Set Garry’s Mod’s sv_loadingurl console variable to the address of the web page you want players to see while they join. Put the setting in garrysmod/cfg/autoexec.cfg or pass it on the dedicated-server startup command, then restart the server and test by joining.
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What sv_loadingurl changes
sv_loadingurl selects the visual web page shown to a player during the connection and loading phase. It does not host, package or download your server’s addons. Think of it as the address for the loading-screen interface, not as a replacement for Workshop downloads, FastDL or any other content-delivery method.
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Facepunch’s Garry’s Mod Wiki describes the setting directly: “To specify which website is shown, set the sv_loadingurl convar.” A complete value looks like this:
sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading.html"The URL should point to the page itself. A publicly reachable page is appropriate for a real server; a page that only exists on your own computer will not be available to joining players.
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Where to configure the loading URL
There are three practical places you may encounter this setting. The first two are the standard Garry’s Mod methods. The third depends on the server-management wrapper you use.
| Configuration location | Example | When it is used | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated-server startup command | +sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading.html" |
Servers that set convars in their launch script, service definition or command-line panel | The argument must be present in the command that actually starts the server. |
garrysmod/cfg/autoexec.cfg |
sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading.html" |
The canonical persistent Garry’s Mod configuration file | The server must load this file, and it must not be replaced by a generated wrapper configuration. |
| Hosting-panel or wrapper configuration | Wrapper-specific; for example, LinuxGSM documents gmodserver.cfg |
Managed servers whose launch system generates or overrides Garry’s Mod settings | This is not a universal Garry’s Mod path. Follow the wrapper’s precedence rules. |
If both a startup argument and a configuration file set the variable, verify which value is ultimately active rather than assuming the file you edited wins. A panel can regenerate a command or configuration file every time the server starts.
Step-by-step: change the loading page
1. Prepare the page
Create or choose the HTML page you want players to see while they join. It can contain your server’s branding, rules, status text or other loading-screen content supported by the Garry’s Mod loading-page interface. The page must be hosted somewhere joining clients can reach; a file sitting on the server’s local disk is not automatically a web page for players.
2. Copy the page URL
Copy the complete address, including the page name and extension when applicable. For example:
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https://example.com/loading.htmlTest that exact address in a normal browser. Testing the final page URL, rather than only the domain or a directory, helps reveal redirects, missing files and access restrictions before you involve the game client.
3. Add the convar to autoexec.cfg
On a conventional dedicated server, open:
garrysmod/cfg/autoexec.cfgAdd one line, replacing the example address with your page:
sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading.html"Keep the URL in quotation marks. Save the file in the server’s active Garry’s Mod installation, not in a client-side copy of the game.
4. Or add it to the startup command
If your server is configured from a launch command, add the convar with a leading plus sign:
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+sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading.html"Place it in the command or launch field used by the process that starts the dedicated server. Editing a script that the panel does not execute will have no effect.
5. Restart and verify
Restart the server after saving the change. Join it as a player and watch the loading phase. If the old page still appears, inspect the active startup command and configuration files before changing the URL again; the most common cause is that a different file or wrapper is setting the value.
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The official loading-screen documentation supports two substitutions in the URL:
%sis replaced with the joining user’s 64-bit Steam community ID.%mis replaced with the current map name.
For example:
sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading?SteamId=%s&Map=%m"With this form, the page can receive the player and map context as query-string values when the loading screen is opened. Keep the placeholders exactly as shown. A static page is still valid if you do not need per-player or per-map behavior.
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Choosing between a static and dynamic address
| URL style | Best for | What the page receives |
|---|---|---|
Static URL, such as https://example.com/loading.html |
A single loading design for every connection | No player- or map-specific substitution from the URL |
Dynamic URL with %s |
Personalized or account-aware loading content | The joining player’s 64-bit Steam community ID |
Dynamic URL with %m |
Map-specific artwork, instructions or status | The current map name |
| Dynamic URL with both placeholders | Pages that vary by player and map | Both values in the query string |
The substitutions identify the context passed to the page; they do not themselves download addons or authenticate the player.
What a loading page can receive from Garry’s Mod
A loading page can define JavaScript callbacks that Garry’s Mod invokes while the client connects. The documented callbacks include:
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The GameDetails callback
The official documentation describes GameDetails as receiving the server name, loading URL, map, maximum player count, Steam ID, gamemode, volume and language. A page can use that information to populate status text or adapt its presentation while the connection proceeds.
Progress-related callbacks
The other documented callbacks expose loading progress and status changes. Their presence lets a page update file counts, show the file currently being downloaded or change a status indicator as the client advances through the connection process. The callbacks affect the page’s presentation; they do not change which download system the server uses.
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sv_loadingurl versus WorkshopDL, FastDL and ServerDL
Changing the loading URL and delivering game content are separate jobs. If players see your page but still have missing models, materials or sounds, changing sv_loadingurl again will not solve the asset problem.
| System | Purpose | Configuration or requirement documented by Facepunch | Relationship to sv_loadingurl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loading URL | Displays the visual web page during joining | Set sv_loadingurl in the startup command or autoexec.cfg |
Selects the page only; it is not an addon-delivery mechanism. |
| WorkshopDL | Downloads Workshop content | Publish the content to Workshop and use resource.AddWorkshop |
Configure independently of the loading page. |
| FastDL | Downloads marked files from a separate web server | Use sv_downloadurl; the client first tries a .bz2 file and then the regular file |
Requires a separate content web server; it does not select the visual page. |
| ServerDL | Uses Source networking to send files | Requires sv_allowdownload 1; the documentation describes it as obsolete and limited to 64 KB/s |
It is another content path, not an alternative loading-screen setting. |
Diagnose the symptom before changing settings
- Wrong or unchanged loading page: investigate
sv_loadingurl, the active file and the server restart. - Black or unavailable page: test the URL itself and check reachability, redirects and the page response.
- Missing textures or models after the page appears: configure WorkshopDL or FastDL separately.
Hosting-panel and wrapper precedence
Managed servers often place a layer between your edit and the Garry’s Mod process. A panel may generate the startup command, copy a template into the server directory or rewrite configuration at launch. In that situation, an apparently correct line in autoexec.cfg can be ignored or replaced.
LinuxGSM, for example, documents a wrapper file named gmodserver.cfg and states that this file overrides other files. That behavior belongs to the wrapper; it does not replace Garry’s Mod’s canonical autoexec.cfg method for installations without that wrapper.
Wrapper-safe verification procedure
- Identify the exact process or launch profile the panel uses.
- Inspect the generated startup command for
+sv_loadingurl. - Inspect the wrapper’s documented server configuration file.
- Set the URL in the location with precedence according to that wrapper’s documentation.
- Restart through the panel, then recheck the resulting command or file if the old page remains.
Do not rely on a one-time console change if the wrapper recreates the configuration on the next restart. Make the change in the persistent location that the wrapper actually reads.
Troubleshooting a blank, black or unchanged loading screen
The old page still appears
- Confirm the spelling and quotation marks in the
sv_loadingurlline. - Confirm that the line is in the active
garrysmod/cfg/autoexec.cfgor the startup command actually used by the server. - Restart the server; a saved file is not proof that the running process has reloaded it.
- Check for a panel or wrapper that writes a different value at startup.
The page is blank or unavailable
- Open the exact URL in a normal browser from outside the server machine.
- Make sure the page is publicly reachable rather than restricted to a local network, login session or server filesystem.
- Use the page URL itself, not merely a directory that may redirect unexpectedly.
- Check that the address in the convar matches the page you tested, including its path and filename.
Facepunch documents how to configure the URL but does not publish a universal guarantee that every modern browser feature, TLS setup or web stack will render identically in every Garry’s Mod client. Keep the loading page straightforward and verify it with the clients and server setup you actually support instead of assuming that a page working in a desktop browser will always look identical in-game.
You tried a local file
The official documentation lists asset://garrysmod/html/loading.html, but notes that it loads from the client’s machine and is “nearly useless.” It is therefore unsuitable for a normal public server: each player would need the file locally. Use a remotely hosted page for a shared server loading screen.
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Leave sv_loadingurl alone and configure the appropriate content system. WorkshopDL needs published Workshop content and resource.AddWorkshop. FastDL needs a separate web server and sv_downloadurl. ServerDL requires sv_allowdownload 1, is documented as obsolete and has a 64 KB/s limit. None of these requirements is fulfilled by changing the visual loading-page URL.
Quick Recap
Operational checklist
- Choose a page that players can reach publicly.
- Test the exact page URL in a normal browser.
- Set
sv_loadingurlingarrysmod/cfg/autoexec.cfgor pass+sv_loadingurlon the real startup command. - Use
%sfor the joining player’s 64-bit Steam community ID and%mfor the current map when dynamic context is needed. - Restart the dedicated server and join to verify the page.
- If a panel manages the server, check its generated command and wrapper-specific configuration precedence.
- Configure WorkshopDL or FastDL separately when players need server files.
- Do not depend on the documented local
asset://example for a public server.
Quick reference
| Goal | Setting or action |
|---|---|
| Show one remote page | sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading.html" |
| Pass the player ID and map | sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading?SteamId=%s&Map=%m" |
| Set it at launch | +sv_loadingurl "https://example.com/loading.html" |
| Persist it in the standard config | garrysmod/cfg/autoexec.cfg |
| Deliver Workshop files | Workshop publication plus resource.AddWorkshop |
| Deliver files with FastDL | Separate web server plus sv_downloadurl |
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