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How to Add an Admin to a Sons of the Forest Server

Use the player’s decimal SteamID64 in ownerswhitelist.txt—one ID per line—then restart the Sons of the Forest server to apply owner rights.
Length7 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To make someone an owner on a Sons of the Forest dedicated server, add that player’s 17-digit SteamID64 to ownerswhitelist.txt, with one ID on each line. Stop the server before editing, save the file, and restart it; the permission is read when the server starts. Guides from YorkHost and HostHavoc describe this same workflow.

The filename is easy to misread. The documented name is ownerswhitelist.txt, not adminlist.txt. Some hosting pages contain misspellings such as ownedwhitelist.txt or ownerwhitelist.txt, so confirm the exact filename shown in your server’s files.

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If you are choosing a host for this workflow, Godlike.Host provides Sons of the Forest game-server hosting with its own game panel, a config editor, and SFTP/FTP access. Its Sons of the Forest plans list 4, 12 and 20 slots; the server’s MaxPlayers setting allows 1 to 8 players (Steam Community server guide, 11 Oct 2026).

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What you need before editing

Prepare these items before taking the server offline:

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  • Control-panel or operating-system access that lets you stop and start the dedicated server.
  • The player’s Steam profile, so you can obtain the correct SteamID64.
  • Access to the host’s file manager/config editor, or to the server data directory if you run the server yourself.
  • A short maintenance window. Existing players will be disconnected when the server stops, and the new permission is not applied to an already-running process.

Make a copy of the file before changing it. A backup is especially useful if several owners are already listed or if your host’s editor has no undo function.

Get the correct SteamID64

The whitelist accepts a Steam account identifier, not a display name. Use the player’s decimal SteamID64: it is normally 17 digits and commonly begins with 7656. Do not enter a Steam nickname, the character’s in-game name, a profile vanity name, or a hexadecimal Steam identifier.

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Find the ID from a profile

  1. Ask the player for their Steam profile URL, or open their profile in the Steam client and copy the profile link.
  2. Use a SteamID lookup service such as steamid.io to convert that profile to its numeric SteamID64.
  3. Copy only the decimal number. Remove spaces, punctuation, labels, and quotation marks.
  4. Send the number back to the player and have them confirm that it belongs to the account they will use to connect.

A profile URL can identify a different account than the one a person intends to use, particularly when a household has multiple Steam accounts. Confirming the number before editing avoids a silent failure later.

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Locate ownerswhitelist.txt

Where the file appears depends on how the server is hosted. Use the first location that matches your setup:

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Server setup Where to look What to do
Game-server host with a file manager The panel’s file manager or configuration editor Search for ownerswhitelist.txt and edit it there.
Game-server host with an admin setting Server settings, sometimes an Admins field Use the field if it writes the owner list for you; follow the panel’s save and restart controls.
Self-hosted dedicated server The server data directory, often near dedicatedserver.cfg, or in a serverconfig or saves directory according to the host’s layout Search the entire server-data folder rather than assuming one universal path.

There is no reliably confirmed single path for every installation. One hosting guide associates Windows data with a LocalLowEndnightSonsOfTheForestDS folder and mentions a -userdatapath launch option, but that location was not confirmed on an official Endnight page. Treat it as a lead for a self-hosted Windows installation, not as a guaranteed default.

If the file is missing

Start the dedicated server once and allow it to finish loading. Stop it cleanly, then check the data directory again. Hosting instructions report that the first completed startup creates the owner-list file. If it still does not appear, search for similarly named files and check whether the panel stores configuration in a separate “server config” or “saves” area. Do not create several competing files with different spellings; the server will only read the filename it expects.

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Add the owner ID safely

  1. Stop the server. Use the host panel’s Console, Service Settings, or stop control. For a local installation, stop the dedicated-server process normally and wait until it has fully exited.
  2. Open the exact file. Select ownerswhitelist.txt in the panel editor or your server-data directory. Check the filename character by character before making changes.
  3. Preserve existing entries. If owners are already listed, leave each valid ID in place and add the new account on a separate line.
  4. Enter one decimal SteamID64 per line. The file should contain numbers only, with no names, commas, comments, brackets, or steamid64: labels. A minimal file looks like this:
    76561198000000001
    76561198000000002
  5. Save the file. Use the panel’s explicit Save or Apply button, then reopen the file to confirm that the change persisted. In a local editor, save as plain text and make sure the extension remains .txt rather than becoming .txt.txt.
  6. Start the server. Wait for the service to finish loading before asking the owner to connect.

The server reads the owner list during startup. Editing the file while the process is running does not grant rights immediately; a restart is required.

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Panel entry versus manual file editing

Hosts expose the same underlying owner list in different ways. Choose the method that matches the controls you actually see.

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Method Advantages Risks and checks
Panel Admins field Less chance of selecting the wrong directory; the panel may handle formatting and permissions. The field may accept only one ID, may require a comma/newline convention, or may not write changes until the server is restarted. Read the field’s help text and verify the resulting file if possible.
Panel file manager/editor Works when no dedicated admin field exists and lets you see every listed ID. Confirm the exact filename, save explicitly, and avoid editing while the service is running.
Local server directory Full control over backups, text encoding, and permissions. The data path varies, and an administrator can accidentally edit a template or a second installation instead of the active server’s file.

If a panel offers both an Admins field and a raw file, use one method at a time. After saving, verify that the value appears in the configuration used by the running instance; duplicate lists can make troubleshooting confusing.

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Confirm that the new owner can use admin functions

  1. Wait until the server has completed its restart and is accepting connections.
  2. Have the listed Steam account join using the same Steam account whose numeric ID was entered.
  3. Test an owner-only function appropriate to your server configuration. A player who joins through a different Steam account will not inherit the permission.
  4. If your host provides live logs, watch the connection entry while testing so you can compare the connecting account with the ID you entered.

Some hosting guides report an in-game developer-console route in which the player types cheatstick and presses F1. That behavior is not confirmed here as a universal, current-build feature, so treat it as a host/game-build-dependent option rather than proof that the whitelist is wrong. The dependable part of the setup is the owner list and a full restart.

Troubleshoot an owner who has no rights

The file cannot be found

  • Confirm that the server has completed at least one startup. The file is commonly created during that first run.
  • Search the active server-data directory, not a backup, template, or client installation.
  • Look near dedicatedserver.cfg and inspect any serverconfig or saves directories used by your host.
  • Check for spelling variants. The expected name is ownerswhitelist.txt; similarly named files may be ignored.

The ID is present but permission still fails

  • Compare the entry with the player’s decimal SteamID64 digit by digit. A nickname, profile URL, hex value, or truncated number will not work.
  • Check for invisible characters, spaces, commas, or explanatory text on the line. Remove everything except the digits.
  • Confirm that the player joined with the account represented by that ID.
  • Make sure the file was saved and then restart the server. A running process does not necessarily reload the list.

The panel appears to save, but nothing changes

  • Use the panel’s restart control after saving; a “save settings” action alone may not reload the server.
  • Reopen the file or admin field to verify that the number remained after the panel reported success.
  • If both a panel field and a raw file exist, determine which one the host documents as authoritative and avoid maintaining conflicting entries in both places.

Only one person has trouble

Owner rights apply to the listed Steam account, not to a computer, IP address, character name, or everyone who joins the server. Re-check that individual’s profile URL and obtain a fresh SteamID64 if the account was changed.

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The server stops or behaves oddly after editing

Stop it again and restore the backup copy. Then recreate the file with one numeric ID per line and no extra formatting. A malformed entry is reported to fail silently, so a clean, minimal file is the fastest way to isolate a formatting mistake.

Operational practices for multiple owners

  • Keep one account per line and retain a dated backup before each change.
  • Record which person authorized each addition outside the game server; do not put comments or names inside the whitelist file.
  • Remove an owner by deleting only that account’s line, save, and restart. The removal is not effective until the new process has loaded the file.
  • Limit the list to trusted accounts. Owner-level tools can affect the shared world and the experience of every connected player.
  • After a game or host update, perform a short controlled test. The available guides are from different publication dates, and their steps have not been verified against every current game build.

Quick checklist

  • Correct file: ownerswhitelist.txt.
  • Correct identifier: decimal SteamID64, normally 17 digits beginning with 7656.
  • Correct format: one ID per line, with no names or punctuation.
  • Correct sequence: stop, edit, save, start.
  • Correct account: the player connects through the Steam account represented by the listed ID.
  • Correct location: the active server’s data directory or the host panel’s documented admin field.

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