How to Ban a Player on a Terraria Server (Vanilla and TShock Commands)

On a vanilla Terraria server, enter ban <playername> in the server console while the player is online. A TShock server uses the ban system instead: an administrator with tshock.admin.ban can run /ban add <playername> <reason>, an IP ban, or a temporary ban. TShock also provides commands for listing, inspecting, and removing bans. Because TShock command syntax has changed between releases, check the error returned by your server and the notes for the exact TShock version you run.

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First identify which Terraria server you run

The correct command depends on whether the server is the unmodified (vanilla) Terraria server or a server running the TShock administration framework. Commands from one system do not automatically work in the other.

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If you are unsure, look at the process you started or the server panel: a TShock installation normally identifies itself as TShock and exposes groups and permissions. Do not paste a TShock command into a vanilla console or a vanilla command into TShock chat and assume the failure means the player name is wrong.

Ban a player on a vanilla Terraria server

Use the server console

1. Make sure the target is currently connected. The documented vanilla ban command acts on an online player.
2. Bring the Terraria server console to the foreground. This is the window or console session that displays connections and server events, not the game chat window.
3. Enter ban <playername>, replacing the placeholder with the player’s in-game name, then press Enter. For a player named Builder42, the command is ban Builder42.
4. Watch the console for the command result and confirm that the player is disconnected or refused when attempting to reconnect.

The ban applies to the player’s name and prevents that player from connecting with any of their characters, according to the vanilla command behavior documented for this server.

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Important vanilla limitations

• The player must be online when you issue the command. If the person has already left, the documented command does not provide an offline target workflow.
• Vanilla Terraria does not expose the TShock-style ban list, ticket details, temporary-ban command, or IP-ban subcommand in the command set covered here.
• No vanilla command for listing bans or removing a ban was identified. If you need to reverse a vanilla ban, consult the documentation for the exact Terraria server build and the administration tools supplied with that build rather than applying TShock syntax.

Ban a player with TShock

Check the required permission

TShock requires the permission tshock.admin.ban for ban operations. A command can be perfectly formed and still be rejected when the account or group lacks this permission. If you administer the server, inspect the TShock group configuration and grant the permission only to the administrative group that should be able to ban players.

Permanent ban by player name

In in-game chat, use the slash form:

/ban add Builder42 Griefing the spawn area

In the server console, TShock accepts the same command family; console interfaces commonly omit the chat slash, so use the syntax shown by your console and its help output. The target must match the name TShock recognizes. Include a reason so other administrators can understand why the action was taken.

Permanent ban by IP address

To block an address rather than a character name, use:

/ban addip 203.0.113.42 Repeated harassment

An IP ban can affect every player who connects from that address. That may include family members, roommates, a school, an office, or users behind a shared carrier-grade NAT. Use an IP ban only when blocking the address is justified; a name ban is narrower and is generally the safer first choice when the evidence concerns one account.

Temporary ban

TShock’s older command form for a timed ban is:

/ban addtemp Builder42 10d0h0m0s First offense

The duration is written as a sequence of days, hours, minutes, and seconds. The example means 10 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, and 0 seconds. Replace it with the duration your moderation policy calls for and keep the reason as the final argument.

Some newer TShock documentation presents a consolidated syntax: ban add <target> [reason] [duration] [flags]. In that form, leaving out the duration creates a permanent ban, and a ticket number is issued for the ban. This syntax is not identical across all TShock releases, so do not assume that a command copied from a different release will parse on your server.

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Manage existing TShock bans

List bans

Run:

/ban list

For additional pages, use:

/ban list 2
/ban list 3

Use the page number when the list is longer than one screen. Record the name, address, reason, and any ticket number shown before changing an entry.

View one ban in detail

When your release displays ticket numbers, inspect an entry with:

/ban details 17

Replace 17 with the ticket number returned for the ban. Details are useful when several bans concern the same name or address and you need to confirm exactly which record you intend to remove.

Remove a name or IP ban

Older TShock command references use these forms:

/ban del Builder42
/ban delip 203.0.113.42

Some newer releases require the ticket number instead:

ban del 17

If the name or IP form returns an unknown-command or invalid-target error, run the TShock help command, check the release notes for your installed version, and use the ticket-based form if that is what the server reports. Do not delete a different ticket simply because it has a similar name.

TShock syntax differences: how to avoid applying the wrong command

TShock’s ban syntax is the main source of confusion because guides for different releases show different forms. The following approach works without assuming that every server runs the same build.

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1. Open the TShock server console or authorized in-game chat.
2. Run the ban command format you intend to use, keeping the target, reason, and duration clearly separated.
3. Read the complete error message if it fails. An unknown subcommand, a missing argument, and a permission failure point to different fixes.
4. Run the server’s command help or inspect the documentation shipped with the installed TShock release. Confirm whether the command expects a leading slash, a ticket number, or a duration in the combined format.
5. After a successful ban, run /ban list (or the console equivalent) and verify the new entry before closing the administration session.

In chat, a leading slash is required for command entry. In a console, the interface may interpret the same command without the slash. If one form is rejected, use the form shown by that interface’s help output rather than repeatedly changing the player name.

Name bans versus IP bans

Before using an IP ban, consider whether the address is shared or changes frequently. A dynamic address may later belong to an unrelated player, while a shared address can block innocent users at the same time.

Common failures and fixes

“Unknown command” or “invalid syntax”

• Confirm whether the server is vanilla or TShock.
• In TShock chat, add the leading slash; in the console, try the console’s accepted form.
• Check whether your release uses ban addtemp or the newer combined ban add syntax.
• Check the duration spelling. A documented example uses 10d0h0m0s, not a natural-language phrase such as “ten days.”

“You do not have permission”

Ask the server owner to check that your TShock group includes tshock.admin.ban. Being able to join the server or use unrelated moderation commands does not automatically grant ban permission.

The player cannot be found

For vanilla, confirm that the player is still online. For TShock, copy the exact name shown by the server, including capitalization and spaces where the command parser permits them. If the person disconnected before the command was entered, a vanilla console ban cannot target that offline session.

The wrong people are blocked after an IP ban

Review the address and whether it is shared. Remove the IP entry using the syntax supported by your TShock release, then apply a narrower name ban if the moderation evidence concerns one player.

You cannot remove a TShock ban

List the bans and inspect the entry details first. If the server assigns tickets, use the ticket number with the delete command. If your release supports the older name or IP form, use the matching /ban del or /ban delip command. A permission failure still indicates that your group lacks tshock.admin.ban or the relevant administrative access.

A practical moderation workflow

1. Capture the exact player name, time, and behavior that triggered the action.
2. Decide whether a name ban is sufficient or whether an IP ban is warranted despite its wider impact.
3. Choose a permanent or temporary duration according to your server rules. For TShock, write timed durations in the format accepted by your release.
4. Enter the command in the correct interface and include a concise, factual reason.
5. Verify the result in the ban list. For ticket-based systems, record the ticket number in your moderation log.
6. Tell other administrators what was done and why, without publishing a player’s IP address in a public channel.
7. If an appeal is accepted, remove the exact ban entry and verify that the player can reconnect.

Command reference

What to remember

Use ban <playername> only on a vanilla server console and only while the target is online. On TShock, obtain tshock.admin.ban, use the appropriate ban add, addip, or addtemp command, and verify the result with the ban list. Because TShock releases differ, treat the server’s own help output and error message as authoritative when the command syntax does not match an older guide.

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