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How to Set a Password on a Palworld Dedicated Server

Set a Palworld dedicated-server password in the active PalWorldSettings.ini file. This guide covers Windows and Linux paths, ServerPassword versus AdminPassword, restart requirements, player joining, and fixes when the password does not work.
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Set a Palworld dedicated-server login password with the ServerPassword parameter in the active PalWorldSettings.ini file. Start the server once, copy the default settings file into the platform-specific saved configuration folder, edit the copied file, and fully restart the server. Editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini by itself does not change the running server.

Windows and Linux use different configuration folders. The password protects player login; AdminPassword is a separate credential for administrative commands.

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What the Palworld server password controls

Palworld uses two different password settings, and confusing them is the most common reason a password setup appears not to work.

Setting Purpose Who uses it
ServerPassword Password required to log in to the server Every player connecting to the password-protected server
AdminPassword Credential used to obtain administrative privileges A player or operator who needs to run admin commands

Set ServerPassword when you want to restrict who can join. Set or change AdminPassword separately when you need to control administrative access. A server can have both values, and one does not replace the other.

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Where Palworld stores the active settings file

The file that the dedicated server reads at runtime is named PalWorldSettings.ini and lives in the saved configuration directory created for your operating system:

  • Windows: steamappscommonPalServerPalSavedConfigWindowsServerPalWorldSettings.ini
  • Linux: steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

The installation also contains DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini. That file is a template. Pocketpair’s server documentation explicitly warns: “Note that editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini will not affect the changes.” Your password must be written to the saved, platform-specific PalWorldSettings.ini instead.

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Prepare the server before editing

Start the server once

Run the dedicated server one time before looking for the saved configuration file. According to Pocketpair’s procedure, the required directories are created only after the server has started. Stop it after the first startup if you do not want anyone connecting while you configure it.

Identify the operating system folder

Use the folder that matches the machine running the dedicated server. Windows installations use WindowsServer; Linux installations use LinuxServer. Do not substitute one for the other, even if you are editing the files from a different computer.

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Make a backup

Before changing the file, copy the existing PalWorldSettings.ini to a safe location. This gives you a known-good version to restore if a typo prevents the server from loading its settings. Keep the original file’s structure intact while you make the password change.

Set the password on Windows

  1. Start the Palworld dedicated server once and allow it to finish creating its folders.
  2. Open the server installation directory and locate DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini.
  3. Copy that default file into steamappscommonPalServerPalSavedConfigWindowsServer.
  4. Name the copied file PalWorldSettings.ini. If a runtime file already exists, edit that file rather than replacing it blindly; preserve any other settings you have already configured.
  5. Open the saved PalWorldSettings.ini in a plain-text editor.
  6. Find the OptionSettings configuration line and add or change the ServerPassword value so it reads ServerPassword="your-password", replacing your-password with the credential you want players to enter.
  7. Save the file in the same folder, keeping the filename exactly PalWorldSettings.ini.
  8. Fully stop and restart the dedicated server. The setting is read when the server starts; changing the file while the process is running does not by itself reload the password.

If Windows hides file extensions, verify that the file is not accidentally saved as PalWorldSettings.ini.txt. The name must end in .ini and must be inside the WindowsServer saved-config directory.

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Set the password on Linux

  1. Start the dedicated server once so it creates the saved configuration tree.
  2. Locate DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini in the PalServer installation.
  3. Copy it to steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini. Create the destination directories only if the first startup did not create them; the final path and filename are what matter.
  4. Open the copied runtime file with a text editor that does not add rich-text formatting.
  5. In the OptionSettings line, set ServerPassword="your-password" with your chosen password between the quotation marks.
  6. Save the file without changing its name or moving it back to the installation root.
  7. Stop the running server process completely, then start it again so it loads the new value.

Use the Linux path even when you administer the machine remotely. A Windows copy of the file is not read by a Linux server, and vice versa.

Edit the OptionSettings line safely

Palworld stores the server options in an OptionSettings configuration entry. The password belongs in that entry as a quoted value. Replace only the value associated with ServerPassword; do not remove the surrounding quotation marks or alter unrelated options.

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  • Use the spelling and capitalization ServerPassword exactly.
  • Keep the value inside quotation marks: ServerPassword="your-password".
  • Preserve the existing separators and the rest of the OptionSettings line.
  • Save the edited file as plain text at the platform-specific saved-config path.
  • If you are changing an existing password, replace the old value rather than adding a second ServerPassword entry.

The server’s default template can be copied again when you need to create a new configuration, but any password change still has to be made in the active saved file. Re-copying the template over an existing runtime file can overwrite other settings, so keep your backup and review the destination before replacing anything.

Restart and verify the change

A restart is part of the procedure, not an optional final step. Shut down the dedicated-server process, confirm it has exited, and launch it again. Then test with a player account that is not already relying on a previous connection session.

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  1. Confirm the edited file’s path matches the server operating system.
  2. Confirm the file is named PalWorldSettings.ini, not the default template.
  3. Confirm ServerPassword appears in the OptionSettings line with a quoted value.
  4. Save the file before stopping the editor.
  5. Fully restart the server.
  6. Attempt a new connection and enter the configured password when prompted by the connection workflow.

If a new connection is still accepted without the password, stop testing and recheck the active path first. The usual cause is that the edited file is not the one the server reads.

How players join after a password is set

Dedicated-server connection

Pocketpair’s connection instructions say that dedicated-server players use the server-list form to enter the server’s IP address and port. Give players the correct address and port for the machine hosting your dedicated server, then have them provide the ServerPassword credential when the game requests it. The password does not replace the address or port; it authenticates the login after the player follows the dedicated-server connection flow.

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Community-server connection

For a community server, players select Community server, find the server in the community list, and select it. They still use the configured ServerPassword as the player-login credential. If the server is not visible in that list, solve the discovery or listing problem separately; changing the password does not supply a missing IP address, port, or listing entry.

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Administrative access

A player who needs administrative privileges must use the separate AdminPassword setting and the game’s admin-login process. Giving someone the server-login password does not automatically grant admin rights, and changing AdminPassword does not change the password required for ordinary players to join.

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Troubleshoot a Palworld password that is not working

Symptom Likely check Correction
Password has no effect The wrong file was edited Edit PalWorldSettings.ini under Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer or Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer, not DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini.
Password works on one machine but not the other Platform-specific directory mismatch Use WindowsServer for a Windows server and LinuxServer for a Linux server.
Players cannot find the server Incorrect connection method or address For a dedicated server, use the correct IP address and port. For a community server, use the Community server list flow.
Admin commands fail after login AdminPassword was not configured or is being confused with ServerPassword Check the separate AdminPassword value and use it for administrative authentication.
Changes disappear after an update or file replacement The runtime file was overwritten by a fresh template copy Restore your backup or reapply the password to the active saved file, then restart the server.

When the file does not exist

Start the server once before creating or searching for the saved configuration. The initial startup creates the directory structure described by Pocketpair. After that first run, look specifically beneath Pal/Saved/Config and choose the operating-system folder.

When the password is rejected

Reopen the active file and check the parameter name, quotation marks, and spelling. Make sure you changed the value in the OptionSettings entry, saved the file, and restarted the server after saving. Do not troubleshoot AdminPassword when the problem is a player being unable to log in; those settings serve different purposes.

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When players cannot see the server

Visibility and authentication are separate stages. A player must first use the correct dedicated-server IP-and-port form or the Community server list. Once the server is reachable, the configured ServerPassword controls login. Verify the connection details before changing the password again.

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Changing or removing the password

Change an existing password

  1. Stop the dedicated server.
  2. Open the active platform-specific PalWorldSettings.ini.
  3. Replace the current ServerPassword value in OptionSettings with the new quoted value.
  4. Save the file and start the server again.
  5. Give the new credential to intended players and stop distributing the old one.

Remove the login password

To return to an unprotected player login, edit the active ServerPassword setting according to the syntax supported by your current Palworld server configuration, save the file, and restart. Keep a backup before making this change so you can restore the previous protected configuration if needed. Do not remove or change AdminPassword unless you also intend to alter administrative access.

Operational checklist

  • The server has been started at least once, allowing its saved directories to be created.
  • The file being edited is PalWorldSettings.ini, not DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini.
  • The file is under WindowsServer for Windows or LinuxServer for Linux.
  • ServerPassword is written in the OptionSettings entry with a quoted value.
  • The file was saved as plain text with the exact .ini filename.
  • The dedicated server was fully restarted after the edit.
  • Players have the correct dedicated-server IP and port, or are using the Community server list.
  • AdminPassword is handled separately for administrative privileges.

Following those checks applies the player-login password to the file Palworld actually reads and separates password setup from server discovery and administrator authentication.

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