To become an administrator on an ARK: Survival Evolved server, set a value for ServerAdminPassword under the [ServerSettings] section of GameUserSettings.ini, restart the server, join it, and run enablecheats your-password in the in-game console. Verify access with showmyadminmanager or a harmless command such as cheat fly. A Steam64-ID allowlist in AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt can authenticate trusted administrators automatically.
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What ARK administrator access does
ARK server administration unlocks commands that ordinary players cannot use. Depending on the command, an authenticated administrator can inspect connected players, remove someone from the server, manage bans and whitelists, use the cheat manager, or run gameplay and maintenance commands.
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Authentication is normally session-based: the server knows the password, but your game client still has to submit it after you join. Knowing the password is equivalent to having full administrator access, so treat it like a production credential rather than a convenience setting.
Before you start
- Have access to the server’s configuration, either through the machine’s files or a hosting control panel.
- Know how to stop and restart the server. A configuration change is not reliable until the server has been restarted.
- Choose a strong, private password. Do not reuse a password from Steam, email, hosting, or another service.
- If you plan to use automatic authentication, obtain the administrator’s Steam64 ID.
- Join the correct server after it restarts; entering the command in a different session will not authenticate you on the intended server.
Method 1: Set the admin password in GameUserSettings.ini
Self-hosted server
- Stop the ARK server cleanly, or use the server panel’s stop control.
- Open
GameUserSettings.iniin the server configuration area. - Find the
[ServerSettings]heading. Add or edit the password line directly beneath that heading:[ServerSettings] ServerAdminPassword=Use-a-long-private-password - Save the file without changing the spelling of
ServerAdminPassword. Do not put the line in an unrelated section. - Start the server again and wait until it is ready for players.
The section is important. A password line placed elsewhere can look correct in the file while being ignored by the server. A reported fix for this problem was simply moving the line under [ServerSettings] and restarting.
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Hosted server
Most game-server hosts expose the same setting as an Admin Password, Server Admin Password, or configuration-editor field. Open the server settings or configuration editor, enter the value, save it, and use the host’s restart control. The panel may write the INI for you, but the server still needs to reload the setting. If a panel offers both a form field and a raw-INI editor, use one method consistently and check that the resulting value is under [ServerSettings].
| Route | What you need | Main risk | Restart handling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted INI | File-system or remote-console access to the server | Putting the line in the wrong section or editing the wrong instance | You must stop and start the server yourself |
| Host control panel | Permission to edit the server’s settings | Changing a draft, template, or different instance instead of the live server | Use the panel’s restart action after saving |
Authenticate after joining
- Launch ARK and join the server you configured.
- Open the in-game console. On PC, the default key is Tab; another platform or server configuration can use a different console control.
- Enter the command, replacing the example text with the actual password and omitting angle brackets:
enablecheats your-password - Submit the command. Do not type
<or>; those characters only indicate a placeholder in instructions. - Keep the password out of screenshots, chat, stream overlays, and shared configuration files.
The command is commonly written in lowercase. Current guide material treats it as case-insensitive, although an older 2017 forum report claimed that only EnableCheats worked in that user’s situation. If lowercase is rejected, retry the same command with a capital E before changing other settings; this is a compatibility check, not a guarantee for every build.
Confirm that you are an administrator
Open the admin manager
Run:
showmyadminmanagerThe admin manager can display server information, connected players, banned players, and whitelisted players, and it provides a cheat manager. If the manager opens, your session has administrative authentication.
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Use a low-impact command
You can also test with:
cheat flyThe cheat prefix matters for commands that require elevated privileges. If the command is accepted and your character enters flight mode, authentication is active. Turn the mode off when finished if you do not intend to use it for gameplay.
Useful commands once access works
Commands requiring administrator privileges are generally entered with cheat or, on some server contexts, admincheat before the command name. Use the form accepted by your server and avoid testing destructive commands on a live world.
| Purpose | Command | Result |
|---|---|---|
| List players | cheat ListPlayers |
Shows connected players and their IDs. |
| Remove a player | cheat KickPlayer |
Removes a player from the server; use the command’s expected player identifier when prompted by the game. |
| Check elevated access | cheat fly |
Enables flight as a quick, visible permission test. |
| Open administration tools | showmyadminmanager |
Opens the admin manager and its server and player tools. |
Use ListPlayers before taking action against a name that could be duplicated or misspelled. Record the identifier shown by the server rather than relying only on a display name.
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Method 2: Authenticate trusted admins automatically with Steam64 IDs
If you administer the server regularly, you can avoid entering the password in every session by listing trusted Steam64 IDs in AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. The file belongs in the server’s ShooterGame/Saved folder.
- Stop the server.
- Open or create
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txtinsideShooterGame/Saved. - Put one Steam64 ID on each line. Do not add names, punctuation, or passwords.
- Save the file and restart the server.
- Join with the account whose ID is listed. Guides describe allowlisted players as being authenticated automatically on join.
To find an account’s ID, join the server and run:
whoamiUse the Steam64 value returned by the server, not a nickname. Keep the file’s formatting simple: one ID per line and no extra text.
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Password authentication versus the ID allowlist
| Consideration | enablecheats password |
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Set one password, then enter it after joining | Maintain a file containing each trusted Steam64 ID |
| Daily convenience | Requires a console command each session | Designed to authenticate listed accounts automatically |
| Credential exposure | Password can be disclosed or reused by anyone who learns it | No password entry is needed for listed accounts |
| Administration overhead | Change one password when access must be rotated | Add or remove individual IDs as staff changes |
| Failure mode | Wrong password, wrong section, or missing restart prevents authentication | Wrong ID, wrong folder, formatting errors, or missing restart prevents automatic access |
A practical arrangement is to retain a strong password for recovery and use the ID file for routine administrators. Remove an ID promptly when a person no longer needs access, and change the password if you believe it has been disclosed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot “enablecheats” not working
The command is rejected immediately
- Confirm that you joined the server whose configuration you edited.
- Check the spelling:
enablecheats, one space, then the password. - Remove the angle brackets sometimes used to show a placeholder.
- Retry with the exact password from the configuration, including capitalization and punctuation.
- Try
EnableCheatsif a build appears to reject the lowercase form. Current guide material generally treats the command as case-insensitive, while an older report described a capitalization-specific failure.
The password is correct but access still fails
- Stop the server again and open
GameUserSettings.ini. - Verify that
ServerAdminPassword=...is under[ServerSettings], not above it or under another heading. - Check that you edited the live server’s file rather than a backup, template, or another map instance.
- Save, restart, and wait for the server to finish loading before joining.
- Run
showmyadminmanagerand thencheat flyto test the new session.
It worked until a game or server update
Players have reported that administrator authentication can stop working after patches. Recheck the password line, section, and active configuration after every update, then restart. Do not assume that an update preserved a manually edited file or a host-panel override.
You are in single-player or a non-dedicated session
Some guidance says enablecheats is unnecessary in single-player or non-dedicated sessions. That advice concerns those session types, not a normal dedicated server. First identify the session you actually launched; do not use a single-player workaround to diagnose a dedicated server that is ignoring its INI setting.
The allowlist does not authenticate you
- Confirm the filename is exactly
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. - Confirm it is inside
ShooterGame/Savedfor the server instance you joined. - Check that the ID is the account’s Steam64 ID and is alone on its line.
- Restart after every file change.
- Use
whoamito obtain the ID again if you are uncertain.
Security and access management
Protect the password
Anyone who knows the admin password can obtain full administrator privileges. Do not post it in global chat, send it in an unprotected public channel, or leave it in a shared screenshot. Restrict access to the configuration panel and server files as well.
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An allowlist gives you account-level control: you can remove one Steam64 ID without distributing a replacement password to every administrator. Keep a private record of which person owns each approved ID, because the file itself contains identifiers rather than human-readable roles.
Quick Recap
Recover from a leaked credential
- Stop the server.
- Change
ServerAdminPasswordunder[ServerSettings]. - Review
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txtand remove IDs that should no longer have access. - Save both files and restart.
- Give the new password only to the administrators who still need password-based recovery.
Recommended operating procedure
- Set a unique password in
GameUserSettings.iniunder[ServerSettings]. - Restart and authenticate with
enablecheats your-password. - Verify with
showmyadminmanagerand a non-destructive command. - For recurring administrators, add one Steam64 ID per line to
ShooterGame/Saved/AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. - After patches or configuration migrations, test authentication again before players depend on administrative support.
- Rotate the password and audit the ID file whenever access changes.
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