To become an administrator on an ARK: Survival Evolved server, set an admin password in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings], restart the server, then enter enablecheats your-password in the in-game console. Confirm access with showmyadminmanager or a harmless cheat command. A Steam64-ID whitelist in AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt can authenticate regular administrators automatically without requiring the password each session.
Prefer not to run the server on your own PC? Godlike.Host offers hosted ARK: Survival Evolved servers with free DDoS protection and up to three free backups a day.
The exact control-panel labels differ between hosted servers, but the underlying sequence is the same: configure credentials, restart, authenticate, and verify. The procedure below covers self-hosted and rented dedicated servers, common failures, and safer ways to manage more than one administrator.
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What ARK administrator access does
Administrator authentication enables the server’s cheat and management commands for your current player. The admin manager can display server information, connected players, banned players, and whitelisted players, and it includes a cheat manager. Commands can also be used directly from the console to inspect or manage the session.
Treat the password as a master key. Anyone who learns it can obtain the same level of access, so do not post it in chat, stream it, place it in a public configuration repository, or reuse it for another service. For a group with several trusted operators, the Steam64-ID method described later limits routine access without repeatedly exposing the password.
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Set the admin password
Self-hosted or file-based servers
- Stop the server. Shut down the dedicated server cleanly before editing its configuration. A running process can overwrite changes when it exits.
- Open the correct file. Locate
GameUserSettings.iniin the server’s configuration directory. If you run several maps or instances, open the file belonging to the instance you intend to administer. - Use the server-settings section. Find the line
[ServerSettings]. Immediately below that section header, add or edit the password line in this form:ServerAdminPassword=YourLongPrivatePassword. Replace the example value with your chosen password; do not add angle brackets. - Check the section placement. The setting must be under
[ServerSettings], not under a game-mode, map, or unrelated section. A misplaced line is a documented reason forenablecheatsto fail even when the password itself is correct. - Save and restart. Save the file, start the server again, and wait until it has finished loading before joining. The restart is what causes the server to read the new value.
Keep the spelling of ServerAdminPassword exactly as shown. Avoid trailing spaces and do not surround the value with quotation marks unless your host’s editor specifically inserts them. If an existing line is present, edit that line rather than creating competing entries.
Hosted-server control panels
Most game-server hosts expose the same setting through a web interface. Open the server’s settings, configuration editor, or advanced-parameters page and look for an administrator-password field. Enter the value, apply or save the configuration, and use the panel’s restart control. Some panels write the INI for you; others provide a raw-file editor. If the panel offers both, use one method only so that a later save does not overwrite the other.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesPanel paths and labels vary by host and can change after an interface update. If you cannot find the field, open the panel’s file manager and inspect GameUserSettings.ini directly. After restarting, confirm that the generated file still contains ServerAdminPassword inside [ServerSettings]. A successful panel save without a restart does not activate the credential.
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Authenticate in the game
- Join the server with the survivor account that should receive administrator access.
- Open the console. On the PC version, the default key is Tab. Keyboard layouts, launch options, and platform editions can change the key, so use the console key configured for your installation if Tab does nothing.
- Enter the command exactly as follows, replacing the example with the password you configured:
enablecheats YourLongPrivatePassword. - Press Enter and close the console. Do not type the angle brackets sometimes used in documentation to indicate a placeholder; they are not part of the command.
The command authenticates the current player for that session. It does not grant every player on the server administrator rights, and it does not remove the need to configure the password on the server itself.
Verify that administrator access is active
Open the admin manager
With the console open, run showmyadminmanager. The manager should open and show server information, connected players, banned players, and whitelisted players, with a cheat-management interface. If it opens normally, the current survivor has authenticated successfully.
Run a low-risk command
You can also test access with cheat fly. This is a quick functional check; use the same command again, or the appropriate movement control, to return to normal play. Commands that the game marks as cheats generally require either the cheat or admincheat prefix, depending on the command and build.
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Useful management commands
| Command | Purpose | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
cheat ListPlayers |
Lists players currently connected and their IDs. | The console prints the active player list and identifiers. |
cheat KickPlayer |
Removes a player from the server. | Use the target information requested by your build; do not guess an identifier. |
showmyadminmanager |
Opens the administrator interface. | Server, player, ban, whitelist, and cheat-management information appears. |
cheat fly |
Checks whether cheat commands are being accepted. | Your character can fly while the command is active. |
If a command is rejected, try the documented prefix for that command (cheat or admincheat) rather than assuming every command uses the same form. The command names above are case-insensitive in current guides, although an older 2017 forum report claimed that EnableCheats with a capital E worked when lowercase did not. That report was not verified against the current build; normal current usage is lowercase.
Give trusted administrators automatic access
Typing the password once per session is useful for occasional operators. For regular administrators, the server can recognize a Steam64 ID automatically through AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt.
- Find the server’s
ShooterGame/Saveddirectory. - Create or open a file named
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. Use that exact spelling and extension. - Put one administrator’s Steam64 ID on each line. Do not add player names, punctuation, or explanatory text.
- If you need to discover an ID while connected, open the console and run
whoami. Record the Steam64 value exactly as displayed. - Save the file and restart the server. The restart loads the updated list.
- Have each listed account join the server. Guides describe listed players as authenticated automatically, so they should not need to enter
enablecheatsfor every session.
Use the file as an allowlist, not as a substitute for access control. Remove an ID as soon as that person’s administrative role ends, and keep a private record of which account owns each number. Because the method depends on Steam identifiers, it applies to the Steam identity recognized by the server; another platform’s account system may require a different identifier or may not support this file in the same way.
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Choose between password authentication and the ID whitelist
| Consideration | enablecheats password |
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt |
|---|---|---|
| Initial setup | Set ServerAdminPassword, restart, then authenticate in the console. |
Add Steam64 IDs to the file and restart. |
| Daily use | Enter the password when an operator joins a new session. | Listed accounts are authenticated automatically on join. |
| Credential exposure | The operator must know the master password, so accidental disclosure is the main risk. | Routine operators do not need to be told the password. |
| Maintenance | Rotate one password when access must be revoked, then give the new value only to current operators. | Edit individual IDs when staff change; each edit requires a restart. |
| File access | Requires the INI or a host panel’s password field. | Requires access to ShooterGame/Saved and the exact Steam64 IDs. |
| Failure point | Wrong section, stale server process, mistyped password, or missing console authentication can block access. | Wrong file path, malformed lines, an incorrect ID, or a missing restart can prevent automatic authentication. |
A practical arrangement is to keep the password private for emergency recovery and use the ID file for the small group that administers the server routinely. That way, removing one operator does not require distributing a new secret to everyone else.
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Troubleshoot “enablecheats” not working
The server accepts the command but you have no admin powers
- Reopen
GameUserSettings.iniand verify thatServerAdminPasswordis inside[ServerSettings]. A line in the wrong section is a frequent cause. - Confirm that the server was restarted after the edit. Restarting your game client alone does not reload server configuration.
- Check the password character for character. Remove the angle brackets used in examples, and watch for an accidental space before or after the value.
- Make sure you are connected to the same server instance whose file you edited. Multi-map hosts often maintain separate configuration files.
- Try
showmyadminmanagerafter re-authenticating. A successful manager window is a better test than assuming the console accepted the text.
The console does not open
On PC, press Tab while connected to the server. If nothing appears, check the key binding, keyboard layout, and platform-specific console setting. A chat window or an invisible console can make a valid command look as though it failed.
The password worked previously but stopped after an update
Players have reported authentication failures after game patches. Recheck the generated configuration after every update: confirm that the password line still exists, remains under [ServerSettings], and was not replaced by a panel template. Then perform a full server restart and try the command again. The procedure is widely described for current dedicated-server setups, but it was not verified against every 2026 build, map, or host implementation; the server’s shipped configuration and current patch notes take precedence if labels or behavior differ.
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Case or command-format differences
Current guides generally treat enablecheats as case-insensitive, while an unverified 2017 report claimed that only EnableCheats worked in that environment. If lowercase is rejected, you may test the capitalized form once, but first check the password, section, restart, and console. Do not assume that changing capitalization fixes a configuration that was never loaded.
Single-player and non-dedicated sessions
Some community instructions say that enablecheats is unnecessary in single-player or non-dedicated sessions. That advice concerns those session types, not a remotely hosted dedicated server. For a dedicated server, follow the password or Steam64-ID procedure above. For a local session, use the commands available in that session’s own console and rules rather than copying dedicated-server file paths.
Security and maintenance practices
- Use a unique password. Do not reuse an account password or publish the value in screenshots, logs, guides, or chat.
- Limit who receives it. Anyone who knows the administrator password can obtain full server-admin access.
- Prefer the allowlist for routine staff. Give regular operators access through their Steam64 IDs and retain the password for the owner or emergency recovery.
- Review IDs periodically. Remove former moderators from
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txtand keep one ID per line. - Restart deliberately. Schedule configuration edits and whitelist changes so players know when the server will be unavailable.
- Keep a recovery record. Store the current password and the authorized ID list in a private location accessible to the server owner, not in a public repository.
- Recheck after updates. Patches and host-panel migrations can rewrite configuration files or change where settings are exposed.
Complete setup checklist
ServerAdminPasswordis present inGameUserSettings.ini.- The line is under
[ServerSettings]. - The dedicated server has been restarted after saving.
- You joined the intended server instance.
- You opened the console and entered
enablecheatswith the real password and no brackets. showmyadminmanageropens, or a prefixed test such ascheat flyworks.- For passwordless access, every Steam64 ID is on its own line in
ShooterGame/Saved/AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. - The server was restarted after changing the ID file.
- The password and whitelist are private and up to date.
This sequence separates server configuration from in-game authentication, making it easier to identify whether a failure comes from the file, the restart, the console, or the account being used.
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