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The dependable way to become an administrator is to add your Factorio account username to server-adminlist.json, save that file in the same directory as factorio-current.log, and restart the server. The file must contain a valid JSON array, not a single username or an in-game nickname.
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If you already have access to the server console, /promote <name> is faster on installations where that command is available: it grants admin access and writes the username to the admin list. Use /admins to check the result.
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What Factorio admin access means
A Factorio server administrator can use the game’s administrative commands and manage multiplayer players. Admin status is assigned by the server, so changing your local game settings or your display name does not grant access.
The official Factorio Wiki’s multiplayer guidance identifies server-adminlist.json as the file used to give an account admin access. The file is read from the server’s data directory; the practical way to identify that directory is to find factorio-current.log and place the admin list beside it.
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There are two useful routes:
- File method: edit or create the JSON file, then restart the server.
- Console method: run
/promote <name>when you have server-console access.
Use the file method when you are configuring a new installation, working through FTP or a hosting panel, or recovering access. Use the console method when the server is already running and you can issue commands as the server operator.
Method 1: Add yourself to server-adminlist.json
1. Identify the correct server directory
Open the server’s file manager, operating-system folder, or FTP connection and search for factorio-current.log. The directory that contains that log is the directory where server-adminlist.json belongs. Do not assume that the folder containing the executable, a save file, or server-settings.json is necessarily the right location; use the log file as the anchor.
On a hosted server, the panel may expose several folders. Open the file manager, search for the exact filename, and note its parent directory. If the panel has separate areas for saves, configuration, and logs, use the directory in which the actual current log is stored.
2. Stop the server before editing
Several hosting guides recommend stopping the server before changing the list. Stopping prevents a running process from overwriting your edit and gives you a clean restart on which to test the change. Use the panel’s Stop control or the operating system’s normal server shutdown procedure. If you cannot stop it immediately, make a backup of any existing admin list and plan a restart as soon as the edit is saved.
3. Create or open the file
The filename must be exactly server-adminlist.json. Keep the hyphens, spelling, and .json extension. If an admin list already exists, edit that file rather than creating a second file with a similar name.
The contents are a JSON array of usernames. A one-user list looks like this:
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[ "user1", "user2", "user3" ]Use ordinary straight quotation marks around every username. The opening and closing square brackets are required. Do not add a trailing comma after the final entry.
4. Enter the Factorio account username
Use the username attached to the player’s Factorio account—the name used to authenticate with Factorio’s multiplayer service—not merely the name shown above the character in a game session. Hosting documentation generally distinguishes the account username from an in-game display name.
Ask the player to provide the exact spelling, including capitalization where applicable, and copy it into the array. A typo creates a valid-looking file that simply does not match the account attempting to join.
5. Save valid JSON
Save the file as plain text with the .json extension. Make sure the panel or text editor did not append .txt, add smart quotation marks, or insert comments. JSON does not allow comments, and a trailing comma is invalid.
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Before restarting, check the punctuation visually:
- The file starts with
[and ends with]. - Each username is inside double quotation marks.
- Entries are separated by commas.
- The final entry has no comma after it.
- The filename is
server-adminlist.json, notserver-settings.json,server-banlist.json, orserver-whitelist.json.
6. Restart and join
Start the server again after saving the file. A restart makes the server read the list from disk. Join with the same Factorio account username that you entered, then test an administrative command or verify the list from the console.
Method 2: Promote an account from the server console
If you can already operate the Factorio server console, use the command route instead of editing a file manually:
/promote <name>Replace <name> with the exact account name. The command must begin with the forward slash, and the spelling must match the account you intend to promote.
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Related console commands
/adminslists the current administrators, according to hosting guides./demote <name>removes an administrator and is described by those guides as removing the entry from the admin list.
Run commands exactly as shown. A missing slash, an incorrectly spelled name, or a command entered in a chat context that does not have console privileges can produce a misleading failure.
File method versus console method
| Route | What you need | Restart required | Best use | Evidence qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| server-adminlist.json | Access to the directory containing factorio-current.log and permission to edit files |
Yes; restart after saving so the server reads the list | First setup, locked-out administrators, FTP or hosting-panel access | Placement and JSON-array format are stated by the official wiki guidance |
/promote |
Access to the running server console | Normally no immediate restart is needed; verify persistence after any restart | Quick promotion while the server is online | Command behavior is reported by hosting guides, not confirmed in the quoted official wiki snippet |
Hosted-panel and FTP procedure
Panels use different labels, but the underlying process is the same. The following sequence works for the common file-manager workflow without relying on a particular host:
- Open the panel’s File Manager or connect through FTP.
- Stop the Factorio server from the panel.
- Search for
factorio-current.log. - Open its containing directory.
- Create
server-adminlist.json, or edit the existing file. - Enter a valid JSON array containing the Factorio account username.
- Save the file and confirm that the panel retained the exact filename.
- Start the server.
- Join with the matching account and verify admin status with
/adminsif console access is available.
Some panels hide log files or restrict access to server configuration directories. If the search returns no current log, check whether the server is stopped, whether the panel has a separate logs view, and whether you are looking at the correct instance rather than a different game server. Do not place the file beside an unrelated log from another installation.
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Check from the console
Run /admins and look for the account you added. This is the clearest check when the command is supported by your server interface.
Check the file
Stop the server or use the panel’s read-only preview, then open server-adminlist.json. Confirm that your username is still present in the JSON array. If a console promotion appeared to work but the file does not contain the name after a restart, the command may not have been available in that environment or the server may be reading a different directory.
Check with the same account
Join using the Factorio account whose username is in the file. Switching to another account, even on the same computer, will not test the entry you added.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting a missing admin role
The file is in the wrong directory
This is the first location problem to check. Find factorio-current.log again and compare its directory with the directory containing server-adminlist.json. The two files must be beside each other. A file in the save-game folder, executable folder, or a similarly named configuration directory may be ignored.
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The JSON is invalid
Invalid JSON is the most common explanation when a list does not work. Typical errors include a missing closing bracket, single quotes instead of double quotes, a trailing comma, or comments pasted into the file. Replace the contents with a minimal known-good array and add additional names only after the one-user version works.
[ "ExactAccountUsername" ]Keep the example’s structure, but replace the text with the real account username. Do not include the angle brackets shown in command syntax.
You used a display name instead of an account username
A player can change or use an in-game display name that differs from the authentication username. Recheck the account identity used to sign in to Factorio’s multiplayer service and enter that value exactly.
You edited the wrong list
Administrator status is controlled by server-adminlist.json. The similarly named files have different purposes: server-settings.json stores server settings, server-banlist.json controls bans, and server-whitelist.json controls who may join. Moving a name between those files will not grant admin permissions.
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You did not restart after editing
After a manual file change, stop and start the server. Without a restart, the running process may continue using the list it loaded earlier.
An existing player did not receive access
An older forum report claimed that the list was applied only when a player was first created on joining. The age of that report means the behavior is not established for current Factorio versions. If an existing player is not promoted after a restart, try the console command /promote <name> where available, then check /admins and the JSON file.
A SteamID64 or player name was entered
One hosting guide mentions SteamID64 or player-name input, while other guidance specifies Factorio account usernames. Account usernames are the safer default for server-adminlist.json. SteamID-based support is not established by the available official statement, so do not substitute an identifier unless your server version or host explicitly documents that format.
Keeping more than one administrator
Put all administrators in the same JSON array. For example:
[ "PrimaryAccount", "BackupAccount", "ModeratorAccount" ]Each entry is a string, and commas separate entries. Do not create multiple admin-list files and do not put one username on a line outside the array. Preserve a backup of the working file before making later changes so that a punctuation error does not remove every administrator at once.
Removing admin access
To remove an account manually, delete only that username from the array, leave the remaining entries valid, save the file, and restart the server. If your console supports the documented command, /demote <name> removes the account. Verify the result with /admins or by checking the file after the change.
Version and host caveats
The core file location and JSON-array format come from the Factorio Wiki multiplayer guidance. Console command persistence, panel paths, and the handling of players who have joined previously can vary by Factorio version or hosting environment. The search material does not establish a version-specific guarantee for those details.
When a panel supplies its own documentation, follow its instructions for stopping, editing, and restarting the particular server instance, but keep the Factorio requirements unchanged: use the exact filename, place it beside factorio-current.log, enter the authenticated account username, and maintain valid JSON.
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Quick Recap
Quick checklist
- Locate
factorio-current.log. - Place
server-adminlist.jsonin that same directory. - Use the Factorio account username, not just the in-game display name.
- Write a JSON array such as
[ "user1" ]. - Avoid trailing commas, comments, smart quotes, and a hidden
.txtextension. - Stop and restart the server after a manual edit.
- Alternatively, use
/promote <name>from the server console when supported. - Verify with
/adminsand inspect the file if access is missing.
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