop action rather than killing the process while it is writing.

3. Add adminPassword without replacing the file

Open the existing settings.json in a JSON-aware editor, or in an editor that can preserve UTF-16LE. Add the property inside the top-level JSON object. A minimal fragment looks like this:

{
  "adminPassword": "replace-with-a-long-random-secret"
}

The fragment illustrates the property; it is not a reason to discard the rest of your configuration. In a real file, insert the property alongside the existing join and spectator password fields and retain every other setting. If another property already appears immediately before it, place a comma after that preceding property. Do not add a trailing comma after adminPassword when it is the final property.

JSON is strict: property names and string values require double quotation marks, and comments are not valid JSON. Keep the password as a quoted string, even if it contains numbers or punctuation. Avoid leading or trailing spaces in the value unless you intentionally plan to type those spaces in chat.

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4. Preserve UTF-16LE encoding

The handbook states that the server is exclusively configured through JSON files in UTF16-LE format. Save the file as UTF-16LE, not as ordinary UTF-8, and verify the encoding after saving if your editor offers an encoding indicator. UTF-8 may appear to work in some circumstances while still being read incorrectly, which can leave the old password active or prevent the configuration from loading.

Encoding is independent of JSON syntax. A perfectly formatted object saved in the wrong encoding can fail just as surely as a correctly encoded file with a missing comma. If you are converting an existing file, preserve the complete contents and check that the editor did not add explanatory text, smart quotation marks, or a second file extension.

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5. Validate the file and restart

Check the edited file for balanced braces, quotation marks, and commas before starting the server. Use a JSON validator that can read the file without silently converting its encoding, or compare the edited file with the backup if your editor reports a syntax error.

Start the dedicated server again and wait for it to finish loading. A restart is required because the new password is read when the server loads its configuration; changing the file while the process is running does not by itself elevate anyone or reliably reload the value.

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6. Elevate from inside ACC

  1. Join the server as a driver or spectator.
  2. Press Enter to open the in-game chat.
  3. Type /admin, followed by one space and the exact configured password. For example: /admin your-secret.
  4. Send the message and then use an administrative command supported by your server version to confirm that elevation succeeded.

The password is case-sensitive in practical use: enter the same capitalization and punctuation stored in the JSON value. Do not include quotation marks around the password in chat. If your password itself contains a space, the chat parser may treat the value as multiple arguments; a single uninterrupted secret made from letters, numbers, and punctuation avoids that ambiguity.

Hosted ACC servers

Hosting companies frequently expose server settings through a web panel and manage the underlying files themselves. In that arrangement, open the ACC server’s configuration page, find the administrator-password field, enter the value, save the panel form, and use the panel’s restart or apply action if it provides one. The exact menu names, validation rules, and restart behavior are provider-specific.

XGamingServer’s documentation is an example of this model: its sample configuration contains "adminPassword": "set-in-panel" and instructs customers to set the value in the panel, not in the file. Treat that as a warning against editing a downloaded copy of settings.json on a managed service. If the panel offers both a raw-file editor and a dedicated field, use the documented field first and check whether the provider regenerates JSON during deployment.

After saving a hosted setting, connect to the server and use the same Enter, /admin, and password sequence. If the panel shows a masked value, do not assume that the mask itself is the password; enter the value you chose or reset it through the panel.

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Confirm that elevation worked

A successful login should be tested with a command that your ACC build documents as available. The handbook excerpt does not provide a complete current command list, and its early description says the initial set was limited and expected to expand. Avoid judging success by a command copied from a different game or from a different ACC version.

  • Check the chat response or server behavior immediately after sending /admin.
  • Run one low-impact administrative action during a private test session rather than experimenting on a live public race.
  • Have another player verify the intended moderation workflow only after you have confirmed that the account can elevate.

Elevation is tied to the connected session. Restarting the server, leaving the session, or changing the password should be treated as ending the previous elevation state; authenticate again when required.

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Troubleshooting by symptom

The server says the password is wrong

  • Recheck capitalization, punctuation, and every character in the JSON value.
  • Make sure you edited the active instance’s file rather than a backup or another server’s configuration.
  • Confirm that the server was restarted after the edit.
  • Type /admin, one space, then the password; omit quotation marks and any explanatory text.
  • If you pasted the password, retype it once to rule out an invisible leading or trailing character.

Changing the password while the server is running will not necessarily affect the current process. Stop, save, verify, and restart in that order.

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The server starts, but the old password still works

This usually indicates that the wrong file was edited, the new file was not saved in UTF-16LE, or the running instance loaded a different configuration path. Compare the active instance’s known settings with the file you changed, then repeat the edit with a backup available. On a hosted service, a panel deployment may have restored its own value after you changed a raw file.

The server will not start after editing

Restore the backup first so the server can return to its known-good state. The common file-level causes are a missing comma, an unmatched brace, a typographic quotation mark, or text inserted outside the JSON object. Once the server is running again, make one small change at a time and validate the complete object before restarting.

The file is overwritten or regenerated

A running process may write its current state over an edited file, and a hosting panel may regenerate configuration during deployment. Stop the self-hosted process before editing, keep a backup, and identify which file the launch process reads. Do not follow advice to delete JSON files unless you have a verified recovery plan: deleting them can remove existing settings, and regeneration behavior for ACC was not confirmed in the available documentation.

The file appears unreadable after saving

Check the encoding explicitly. The ACC handbook requirement is UTF-16LE. Reopen the backup and edited copies in an editor that reports encoding, then save the active file in UTF-16LE without changing the JSON contents. A community tool author reported an import that worked only with UTF-8 files, but that tool-specific behavior does not change the server’s documented configuration format.

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You cannot find an administrator command to test

The available command set depends on the ACC server version. The handbook excerpts found for versions 1.6.0, 1.9.3, and 1.10.2 do not establish a complete 2026 command list. Use the documentation that matches your installed server and test only commands it names; do not transfer commands from the original Assetto Corsa game or from unrelated hosting guides.

Security and operational practices

Use a dedicated password

Treat adminPassword as a server credential. Do not reuse an account password, publish it in a server description, or paste it into a public chat. Anyone who learns it may be able to run the administrative commands exposed by your version.

Limit who receives it

Send the credential through a private channel to trusted moderators. Remember that the password is stored in the server configuration, so protect backups and restrict access to the machine or panel account that contains the file.

Rotate it after staff changes

When a moderator no longer needs access, stop the server, replace the adminPassword value, save in UTF-16LE, and restart. Tell remaining staff to authenticate with the new value. This invalidates knowledge of the old credential for future elevation.

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Test changes away from a live event

Perform the first elevation test while no race is in progress. A malformed configuration or an unexpected command can interrupt a session, and the handbook’s command coverage varies by version. Keep the backup and the previous password available until the new configuration has been verified.

Version and documentation limits

Handbook excerpts were found for ACC Server Admin Handbook versions 1.6.0, 1.9.3, and 1.10.2. No 2026 edition was confirmed, and the excerpt does not clearly identify its publisher. The core procedure—set adminPassword, preserve UTF-16LE, restart, and enter /admin <password> in chat—is consistent across the material, but labels and available administrative commands can change.

Use the newest documentation supplied with your dedicated-server build or hosting provider when it conflicts with an older handbook. Keep the version number visible when troubleshooting so another administrator knows which command set and configuration behavior you are discussing.

Final self-hosted checklist

  • Back up the active settings.json.
  • Stop the dedicated-server process before editing.
  • Add adminPassword inside the existing top-level JSON object.
  • Keep valid commas, braces, and quotation marks; do not replace the rest of the configuration.
  • Save the complete file as UTF-16LE.
  • Restart the same server instance that reads the file.
  • Join as a driver or spectator, press Enter, and send /admin <password>.
  • Verify with a documented command for your ACC version.

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