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How to Change the Admin Password on an Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC) Server

By Freedom251 Team · · 8 min read

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For a self-hosted Assetto Corsa Competizione dedicated server, change the adminPassword value in the server’s settings.json, save the file as UTF-16LE, and restart the server. The password is then used by players with the server’s in-game admin commands. It is separate from the normal join password and the spectator password.

If your server is rented, managed through a control panel, or running in a container, do not edit a random copy of settings.json. Change the value in the provider’s configuration screen or in the deployment method that generates the file. Menu names differ between providers, so the exact clicks depend on the panel or tool you use.

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First identify how your ACC server is installed

“ACC Server Manager” is not a single, consistently documented product name. The correct password-change method depends on where the dedicated server configuration is maintained.

Self-hosted dedicated server

You administer the files on your own Windows or Linux host, commonly in the installation directory selected for the ACC dedicated server. In this arrangement, the authoritative setting is normally settings.json.

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Provider-managed hosting panel

A game-server host may hide the files and expose an Admin Password field in a Settings, Configuration, or Options page. A few guides describe paths such as Server Management > Options > Admin Password, but those labels come from different providers and are not a universal ACC interface. Use the panel’s own setting rather than editing a downloaded copy that the host may overwrite.

Docker or another container deployment

Containerised ACC projects can expose server settings as environment variables and generate the JSON configuration when the container starts. In that case, the variable or compose file is the source of truth. Edit the deployment configuration described by your image’s documentation, recreate or restart the container, and then confirm which value appears in the generated server files. The exact variable name is implementation-specific.

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Do not confuse ACC with other products

Assetto Corsa Competizione is a racing simulator. “ACC” is also used for unrelated video-security and administrator-password products. Their reset instructions do not apply to an ACC racing server.

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What the three password fields do

Setting Purpose Who uses it
adminPassword Authenticates a player who wants to elevate to server-admin functions through the in-game admin command system. A player who has been given the admin password.
password Controls entry to a password-protected server. It does not grant administrative rights. Any driver joining a protected server.
spectatorPassword Controls spectator access when a spectator password is configured. Spectators, not administrators by default.
serverName Names the server in the browser and configuration; it is not a credential. Displayed to prospective players.

Changing password because you meant to change adminPassword will only change who can join. Conversely, changing adminPassword will not lock the server against new players.

Change adminPassword in a self-hosted server

Before editing

  • Confirm that you are working on the ACC dedicated server, not the game client’s local settings.
  • Make a backup copy of the current configuration files. A dated copy lets you recover if the server fails to parse the edited JSON.
  • Plan a short maintenance window. Stop the dedicated server before saving the file so it cannot rewrite your change while it is running.
  • Choose a password that is different from the join password and from any password used elsewhere.

1. Locate the active configuration directory

Open the installation or data directory used by the running dedicated server and find settings.json. If you operate more than one instance, check the launch script, service definition, or panel configuration to identify the data directory for the instance you intend to change. Editing an unused installation is a common reason an old password continues to work.

2. Open the current settings.json

Use a text editor that can preserve Unicode encoding. Do not rely on a word processor, and do not rename a file so that it silently becomes settings.json.txt. Keep the existing JSON structure intact.

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Newer handbook material places adminPassword alongside serverName, password, and spectatorPassword. An older 1.6.0 handbook copy showed an example under a configuration.json heading; that layout appears outdated compared with the newer settings.json guidance. If your installation contains both names, follow the file used by the current build and verify it after restart.

3. Edit only the value

Find the existing adminPassword property and replace its quoted value. For example:

{
  "serverName": "Saturday GT3",
  "password": "LeagueJoin-4182",
  "adminPassword": "Paddock-Access-7429",
  "spectatorPassword": ""
}

The example password is only a format illustration; use your own unique secret. Preserve the comma placement, quotation marks, and property name exactly. If the property is already present, do not add a second adminPassword entry elsewhere in the file.

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4. Save as UTF-16LE

The ACC 1.10.2 handbook copy specifies UTF-16LE encoding for the server files. In your editor’s Save As or encoding menu, select UTF-16 Little Endian (often displayed as “UTF-16 LE”). Do not assume that the editor’s default UTF-8 setting is acceptable. If the file was supplied by the server in UTF-16LE, preserving that encoding is safest.

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5. Restart the dedicated server

Close the server cleanly, save the file, and start the same instance again. Treat the restart as required: it loads the changed value and provides the point at which you can verify that the server accepted the file. A panel or service may need a full stop followed by Start rather than an in-place reload.

6. Verify administration in game

  1. Join the server with a test account.
  2. Open the admin-command interface specified by the handbook for your installed build.
  3. Enter the new adminPassword when the interface asks for the credential.
  4. Run a low-impact administrative action that you are authorised to perform, then confirm that the command is accepted.
  5. Have a second player confirm that the ordinary join password does not unexpectedly confer admin access.

ACC handbook revisions have changed over time, so use the command syntax documented for your server build rather than copying a command from an unrelated product or an old post.

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Change the password in a hosting panel

When the provider manages the files, the panel is normally authoritative. Look for a server-specific Settings, Configuration, Startup, or Options page and an Admin Password field. Because providers use different interfaces, an exact path cannot be guaranteed without the provider name and panel version.

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  1. Stop the server from the panel if it offers a stop control.
  2. Open the instance’s configuration page, not the account-wide profile page.
  3. Locate the field explicitly labelled for the administrator password. Do not substitute the general server password or spectator password.
  4. Enter the new value and use the panel’s Save, Apply, or Update control.
  5. Start or restart the server as the panel requests.
  6. Join and test an admin command with the new value.

If the panel shows the password but does not permit editing, the host may require a support request or may expose the setting under a different role. Ask support for the ACC dedicated-server admin-password field and whether a restart is required. Do not manually edit files through a file manager unless the provider confirms that those files are not regenerated.

Container deployments: change the source, not the generated file

Many container projects map ACC settings to environment variables with documented defaults. The generated settings.json may be recreated on every deployment, so a direct edit can disappear on the next container restart.

  1. Open the compose file, stack definition, or environment file used to create the ACC container.
  2. Find the documented variable corresponding to the admin password. Variable names differ between projects; do not guess one from a similarly named image.
  3. Change the value while keeping secrets out of publicly shared compose files and logs.
  4. Redeploy or recreate the container using the project’s documented procedure.
  5. Inspect the resulting server configuration or test an admin command after the container is healthy.

If the container still uses the old value, check for a second environment file, a panel-level override, or a persisted volume containing an older configuration. The effective value is whichever layer the image gives precedence to.

Troubleshooting when the new password fails

The old password still works

  • The server was not fully restarted. Stop and start the exact instance instead of refreshing a browser page.
  • You edited the wrong file. Multiple ACC installations, test instances, or panel-managed data directories can coexist. Confirm the path used by the running process.
  • A panel or container overwrote the edit. Change the panel field or environment source and redeploy.
  • A duplicate property exists. Keep one adminPassword key and remove accidental duplicates after restoring a backup if necessary.

The server will not start after saving

  • Restore the backup to establish a known-good configuration.
  • Check for a missing comma, an extra comma, unmatched quotation mark, or other invalid JSON.
  • Confirm that the file was saved as UTF-16LE, as required by the 1.10.2 handbook copy.
  • Reapply only the password edit, save again, and restart.

Admin commands are rejected even though the password changed

  • Make sure you entered adminPassword, not password or spectatorPassword.
  • Confirm that the account is using the in-game admin-authentication flow for the server build.
  • Check the server log for a rejected authentication or a command-permission error.
  • Verify that the test client connected to the same server instance whose file you edited.

You have lost the current password

For a self-hosted server, stop it and inspect the active settings.json, then replace the value and restart. For a managed host, use its password field or contact support. As a last resort, an older 1.6.0 handbook copy described deleting the JSON files and starting the server once so default files are regenerated. That procedure is destructive: it can reset unrelated server settings, belongs to an older edition, and should only be attempted after taking complete backups and confirming that the current build documents the same recovery behavior.

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Version and file-format cautions

Evidence or installation detail Practical implication
Current handbook material lists adminPassword as a server setting and identifies settings.json as the normal location. Edit that property in the active settings file, then restart and test.
The 1.10.2 handbook copy specifies UTF-16LE. Preserve or explicitly select UTF-16LE when saving.
An older 1.6.0 handbook copy used a configuration.json heading in its example. Do not assume that older filename or layout applies to a newer installation.
Handbook editions have been revised several times. Match field names, command syntax, and recovery steps to the handbook for the installed build.

Security practices for an ACC admin password

  • Use a long, unique value that is not reused for your Steam account, hosting panel, or operating-system login.
  • Share it only with people who need administrative access. Anyone who can authenticate with it may be able to run disruptive server commands.
  • Keep the credential out of screenshots, public repositories, compose files, and support posts. Redact it before sending logs or configuration excerpts.
  • Rotate it when a staff member leaves, when the value is posted accidentally, or when you move the server to a new host.
  • After rotation, test both a legitimate admin login and an ordinary player login so you know which credentials remain separate.

Quick decision guide

Your installation Where to change the value What to do afterward
Files on your own host adminPassword in the active settings.json Save as UTF-16LE, restart the server, and test an admin command.
Provider control panel The provider’s Admin Password or equivalent server setting Apply the change and use the panel’s restart control; ask support if the field is missing.
Docker or another container The documented environment variable or deployment definition that generates the config Redeploy or recreate the container, then verify the effective setting.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

ACC dedicated serverAssetto Corsa Competizionegame server passwordsserver administrationsettings.json

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