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Valheim server password rules at a glance
Valheim does not use a separate password field in a web dashboard for a standard dedicated server. The password is a command-line launch argument read when the server starts. The argument is:
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| Rule or setting | What to do | What happens if you get it wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum length | Use five or more characters. | The server may reject the value or clients may be unable to complete a join. |
| Relationship to the server name | Keep the password out of the public -name value. |
The password is invalid when it appears in the listing name. |
| Where it is configured | Put it in the copied Windows .bat or Linux .sh startup script. |
Editing an unrelated file or a running process has no effect. |
| When it takes effect | Save the script, stop the server, and start it again. | Existing process arguments remain in force until restart. |
| Privacy | Keep the value out of screenshots, public configuration files, and documentation. | Anyone who sees it can attempt to join your world. |
The five-character minimum and the restriction involving the server name come from current Valheim dedicated-server setup guidance. Iron Gate’s official guide documents the -password launch option but does not replace the need to follow those validation rules.
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How the password fits into Valheim’s startup options
A dedicated server reads several options together. Treat the password as one part of a single startup command rather than as a setting independent of the world or listing identity.
| Option | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
-name |
The public name shown in the server list. | -name "My server" |
-world |
Selects an existing world or creates one with that identifier. | -world "Dedicated" |
-password |
Sets the value players must enter to join. | -password "YourPassword" |
-port |
Chooses the base network port. Valheim also uses the next port. | -port 2456 |
-public |
Controls whether the server is listed publicly. 0 hides it from the list. |
-public 0 |
-crossplay |
Starts the crossplay backend. | -crossplay |
The default port pair is 2456 and 2457: the specified port and that port plus one. The official guide also explains that -public 0 leaves a server invisible in the list while allowing players to use the Join IP button. A crossplay server does not require router port forwarding according to that guide; a conventional non-crossplay deployment may still need router and firewall work.
Set or change the password on Windows
1. Install or open the dedicated-server tool
In Steam, open the Tools section of your library and install or launch Valheim Dedicated Server. The tool supplies the stock Windows startup file, normally named start_headless_server.bat.
2. Copy the stock startup script
Make a copy of start_headless_server.bat before editing it. Keep the copy in the same server installation area and give it a clear name such as start_my_valheim_server.bat. Updates can replace the supplied script; a separate copy preserves your custom arguments so you can compare them with a newly installed version.
3. Edit the password argument
Right-click your copied file, choose the edit command, and locate the existing launch line. Add or replace the password argument while retaining the quotation marks:
-password "YourPassword"Use a value that satisfies the minimum-length rule and is not included anywhere in the -name text. Keep the value on the same command line as the other options. If the script already contains a password argument, edit that argument instead of adding a second one; two competing values make troubleshooting unnecessarily difficult.
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4. Check the surrounding arguments
A typical customized line may look like this:
valheim_server.exe -nographics -batchmode -name "My server" -port 2456 -world "Dedicated" -password "YourPassword" -public 1The executable and other switches can differ between releases, so do not delete options you still need. The important part for authentication is the single -password argument. Change -name only when you intend to change the public listing; -world identifies the saved world and should remain unchanged if you want to reopen the existing one.
5. Save, then restart
Save the file and close the editor. Stop the running dedicated-server process if it is open, then double-click the copied script to start it. Wait until the console reports that the server is connected and ready before testing a client. Starting the old stock script after editing the copy is a common reason a supposedly changed password appears not to work.
Set or change the password on Linux
1. Preserve the supplied shell script
Use the Linux equivalent of the dedicated-server startup file, commonly a shell script ending in .sh. Copy it before making changes, just as on Windows, so a future update does not erase your launch configuration.
2. Edit the copied script
Open the copy in your preferred text editor and locate the command that launches the server. Add or replace:
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3. Confirm that the file can run
Retain the script’s existing executable permission. If you created a new copy outside the original directory, check that your account can read the server files and execute the script. Do not paste the password into a shell history command or a shared terminal transcript; edit the file locally instead.
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4. Restart and observe the console
Stop the old server process, launch the copied script, and wait for the server-connected message. Have a player test the new value only after the new process is fully started. If the old value still works, confirm which script or service actually started the process.
How to change a password without changing the world
A password change does not require a new world. Leave the -world argument pointing to the same identifier, edit only -password, and restart the dedicated server. The world is selected by -world; the password is a separate startup argument.
- Ask players to leave or schedule a short maintenance window.
- Stop the running dedicated-server process cleanly.
- Open the copied
.bator.shscript. - Replace the existing
-passwordvalue with the new private value. - Save the file without changing
-worldor other options unintentionally. - Start the same copied script and wait for the connected/ready message.
- Send the new password privately to the intended players and test a join.
Players already connected may remain in a session until the server is stopped. The new value is enforced when the restarted server accepts subsequent joins; restarting is therefore part of the change, not an optional final step.
Why a Valheim password fails
Check the causes in this order. It prevents you from spending time on router settings when the launch argument itself is invalid.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| The server refuses to start or the join is rejected immediately. | The value is shorter than the required minimum or violates the server-name rule. | Choose a compliant value, make sure it is not present in -name, save the script, and restart. |
| The new password has no effect. | You edited one script but launched another, or the process was never restarted. | Identify the exact script used to launch the process, edit that copy, stop the old process, and start it again. |
| Players see the server but cannot join. | The password may be correct, but the port or firewall path is unavailable. | Verify the configured base port, the adjacent port, host firewall rules, and any router configuration required by your backend. |
| Only some players fail to join. | Players may be using an old saved value, or the server listing has not refreshed. | Send the current value privately, have the player re-enter it, and test after the server reports ready. |
| The server disappears from the list. | -public 0 makes it invisible, or the listing has not registered yet. |
Use the Join IP button for a private server, or change the public setting deliberately and restart. |
| The password works locally but not from another network. | External connectivity, rather than authentication, is failing. | Check the port pair, firewall, router forwarding where applicable, and whether crossplay is enabled. |
Check the exact command line
Open the script that was actually launched and inspect the complete command. Look for a misspelled switch such as -pass, a second password argument later in the line, missing quotation marks, or a value accidentally placed inside -name. Keep one clearly readable password argument and avoid editing generated shortcuts or unrelated configuration files when the script is the source of truth.
Distinguish authentication from networking
A failed join can produce similar symptoms for two different reasons. A rule violation concerns the value supplied to -password. A networking failure occurs when the client cannot reach the server at all. First validate the password and restart state; then test the port and firewall path. This order gives you a meaningful result instead of changing several variables at once.
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Ports, firewalls, and crossplay
Iron Gate’s dedicated-server documentation specifies a base port and the next port. With the default, that means 2456-2457. If you choose another base value with -port, use that value and its successor when checking the host firewall and any router rules.
Whether router forwarding is necessary depends on the backend. The official guide states that the -crossplay backend does not require router port forwarding. Without crossplay, players connecting from outside the host’s local network may need the relevant ports forwarded to the server machine, and the host firewall must allow the server process. The exact router screens and firewall policy vary by operating system and network equipment, so apply the rule to the machine running the dedicated server rather than to a different gaming PC.
Changing a password does not change the port. If players could connect before the password edit and cannot connect afterward, verify the script and restart first; do not alter networking settings unless the connection path itself has changed.
Choose a safe password and distribute it carefully
Use a dedicated value
Do not reuse an account password, administrator credential, or a value that identifies your household. Anyone who can read the startup script can read the server password, so file access is part of the security boundary.
Keep it out of public materials
Do not publish the password in a server description, screenshot, stream overlay, public issue, shared configuration repository, or documentation page. If you need to show the command for support, replace the real value with a neutral example such as "YourPassword" before sharing it.
Rotate it when access changes
When a player should no longer have access, change the value in the copied startup script and restart the server. Send the replacement privately only to the players who should remain. Because the password is a shared secret, removing one person without changing it does not revoke that person’s knowledge.
Related access controls and save files
Password protection is the first gate, not the only administrative control. The official guide documents separate files for permissions and bans: adminlist.txt, bannedlist.txt, and permittedlist.txt. These files serve different purposes from -password; do not try to encode an administrator list or a ban inside the launch argument.
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The same documentation describes default save locations for dedicated-server data. Before changing startup options or performing maintenance, identify the save directory used by your installation and back up the world files. A password edit should leave the world selected by -world intact, but a copied script that accidentally changes that argument can point the server at a different world or create a new one.
Home server or rented host?
You can run the dedicated server on a machine you control or rent a managed Valheim server. The password syntax remains a startup argument, but the administrative work differs.
| Consideration | Self-hosted machine | Rented managed server |
|---|---|---|
| Cost pattern | Uses existing hardware and electricity; there is no provider fee, but operating costs remain yours. | Uses a recurring hosting charge; current prices depend on provider, region, capacity, and options. |
| Availability | The host machine and server process must stay online for players to connect. | The provider keeps the allocated service online subject to its plan and maintenance. |
| Administration | You manage Windows or Linux, updates, the copied script, firewall, and backups. | The provider may expose a control panel or support, but the available settings vary. |
| Network setup | You may need local firewall and router work unless using crossplay. | Port exposure is normally part of the service, but you must verify the provider’s networking model. |
| Backups and location | You choose backup frequency, storage, and geographic location. | Backup controls and data-center location depend on the host; confirm them before subscribing. |
| Capacity and support | Limited by your hardware, bandwidth, and ability to troubleshoot. | Capacity, upgrade options, and support response depend on the selected plan. |
If a host supplies a web panel, look for the equivalent startup setting and confirm that it writes the same -password argument. Do not assume a panel’s field accepts a password that violates Valheim’s own rules, and do not publish the panel value in a support ticket or screenshot.
A concise verification checklist
- The password appears once as
-password "..."in the script you actually launch. - The value meets the minimum length and is absent from the public
-name. - The edited file is a preserved copy rather than a stock file likely to be overwritten by an update.
-worldstill names the intended existing world.- The server was stopped and restarted after the edit.
- The console reached its server-connected/ready message before a join test.
- The base port and its next port match the firewall and, where needed, router configuration.
-crossplayis enabled or disabled intentionally, with its forwarding implications understood.- The password was shared privately and is not visible in screenshots or public files.
What to remember
Valheim’s dedicated-server password is a startup setting, not a live in-game toggle. Edit the copied startup script, use the exact -password "YourPassword" form, keep the value compliant and private, and restart the process. If a compliant value still fails, determine whether the wrong script was launched or whether the client is actually facing a port, firewall, listing, or crossplay problem.
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