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Essential Arma 3 Server Admin Commands

A practical Arma 3 administration reference covering in-game login, kicking and banning players, mission control, server restarts, shutdowns and remote BattlEye RCon access.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To administer an Arma 3 dedicated server in game, log in with #login using the passwordAdmin value in server.cfg. Players listed in the server’s admins[] array can use #login without entering a password. Once authenticated, the commands you will use most are #kick, #exec ban, #restart, #shutdown, #restartserver and #mission.

For administration from outside the game, use BattlEye RCon. It has a separate password and configuration file, and its default UDP port is 2306. RCon is not the same login path as the in-game #login system. The instructions below apply to Arma 3; Arma Reforger uses different command behaviour and should not be treated as syntax-compatible.

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How Arma 3 administrator access works

Arma 3 has two distinct administration paths. Choose the one that matches where you are working:

Method Where you use it Credentials and configuration Typical scope
In-game administrator Chat or the in-game command field passwordAdmin and, optionally, admins[] in server.cfg Commands available to an authenticated in-game admin
BattlEye RCon A remote RCon client or administration console RCon password in the BattlEye configuration, normally beserver_x64.cfg Remote server commands such as shutdown, restart, mission control, monitoring and player management

These systems do not share a password. A correct passwordAdmin does not authenticate an RCon client, and an RCon password does not log a player in through chat.

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Set up the in-game account in server.cfg

Before connecting, open the configuration used by your dedicated server and set an administrator password with the passwordAdmin entry. Keep the value private and use a password that is not used for any other service. If you want named administrators to authenticate without a shared password, add their player identifiers to admins[] as supported by your server configuration. Those listed players can then issue #login without supplying a password.

After changing the configuration, restart the server using your normal service or host controls so the new settings are loaded. Editing a file while the server is running does not by itself prove that the running process has re-read it.

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Log in as an Arma 3 administrator

  1. Join the correct Arma 3 server with the player account that should receive administrative access.
  2. Open the in-game chat or command input.
  3. Enter #login followed by the value configured as passwordAdmin, for example:
#login yourAdminPassword
  1. Submit the command and wait for the server to accept it. Run a harmless administrative action only after you are sure the login succeeded.

If your player is included in admins[], use #login as permitted by that configuration instead of entering a password. If login fails, check that you connected to the intended server, that the password has no accidental spaces, and that the server was restarted after its configuration changed. Do not paste the password into a public chat channel where other players can retain it in logs or screenshots.

Player control: kick and ban

Kick a player with #kick

#kick removes a player from the current server session. The command can identify the target by player name, numeric player ID or Player# value. Names containing spaces can be ambiguous, so use the ID or Player# shown by the server when possible.

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#kick PlayerName

The exact target text is important: a misspelled name or an identifier from a different session will not remove the intended player. A kick is temporary. The player may reconnect unless another server rule or ban prevents it.

Ban a player with #exec ban

To create a persistent Arma 3 ban, use the execution form and identify the player. The official command guidance requires the value for #exec kick and #exec ban to be quoted. The ban command writes the player’s ID to ban.txt.

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#exec ban "PlayerName"

Use the identifier that the server reports for the player rather than relying on a display name that may change. Because the resulting entry is stored in ban.txt, a ban can continue to apply after the player disconnects and the mission changes. Treat that file as operational data: back it up before manual edits and remove only the specific entry you have verified.

When to kick and when to ban

  • Use #kick for a disruptive session, a mistaken connection or a situation where you want the player to be able to return.
  • Use #exec ban when the player’s server ID should be denied on future connections.
  • Record the player ID and the reason in your staff log before issuing a permanent ban, especially on a community server with multiple administrators.

Restarting, stopping and scheduling the server

Restart the current mission: #restart

#restart restarts the mission currently running. It is a mission-level reset, not a full dedicated-server process restart. Use it when the mission state needs to be reset but the server process and its loaded configuration should remain in place.

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#restart

Stop the server immediately: #shutdown

#shutdown stops the server immediately. Warn players first whenever possible, because an immediate stop can interrupt an ongoing mission and prevent an orderly handover.

#shutdown

Restart the dedicated server: #restartserver

#restartserver restarts the server process rather than merely restarting the active mission. The command was added in Arma 3 version 1.66. It is appropriate when you need the process to reload configuration or recover from a server-level fault, provided your hosting or service manager is configured to start the process again.

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#restartserver

Wait until the mission ends

Arma 3 version 1.72 added commands that defer the action until the current mission reaches its end:

  • #shutdownaftermission stops the server after the mission finishes.
  • #restartserveraftermission restarts the server after the mission finishes.

These are preferable to an immediate stop when players need time to complete or save a mission. They do not make the current mission end instantly; they schedule the server action for the mission-end transition.

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Load a mission with #mission

#mission loads a named mission from the server’s MPMissions folder. The command accepts the mission name and can also take an optional difficulty value.

#mission MissionName

Use the mission’s configured name, not an arbitrary display title. If the file is absent from MPMissions, is installed for a different terrain or has a naming mismatch, the load can fail or present no usable mission. Confirm the mission exists on the server before issuing the command to a live population.

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The optional difficulty argument lets you select the applicable difficulty setting when the mission supports it. Because mission packages can define their own parameters, verify the expected name and difficulty in the mission files and server log rather than guessing from the lobby title.

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BattlEye RCon for remote administration

BattlEye RCon is the recommended route when you must administer a server without joining it. It runs separately from in-game #login, uses its own password and is configured through the BattlEye server configuration, commonly named beserver_x64.cfg in current Arma 3 deployments. The default RCon transport is UDP port 2306; confirm the actual port in your host’s configuration and firewall before connecting.

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Basic RCon setup sequence

  1. Locate the BattlEye configuration associated with the running Arma 3 instance. Do not edit a similarly named file belonging to another server profile.
  2. Set the RCon password in that file and restrict file permissions so ordinary users cannot read it.
  3. Allow the selected UDP port through the host firewall and any provider-level firewall. The documented default is 2306, but a host may change it to avoid a collision.
  4. Start or restart the server so BattlEye loads the RCon settings.
  5. Connect with an RCon client using the server address, configured UDP port and RCon password. Test with a non-destructive command before attempting a restart or shutdown.

A community note claims that the RCon password must be alphanumeric and that RestrictRCon must be set to 0 in a file called BEServer.cfg. That advice is not established as universal official behavior. Treat it as a troubleshooting lead only: first inspect the configuration file your BattlEye build actually uses and confirm accepted values in the server log. Do not weaken access restrictions or simplify a password unless you have verified the requirement for your installation.

What RCon can do

The RCon command set includes administrative actions such as:

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  • #shutdown and #restart for stopping or restarting operations;
  • #reassign and #mission for mission flow;
  • #missions to inspect or manage available mission choices;
  • #monitor for server monitoring;
  • #lock and #unlock for controlling whether new players can join;
  • #userlist for viewing connected users.

RCon commands are sent remotely, while in-game commands are entered by a logged-in player. Keep a written record of which operators have RCon credentials because a leaked RCon password can provide control without any visible administrator player being online.

Understanding #missions and mission-end automation

Mission-management commands can interact with automatic mission cycling. One community report says that #missions may trigger the missionEnd event and, where mission-count thresholds are configured, can restart the server or shut it down immediately. This behavior is not established as a universal rule. If your server uses mission-count or event-driven automation, test the command on a maintenance instance and watch the server log before using it during a live event.

Troubleshooting failed commands

The server rejects #login

  • Confirm that you are on an Arma 3 server, not an Arma Reforger server.
  • Check the exact passwordAdmin value loaded by the active server profile.
  • Restart the server after changing server.cfg.
  • If using admins[], verify that the identifier belongs to the player account that is currently connected.

A kick or ban targets nobody

  • Use the player’s numeric ID or Player# rather than a similar display name.
  • For #exec kick and #exec ban, put the target value in quotation marks.
  • Check the server log for the identifier the server assigned in this session.

Restart or shutdown behaves unexpectedly

  • Distinguish #restart (current mission) from #restartserver (server process).
  • Use the aftermission variants when an immediate interruption is not intended.
  • Confirm that your host’s service manager is configured to relaunch the process after #restartserver.

RCon cannot connect

  • Verify the UDP port; 2306 is the default, not a guarantee that every host uses it.
  • Check both the operating-system firewall and any hosting-provider firewall.
  • Ensure the RCon client is using the RCon password, not passwordAdmin.
  • Inspect the BattlEye log to confirm which configuration file and port the running instance loaded.

Arma 3 versus Arma Reforger

Do not copy Arma 3 command procedures into Arma Reforger. A Reforger administration guide reports different command behavior, including a case where #shutdown does not restart the server. The command names, configuration files and lifecycle behavior must be checked against the documentation for the specific game and server build you operate.

Administrator safety checklist

  • Keep passwordAdmin, the RCon password and configuration files private.
  • Use #kick for temporary removal and reserve #exec ban for a documented server-ID ban.
  • Announce disruptive actions before using #restart, #shutdown or #restartserver.
  • Prefer #shutdownaftermission or #restartserveraftermission when players need to finish the current mission.
  • Back up ban.txt before manual maintenance.
  • Check the server log after configuration edits and after testing RCon.
  • Validate unfamiliar behavior on a test profile, particularly automation involving #missions and missionEnd.

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