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How to Add an Admin to an Assetto Corsa Competizione Server

Learn how to add an administrator to an Assetto Corsa Competizione server, including the UTF-16LE settings.json requirement, hosted-panel differences, the /admin chat command, and fixes for failed elevation.
Length11 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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On a self-hosted Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC) dedicated server, add an adminPassword value to the server’s settings.json, save the file as UTF-16LE, restart the server, and then authenticate in game by opening chat with Enter and entering /admin <password>. Hosted servers can work differently: the provider may require you to set the password in its control panel rather than editing a file.

The exact process below separates those two arrangements, explains the encoding requirement that most often causes silent failures, and gives recovery steps for cases where the server ignores the new password.

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First determine where your ACC server is configured

There are two common administrative arrangements, and the correct place to set the password depends on which one you use. A machine running the ACC dedicated-server software directly is self-hosted. A rented game server is hosted, and the provider may expose only a web control panel or may generate configuration files for you.

Server type Where the admin password is set What you edit What you must do afterward
Self-hosted dedicated server The server’s JSON configuration adminPassword in settings.json Save as UTF-16LE, restart the server, then authenticate in game
Hosted server The provider’s control panel, when required by that provider A panel field or setting identified as admin password Apply or save the panel change, restart if the panel requests it, then authenticate in game

Do not assume that a file visible in a host’s file manager is authoritative. Some hosts rewrite files from panel values when the instance starts. Conversely, a self-hosted installation may have no panel at all. Check which interface normally controls your server before changing anything.

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Self-hosted ACC: add the password in settings.json

The ACC Server Admin Handbook describes adminPassword as the password used to elevate through server-admin commands. It is a property in the same general group of server password settings as the join and spectator passwords. The following procedure uses that property without changing unrelated settings.

1. Stop the server and make a backup

Stop the dedicated-server process cleanly before editing. This avoids having a running process hold an old configuration in memory and is the cautious approach because a general Assetto Corsa server guide warns that a running server can overwrite edits during shutdown or restart. That warning is not a confirmed ACC-specific behavior, so treat stopping first as a safeguard rather than a guaranteed rule.

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Copy the entire configuration directory, or at minimum the existing settings.json, to a separate backup location. Keep the original filename and encoding in the backup. If the edited file prevents startup, you can restore the known-good copy instead of reconstructing every setting.

2. Locate the correct settings.json

Find the settings.json used by the ACC server instance you actually launch. A secondary guide places it in the server’s cfg folder, but that location was not confirmed by the official handbook excerpt. Multiple installations, service accounts, or launch scripts can leave you editing a file that belongs to another instance.

  • Check the working directory or configuration path used by your ACC server shortcut, service, or launch script.
  • If you run more than one instance, identify the file associated with the port and track you intend to administer.
  • Confirm the file’s modified time after saving, then verify that the server process reads that same installation on the next start.

Do not create a second file with a similar name and assume the server will discover it. ACC configuration is file-based, so the filename and location used by the running instance matter.

3. Add or change adminPassword

Open the existing JSON file in an editor that can preserve UTF-16LE. Add adminPassword as a property in the top-level settings object, or replace its existing value if the property is already present. Keep valid JSON punctuation: every property except the last one in an object needs a comma, property names need quotation marks in the file, and the password value is a string.

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A minimal example looks like this in the file (the surrounding settings in your installation may be different):

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{"adminPassword": "Use-a-long-unique-secret"}

If the file already contains other properties, do not delete them to make the example fit. Insert the new property with a comma separating it from the neighboring property. Do not add comments; standard JSON does not accept comment lines.

The password shown above is only an example. Choose a secret that is not reused for the operating system, hosting account, Steam account, or any public community account. Anyone who knows this value can attempt to elevate after joining the server.

4. Preserve UTF-16LE encoding

The handbook states that ACC is configured exclusively through JSON files in UTF16-LE format. Save settings.json as UTF-16LE, not ordinary UTF-8. Some editors hide the encoding choice behind Save As, an encoding menu, or a status-bar indicator. Verify the setting before confirming the save.

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UTF-8 can appear to work in some tools or installations, but a file that is read incorrectly can produce symptoms such as the server ignoring the new value, reverting to defaults, or failing to parse the configuration. Encoding is separate from JSON syntax: a syntactically correct file can still be in the wrong character format.

  • Use an editor with an explicit UTF-16LE option.
  • Do not rely on a community utility’s import behavior as proof of the server’s required format; one tool author reported success only with UTF-8 files, which is tool-specific.
  • After saving, reopen the file and check that the editor still reports UTF-16LE.

5. Restart and watch for errors

Start the ACC dedicated server again only after the file is saved. Observe the startup output or log for a configuration parse error. A clean start does not by itself prove that the password was loaded, so perform the in-game check in the next step.

If the server refuses to start, stop it and restore the backup. Then compare the edited file with the backup for a missing comma, mismatched brace, accidental smart quotation mark, or changed encoding. Fix one issue at a time rather than deleting the complete configuration.

6. Elevate in the game client

Join the server as a driver or spectator. The handbook’s example says to press Enter to open chat and type the command with the password. Use the exact form /admin your-password, replacing your-password with the value in adminPassword. Press Enter to send it.

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Keep the slash, command spelling, space, and password intact. Do not include angle brackets; they indicate a replacement value in documentation. The command is entered in the in-game chat, not in the operating system console or a server launch window.

The handbook describes this action as elevating the connected player to admin. It does not establish a separate account-creation step or a persistent list of named administrators. The password is the credential used at the time of elevation.

Hosted ACC servers: use the provider panel when required

Hosted-server workflows are controlled by the provider’s implementation. XGamingServer’s ACC settings documentation shows an adminPassword value represented as set in the panel and explicitly says to set it in the panel rather than in the file. That is an example of provider-specific behavior, not a universal rule for every host.

Panel procedure

  1. Open the control panel for the correct ACC instance.
  2. Look for a server-settings, gameplay, security, or password section containing an admin-password field. The label and location vary by provider.
  3. Enter a new password and use the panel’s Save, Apply, or equivalent action.
  4. If the panel indicates that a restart is required, stop and start the instance through the panel. Do not assume that changing a field while the server is running immediately reloads configuration.
  5. Join the server and use the in-game chat command /admin <password> with the value you saved.

If the panel also offers a file manager, follow the provider’s explicit precedence rule. Editing a generated file can be temporary if the panel rewrites it, and a panel field can be ignored if the provider expects direct file editing. When documentation is ambiguous, take a backup of any visible file and ask the host which setting is authoritative before making repeated changes.

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How to verify that elevation worked

Authentication happens after you are connected. A successful restart alone is not evidence that the command worked, and a player may still be an ordinary participant if the password was mistyped or the wrong server instance was edited.

  1. Connect to the intended ACC server as a driver or spectator.
  2. Press Enter to open the chat input.
  3. Type /admin <password> using the exact configured value.
  4. Send the message and observe the server’s response or the availability of an administrative action.

The available admin-command list is not fully established by the handbook material available for this guide. The handbook notes that its version 1.0 command set was limited and expected to be extended. Do not infer that a command found in a generic Assetto Corsa guide, a different ACC version, or a hosting panel is supported by your installation.

Troubleshooting failed elevation

The server says the password is wrong

  • Check capitalization, spaces, punctuation, and accidental leading or trailing characters. Password comparison can be exact.
  • Confirm that you edited the instance you joined. A second installation or another running service may be using a different settings.json.
  • On a hosted server, verify the panel value rather than a downloaded or cached file.
  • Restart after changing the value. The server may not reread settings while it is running.

Do not keep trying random commands. Re-enter the known value from the saved configuration or panel, and change it once if you suspect a transcription error.

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The server starts but ignores adminPassword

Encoding is the first check: resave the file explicitly as UTF-16LE. Then inspect JSON syntax and confirm that adminPassword is inside the object read by the server, not outside the closing brace or inside a text comment. Restore the backup if the editor may have altered line endings or quotation marks, and reapply only the password change.

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Also check whether the server regenerated or replaced the file during startup. Compare the file’s timestamp and contents before and after launch. If your host controls the instance, a panel-generated configuration may overwrite manual edits.

The server will not start after editing

Stop the process and restore the backup immediately. Common editing mistakes include a missing comma, an extra comma before a closing brace, unmatched braces, or a password containing an unescaped character that breaks the JSON string. Reopen the restored file and confirm that the server starts before attempting another edit.

Make one controlled change, save in UTF-16LE, and test again. Avoid deleting unrelated settings to simplify the file; that can remove track, session, or password configuration that you still need.

The command produces no useful response

Make sure you sent the command through the in-game chat opened with Enter. A command typed into a server console is a different interface. Confirm that you are connected as a driver or spectator, because the handbook’s example assumes a connected player. If the password is accepted but a particular command is unavailable, consult documentation for the exact ACC server version instead of importing commands from Assetto Corsa or another game.

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You lost the original configuration

Do not delete every JSON file as a first response. One guide suggests deleting JSON files so defaults regenerate, but that behavior was not verified for ACC and would be destructive to existing settings. Restore your backup instead. If no backup exists, preserve the current files before testing any regeneration procedure so that you can still recover the present state.

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Password and access-management practices

Use a dedicated secret

The admin password should be unique to this server. Avoid a track name, team name, public Discord phrase, or a password already used for a personal account. A short, guessable value defeats the purpose of requiring elevation.

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Share it through a controlled channel

Give the password only to people who need administrative access. Do not place it in a public server message, stream overlay, setup guide, or screenshot. When a staff member no longer needs access, change the value in the authoritative configuration and restart as required.

Back up before rotation

Keep a dated copy of the prior configuration before rotating the password. Store backups where ordinary players cannot download them. The backup contains the old credential, so treat it as sensitive even after you change the live value.

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Separate server administration from game participation

Being an admin does not necessarily make a player the host, owner, or operating-system administrator. The documented mechanism elevates a connected driver or spectator through server-admin commands. Keep operating-system permissions, hosting-panel access, and the in-game admin password as separate controls.

Version and documentation caveats

ACC server documentation is not uniform across releases. Handbook versions 1.6.0, 1.9.3, and 1.10.2 have been circulated, and no 2026 edition was confirmed for this procedure. Property names and the login command described here come from the handbook excerpt available for this guide, but you should compare the wording with the handbook that matches your installed server version.

The handbook excerpt does not clearly identify a publisher, so it is best treated as versioned technical documentation rather than as a guarantee that every current build behaves identically. In particular, the complete current command list was not established. Use only commands documented for your build, and do not assume that a command from a general Assetto Corsa administration article transfers to ACC.

Likewise, the precise configuration-folder location and overwrite behavior were not confirmed in the handbook excerpt. The safest approach is to identify the file used by your launch configuration, stop the server before editing, preserve the required encoding, and keep a restorable backup.

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Self-hosted checklist

  • Identify the ACC server instance and its active settings.json.
  • Stop the server and copy the existing configuration.
  • Add or update adminPassword without removing unrelated properties.
  • Save the complete JSON file as UTF-16LE.
  • Restart and check for parse or startup errors.
  • Join as a driver or spectator.
  • Open chat with Enter and send /admin <password>.
  • If it fails, verify the file path, encoding, JSON syntax, password characters, and whether a host panel overwrote the file.

Hosted-server checklist

  • Open the panel for the correct ACC instance.
  • Find the provider’s admin-password setting.
  • Save or apply the value in the panel.
  • Restart when the provider requires it.
  • Join the server and authenticate through chat with /admin <password>.
  • Do not manually edit generated files unless the provider says those files are authoritative.

Bottom line for server owners

For self-hosting, the essential chain is adminPassword in the active settings.json, UTF-16LE encoding, a restart, and the in-game /admin chat command. For hosted ACC, set the value wherever the provider says the authoritative setting lives—often the control panel—then use the same in-game elevation command. Back up first, and treat version and provider differences as real rather than assuming that an Assetto Corsa guide or another server’s configuration applies unchanged.

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