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How to Add Colors to Your Valheim Server Name

Add color to a Valheim dedicated server name by wrapping the startup file’s -name value in a six-digit HEX color tag, with separate closed tags for multiple colors.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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For a dedicated Valheim server, put the server-list name inside a Unity-style color tag in the startup configuration: <color=#FF0000>My Server</color>. On Windows, edit a copy of start_headless_server.bat; on Linux, edit start_server.sh. The colored name is supplied through the startup file’s -name argument.

What you need to change

Valheim does not use a separate color setting in the dedicated-server interface. The visible server name is a startup argument, and the color is added by wrapping all or part of that argument in a six-digit hexadecimal color tag.

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The essential pattern is:

<color=#RRGGBB>Your server name</color>

Replace RRGGBB with the six-character HEX value you want. For example, this makes the entire name cyan:

<color=#00BFFF>Frostheim</color>

This procedure concerns a dedicated server’s startup configuration. It is not a setting in the ordinary in-game world-hosting menu.

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Before editing the server

  • Stop the server first. Do not edit the startup script while the server process is running.
  • Identify the file that actually launches your server. Windows installations use a batch file; Linux installations use a shell script.
  • Make a backup or working copy. The official dedicated-server guidance recommends launching a copy of the Windows script because Steam updates can reset the original file.
  • Keep the existing launch arguments. Change only the value after -name unless you deliberately need to alter another server setting.
  • Use ordinary quotation marks around the name. The color markup belongs inside the quoted value.

Windows: add color in start_headless_server.bat

1. Stop the dedicated server

Use the host’s stop command or close the server process cleanly. Editing a file before stopping avoids restarting with an old in-memory configuration or overwriting your change when the process exits.

2. Create a working copy of the launch script

Find the supplied start_headless_server.bat file and copy it before editing. Give the copy a clear name, such as start_valheim_colored.bat, then use that copy to launch the server. A copied script protects your customization when Steam replaces or resets the original script during an update.

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3. Find the -name argument

Open the copied batch file in a text editor and locate the part of the command that looks similar to:

-name "My server"

The text between the quotation marks is the name clients see in the server list. Do not remove the other arguments in the command.

4. Wrap the whole name in a color tag

Replace the value with a color tag inside the existing quotes:

-name "<color=#00BFFF>Frostheim</color>"

The six characters after # are the color value: two characters for red, two for green and two for blue. The opening tag must contain the value, and the closing tag must be exactly </color>.

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5. Save and launch the copied script

Save the file, then start the server using the copied batch file rather than the unmodified original. Once the server is online, refresh or reopen the multiplayer server list and look for the new name.

Linux: edit start_server.sh

1. Stop the server and back up the script

Stop the running process, then make a backup of start_server.sh. Keeping the original gives you a clean recovery file if a later edit introduces a quoting or syntax error.

2. Locate the name argument

Open the shell script and find the Valheim launch command containing the server name, for example:

-name "My server"

Do not edit a different configuration file unless your host’s launcher explicitly generates start_server.sh. The name must reach the final command as the value of -name.

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3. Add the markup inside the quotes

Use the same tag syntax as on Windows:

-name "<color=#00BFFF>Frostheim</color>"

Save the script and start the server with it. The color syntax does not change between Windows and Linux; only the startup-file format differs.

Use different colors for different words

You can color separate portions of the name by closing one tag before opening the next. For example:

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-name "<color=#FF0000>Red</color> <color=#FFFF00>Gold</color>"

This produces a red Red, a normal-colored space, and a yellow Gold. The same approach works for prefixes, clan labels and separators:

  • -name "<color=#00BFFF>Frost</color>heim" colors only the first word segment.
  • -name "<color=#FF0000>[PVP]</color> <color=#FFFFFF>Meadows</color>" gives the bracketed label and server name separate colors.
  • -name "<color=#FF0000>Red</color>-<color=#00BFFF>Blue</color>" leaves the hyphen outside both tags.

Every colored segment needs its own closing tag before the next opening tag. Do not leave one color tag open across text that you intend to color differently.

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Color-tag syntax at a glance

Part Correct form Purpose
Opening tag <color=#FF0000> Starts a color and supplies a six-character HEX value.
Visible text My Server The words displayed in the server list.
Closing tag </color> Ends the current color.
Complete value <color=#FF0000>My Server</color> Colors the complete name red.
Multiple colors <color=#FF0000>My</color> <color=#FFFF00>Server</color> Colors separate segments independently.

Where the name belongs in the launch command

Iron Gate’s dedicated-server instructions supply the server-list name through the -name startup argument. The relevant structure is:

-name "<color=#HEX>Your name</color>"

That argument is separate from the server’s world name, password, port and networking backend. Changing the color markup should not require changing those other values. If you have several launch files, make sure you edit the one your service, scheduled task or control panel actually runs.

Why the tag may appear as plain text

If players see <color=#FF0000> and </color> in the server name instead of seeing colored text, inspect the value character by character.

Check the opening tag

The opening form must be <color=#RRGGBB>. Common mistakes include omitting the #, using a different attribute name, placing the HEX value outside the tag, or leaving out the closing angle bracket.

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Check the closing tag

Use </color> with the slash before color. A closing tag that contains the HEX value, a missing slash or a misspelled word will not properly terminate the color.

Count the HEX characters

The value after # must contain six characters. A three-character shorthand, a value with seven characters or letters outside the hexadecimal range can cause the markup to be displayed literally.

Remove spaces inside the tags

Do not write spaces in forms such as <color = #FF0000> or < /color>. Keep the tags exactly adjacent to their punctuation and text. Spaces between separate tags and words are fine; spaces inserted inside a tag are not.

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Check quotation marks and file syntax

The complete colored name should remain inside the quotes belonging to -name:

-name "<color=#FF0000>My Server</color>"

A missing quotation mark can split the launch command and make the server interpret part of the name as another argument. On Linux, also check that your editor did not add smart typographic quotes in place of ordinary straight quotes.

Restart from the edited file

Clients will not see a changed startup argument until the server is stopped and started again. If the name remains unchanged, confirm that you launched the edited copy and that a hosting panel or service manager did not overwrite the command with a separate saved configuration.

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Prevent Steam updates from removing the color

The official dedicated-server guidance recommends working from a copy of the Windows startup script because Steam updates can reset the original. Keep your customized script outside the update process when practical, and record the exact -name value somewhere safe.

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After an update, verify three things before troubleshooting the markup itself:

  1. Open the script you normally launch and confirm the colored -name value is still present.
  2. Check that your service, shortcut or scheduled task still points to that script.
  3. Restart the server and inspect the server list again.

If the original script has been restored, reapply the one-line name change to your preserved copy rather than rebuilding the entire launch command from memory.

Managed hosting and control panels

A managed Valheim host may hide the batch or shell script behind a control panel. Look for a field named Server name, Startup parameters, Launch arguments or similar. Enter the complete value, including both tags, in the field that becomes the dedicated server’s -name argument.

Some panels expose only a plain server-name box and may sanitize angle brackets. If the panel removes the tags, saves them as visible characters or has no startup-argument option, contact that host’s support team or use its documented advanced launch settings. Do not assume that a panel label named “description” is the same as the startup name shown in the server browser.

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Before relying on a managed host for this feature, check its current control-panel layout and whether custom startup arguments are permitted. The exact interface and availability can vary by provider and region.

Steam and Crossplay networking do not change the color syntax

Iron Gate documents Steam and Crossplay as different networking backends. A Steam server uses its configured port range and normally requires router access for outside connections. Crossplay uses a relay and does not require port forwarding for outside access in the same way.

Those networking choices do not alter the color markup. In both cases, the name is still passed through the dedicated-server startup configuration’s -name argument. If a server is reachable but its name is uncolored, troubleshoot the startup file and tag syntax rather than changing the networking backend.

A reliable validation checklist

  • The server is stopped while the file is edited.
  • You are editing the script or control-panel field that actually launches this server.
  • The name is inside the -name "..." argument.
  • The opening tag follows the exact <color=#RRGGBB> pattern.
  • The HEX value contains six characters.
  • Every opening tag has a matching </color> closing tag.
  • No spaces appear inside either tag.
  • Separate colored segments are closed before the next color begins.
  • The file is saved with ordinary quotation marks and valid batch or shell syntax.
  • The server is restarted from the edited script.
  • After a Steam update, the copied script still contains the custom name.

Complete examples

One color for the full name

-name "<color=#00BFFF>Frostheim</color>"

Two colors with a space

-name "<color=#FF0000>My</color> <color=#FFFF00>Server</color>"

A colored prefix and a plain suffix

-name "<color=#FF0000>[PVP]</color> Meadows"

Several colored segments and punctuation

-name "<color=#FF0000>Red</color>-<color=#00BFFF>Blue</color> Hub"

Use the first example when you want the least chance of a syntax error. Add separate tags only when different words genuinely need different colors.

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