Change the public name of an Arma 3 dedicated server by editing the hostname setting in the configuration file that the server actually loads, then restarting the server. For example:
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hostname = "Your Server Name";
The filename itself is not special. A file called server.cfg works only when the launch command points to it with -config=server.cfg. If your command loads a different file, edit that file or change the -config value.
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What controls the name players see
Arma 3 uses the hostname line in the loaded dedicated-server configuration to determine the server name shown in the server browser. The setting must be written as a quoted value followed by a semicolon:
hostname = "Your Server Name";
Replace Your Server Name with the text you want players to see. Keep the quotation marks and the final semicolon. Do not put the name in the executable filename, the Windows folder name, the Steam server title, or the -name launch parameter and expect that to change the public listing. The public display value comes from hostname.
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There is no required filename for the configuration. Administrators often call it server.cfg, but that is only a convention. Arma 3 loads whichever file is supplied after -config= in the startup command. A file named my-public-server.conf can work just as well if the command uses -config=my-public-server.conf and the file is in the location from which the server can read it.
Before editing: identify the file that is really loaded
The most common reason a name change appears to do nothing is that the wrong copy of the configuration was edited. Dedicated-server folders frequently contain templates, backups, old test configurations, and files belonging to different instances. Find the launch command first.
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- Locate the argument beginning with
-config=. - Record the exact filename and path, including capitalization and any directory component.
- Edit that file rather than a similarly named template or backup.
- If the command does not contain
-config=, establish which configuration method your launcher uses before changing a file; an arbitraryserver.cfgelsewhere will not automatically be read.
Keep a backup before editing. A simple copy such as server.cfg.backup lets you restore the previous working configuration if a typo prevents the server from starting.
Step-by-step: change the name on a self-hosted server
1. Open the active configuration
Change to the Arma 3 dedicated-server directory and open the file named by -config= in a plain-text editor. Avoid word processors that add formatting or smart quotation marks. The file should remain ordinary text.
2. Add or replace the hostname line
Find an existing hostname entry and replace only its value. If no entry exists, add one on its own line:
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hostname = "My Arma 3 Community";
Use one pair of straight double quotation marks around the complete name and finish the statement with a semicolon. Do not create two competing hostname lines and assume the last one will always win; remove or comment out the obsolete entry so there is one clear value.
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3. Save without changing the filename
Save the file in the same location and with the same extension referenced by the launch command. Check that your editor did not silently append an extra extension such as .txt. For example, a file displayed as server.cfg.txt is not the same file as server.cfg.
4. Confirm the launch command points to it
On Linux, the Bohemia Interactive configuration example changes into the Arma 3 directory and starts the 64-bit server with:
./arma3server_x64 -name=server -config=server.cfg
If your file has another name, change the final argument accordingly. For example, a file called community.cfg requires -config=community.cfg. The -name=server portion is not a substitute for the hostname setting; leave it as required by your server profile or startup arrangement.
5. Stop and restart the dedicated server
Configuration changes are applied when the server launches. Stop the running instance cleanly, then start it again using the corrected command. Editing a file while the process continues to run does not reliably update the active server.
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6. Allow the listing to refresh
After a successful restart, wait roughly one to two minutes before judging the result, then refresh the Arma 3 server browser. The exact delay depends on the browser and network conditions. If the server is visible through Direct Connect but the browser still shows the old name, the server may already be using the new configuration and the listing is stale.
Linux launch example
A minimal sequence for a Linux installation looks like this:
- Change into the directory containing the dedicated-server executable and configuration.
- Edit the file referenced by the launch command, for example
server.cfg. - Set the line to
hostname = "My Linux Arma Server";. - Save the file.
- Start the server with
./arma3server_x64 -name=server -config=server.cfg, or replaceserver.cfgwith your actual filename. - Watch the console for a normal startup, then wait briefly and refresh the browser.
If you use a shell script, systemd unit, container entrypoint, or another supervisor, make the edit in the command that supervisor invokes. Restarting a different manually launched copy will not change the instance players are joining.
Windows and service-based launches
On Windows, use the same configuration principle: identify the executable shortcut, batch file, scheduled task, or service definition and inspect its -config= argument. Open the referenced file, set the hostname line, save it, and restart the service or process. The executable name and the directory layout can differ from the Linux example, but the relationship between -config and the loaded file remains the important part.
For a service, restart the service after saving rather than merely closing an editor. For a batch file, verify that the batch file is not copying a template over your edited configuration each time it starts. If it does, edit the template that the script copies or remove the overwrite step according to your deployment design.
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Hosted control panels
Managed Arma 3 hosts may provide a Server Name or similar field on a startup or configuration page. When that field exists, use it as the primary setting and restart from the panel. Some panels regenerate configuration files during a restart, so a direct edit made through file access can be replaced by the panel’s saved value.
If a name repeatedly reverts, compare the panel’s startup command with the file you edited. Check both the panel’s name field and the resulting -config= argument. The effective setting is the hostname line in the file ultimately loaded by the process, not necessarily the file you can see first in a web file manager.
How to verify that the new name is active
Check the server process
Confirm that the process restarted at the time you made the edit and that it is using the intended executable and configuration path. A second test instance can make this confusing: you may be viewing one server in the browser while editing the files for another.
Check the in-game browser
Refresh the server list after the restart and short propagation delay. Search for a distinctive portion of the new name rather than relying on the previous listing position.
Use Direct Connect as a diagnostic
If you know the server address and port, try Direct Connect. A successful direct connection while the browser shows an old name points toward a cached or delayed listing rather than a failed hostname edit. Clearing the browser cache or restarting the game can help separate a stale client view from a server-side problem.
Troubleshooting a name that does not change
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The old name remains after editing | The edited file is not the file loaded at startup | Read the active launch line and match its -config= value exactly. Edit that file or change the argument. |
| The new name appears only after a later restart | The process was never restarted after the edit | Stop the running instance and start it again through the normal script, service, or panel. |
| Direct Connect reaches the server, but the browser is stale | Client cache or listing delay | Refresh after a short wait, clear the browser cache, or restart the game. Test again with Direct Connect. |
| The server is not listed at all | Query-port or network configuration problem, separate from the name | Check that the query port required by your deployment is forwarded and reachable. A listing failure does not prove that the hostname syntax is wrong. |
| The server fails to start after the edit | Malformed configuration syntax or an accidental file change | Restore the backup, then reapply only hostname = "...";. Check the straight quotes, semicolon, and filename. |
| The name changes back after every panel restart | The hosting panel regenerates the file | Save the value in the panel’s Server Name field or identify the template the panel uses before restarting again. |
| One instance changes but another does not | Multiple installations or profiles are running | Compare each process’s executable, working directory, -name, and -config arguments. |
Syntax and editing checklist
- Use the key
hostnamein lowercase as shown. - Put the desired public name inside straight double quotation marks.
- End the line with a semicolon.
- Keep exactly one active hostname definition in the loaded file.
- Save the file as plain text with its original filename and extension.
- Confirm the startup command’s
-config=value points to that file. - Restart the actual server process, not just the editor or file-transfer session.
- Wait briefly, refresh the browser, and use Direct Connect if the listing looks cached.
Understanding the launch parameters
The command-line options can make the configuration easy to misunderstand. In the Linux example, -config=server.cfg selects the configuration file. Changing the file’s name without changing this option leaves the server reading the old path. Conversely, changing -config to a new file without copying the required settings can start an instance with incomplete or different configuration.
The -name=server option appears alongside -config in the standard example, but it does not replace hostname. Treat the profile/instance argument and the public browser name as separate settings. When diagnosing a mismatch, record both values and the working directory used by the process.
A reliable change procedure for repeated deployments
If you operate test, staging, and public instances, use a repeatable procedure so a name change cannot accidentally target the wrong server:
- Write down the address, instance profile, working directory, and launch command for the target server.
- Resolve the exact
-config=path from that command. - Back up the active file with a timestamp.
- Change only the
hostnamevalue first. - Save, restart through the same supervisor that normally starts the instance, and confirm the process start time.
- Verify the new name in the browser or with Direct Connect.
- Only after the name is confirmed, make unrelated configuration changes.
This isolates naming changes from mission, mod, difficulty, or network changes and makes a failed restart easier to roll back.
Quick answer
Edit the configuration file selected by your startup command, set hostname = "Your Server Name";, save it, and restart the Arma 3 dedicated server. The filename can be anything; the -config= argument determines which file is used. If the browser still shows the previous value, verify the active file and process, wait for the listing to refresh, clear stale client data, and check query-port connectivity separately from the hostname setting.
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