On an ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) dedicated server, create ShooterGame/Saved/AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt, put one authorized player’s 17-digit Steam ID on each line, save it while the server is stopped, and restart. Each listed player then receives automatic cheat-command privileges without entering the administrator password. This file grants admin permissions; it does not stop unlisted players from joining.
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Confirm which ARK game you are running
The procedure below is for ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) dedicated servers. ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) uses a different account-identifier method, documented separately by the official ARK configuration documentation. Do not copy the ASE filename or Steam-ID format into an ASA installation.
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| Question | ASE answer | ASA implication |
|---|---|---|
| Identifier used by this procedure | 17-digit Steam ID | EOS/account ID approach; the exact value and file name are not established by this ASE procedure |
| Administrator whitelist file | AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt |
Not the ASE file; use the current ASA documentation |
| Directory covered here | ShooterGame/Saved/ |
Do not assume the same path or configuration surface |
| Permission result | Listed users receive automatic cheat-command privileges | Follow ASA’s account-based administrator method |
If you are unsure which edition your server uses, check the server installation and hosting panel before editing anything. A correctly formatted ASE file has no effect when placed in an ASA server.
What the ASE administrator whitelist does
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt is an administrator-permission list. A Steam ID in the file is treated as authorized to use cheat commands, effectively as though that player had authenticated with enablecheats. The player does not need to type the administrator password when the whitelist is working.
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The list is intentionally narrow in scope:
- It grants cheat and administrator command access to the Steam IDs you specify.
- It does not decide who may connect to the server.
- It does not replace an exclusive player-join list.
- It does not use character names, display names, nicknames, or a password as entries.
- It is read by the dedicated server from its own installation, not from a player’s local ARK folder.
This separation is useful for a private server. You can give an established moderator command access while using a different list to prevent unknown players from connecting.
Before editing: prerequisites and a safe change window
Use a dedicated ASE server installation
The documented ASE dedicated-server package uses Steam application ID 376030. Your host may install or update it through a control panel, SteamCMD, or another management tool, but the whitelist must ultimately be in that server’s ShooterGame/Saved/ directory.
Stop the server completely
Shut down the server process before creating or changing the file. Editing while the process is running can leave the server reading an old version, overwrite your change during a save, or make it difficult to tell whether a failed test is caused by the file or by a still-running process.
Back up the existing file
If the file already exists, copy it to a dated backup before editing. Keep one known-good copy outside the live directory. A plain-text backup lets you recover quickly from an accidental deletion, an extra character, or a malformed line.
Check filesystem permissions
The account that launches the dedicated server must be able to read the file and the directory containing it. On a hosted service, use the provider’s file manager or ask the provider to confirm the path and ownership. On a self-managed Linux or Windows machine, avoid making the file inaccessible by applying restrictive permissions to the wrong account.
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- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout
Set up the ASE administrator whitelist
- Stop the dedicated server. Wait until the process has exited and the host reports it as offline.
- Open the server’s Saved directory. Navigate to
ShooterGame/Saved/inside the dedicated-server installation. This is not the client’s local ARK directory. - Create the file with the exact name. Make a plain-text file named
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. Check every character, including capitalization and the.txtextension. Windows may hide known extensions, so verify that the file has not becomeAllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt.txt. - Enter one Steam ID per line. Add each authorized player’s 17-digit Steam ID on its own line. Do not add a name, quotation marks, commas, spaces before or after the number, a password, or explanatory comments.
- Save the file as plain text. Preserve the exact filename and line structure. A basic text editor is sufficient; a word processor can introduce formatting that the server cannot parse.
- Start the server again. A full restart is required for the documented file-based whitelist workflow. Do not rely on a map reload or a player reconnect while the process remains running.
- Test with a listed account. Have one of the IDs in the file connect and run a harmless administrator command. The account should be able to use cheat commands without first authenticating with
enablecheats.
Correct file example
76561198000000001
76561198000000002The numbers above illustrate the format only. Replace them with the actual Steam IDs of the people you intend to authorize. Keep the file’s content to one 17-digit ID per line.
Find a player’s 17-digit Steam ID
Use the in-game administrator command cheat ListPlayers to list connected players and their Steam IDs. Record the long numeric Steam ID, not the visible survivor name or Steam display name. Names can change, can be duplicated, and may contain characters that are not valid whitelist entries.
- Connect the player to the ASE server.
- Run
cheat ListPlayersthrough the game’s administrator command interface. - Identify the player in the output and copy the 17-digit Steam ID exactly.
- Remove any accidental spaces or punctuation when placing it in
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. - Stop the server, save the updated file, restart, and test that account.
If you cannot run the command because nobody currently has administrator access, obtain the ID from a trusted server-management record or the player’s Steam information, then verify the value independently before granting privileges. Never substitute a character name for the numeric identifier.
ASE paths on Linux and Windows
The administrator whitelist itself belongs in the server’s ShooterGame/Saved/ directory on both platforms. The platform-specific configuration directories are relevant when you are also editing INI settings:
| Platform | INI configuration path | Administrator whitelist location |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ |
ShooterGame/Saved/AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt |
| Windows | ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsServer |
ShooterGameSavedAllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt |
Do not put the text file in Config/LinuxServer/ or Config/WindowsServer/ merely because that is where the INI files live. The documented administrator file is one level above those configuration directories, directly under ShooterGame/Saved/.
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- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game. Run too far and not only will you be exhausted, but you will also quickly get hungry and thirsty. Weather effects are based on real-world climates, and so you'll need to hide out from rain and snow, while making the most of sunny days
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
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- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout. Make your way to the final boss and figure out why you've been dropped into this Jurassic-era experience
Administrator whitelist versus player-join whitelists
ARK has multiple lists with similar-sounding names but different jobs. Choose the control that matches the problem you are trying to solve.
| Control | File or setting | What it controls | What it does not control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrator whitelist | AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt |
Grants cheat-command privileges to listed ASE Steam IDs | Whether an unlisted player may connect |
| Exclusive player-join whitelist | PlayersExclusiveJoinList.txt, enabled with -exclusivejoin or the documented UseExclusiveList setting |
Controls which players are allowed to connect | Whether an allowed player has administrator commands |
| Join-no-check list | PlayersJoinNoCheckList.txt |
Lets listed players bypass the normal maximum-player check | Administrator permissions or a general ban on unlisted players |
For a private server that needs both access control and delegated moderation, configure the exclusive join list separately and keep the administrator file limited to trusted operators. A player can be allowed to join without being granted cheats, and a moderator can be granted cheats without that file determining the server’s complete membership policy.
How the administrator password interacts with the whitelist
The whitelist makes a password optional for listed users, not universally unnecessary. If an administrator password is configured, the official ASE behavior allows a non-whitelisted player who knows that password to authenticate and gain administrator privileges. Therefore, the file is not a substitute for protecting the password.
- Give the password only to people who should be able to administer the server through password authentication.
- Use the whitelist to provide automatic access for specific Steam IDs.
- Change the password if it has been shared beyond the intended group.
- Do not assume that an empty administrator file blocks password-based administrator access.
If your policy is “only these accounts may administer,” you must control both mechanisms: limit the file and protect, remove, or rotate the password according to your server’s configuration.
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Test a listed account
After the restart, connect with an account whose ID is present in the file. Run a low-risk command that confirms administrator access. The account should not need to enter enablecheats first. Avoid testing with a destructive command that could damage a live world.
Rank #4
- Capture and Tame Dinosaurs: Discover over 100 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures on the island, finding ways to tame them into useful additions for your tribe's dino herd
- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety, and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
- Customize Everything: An extensive crafting system invites you to mix and match materials scavenged from the island, while also modifying the colors, textures, shapes, and styles
- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout
Test an unlisted account
If you need to confirm the boundary, use an account that is not in the file and does not know the administrator password. It should not receive automatic cheat-command privileges. This test checks permission behavior only; it does not prove that the server blocks that player from joining, because the administrator whitelist is not a connection whitelist.
Record the result
Keep a small change record containing the date, the Steam ID added or removed, who approved the change, and the restart time. This makes later troubleshooting much faster when several administrators edit the server.
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Troubleshooting an administrator whitelist that does not work
The server ignores every entry
- Confirm that the server is ASE, not ASA.
- Check that the filename is exactly
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt, including the extension and capitalization. - Move the file to the server’s
ShooterGame/Saved/directory if it is in a client folder or an INI subdirectory. - Verify that the server process can read the file.
- Stop and fully restart the dedicated server after saving.
One player still cannot use commands
- Compare the file entry with the output of
cheat ListPlayers, digit by digit. - Ensure the entry is the 17-digit Steam ID, not the player’s name, nickname, or another account number.
- Remove quotation marks, commas, hyphens, comments, and invisible trailing characters.
- Check that the player reconnected after the restart and is using the account whose ID you recorded.
The file keeps reverting or disappearing
- Stop the server before editing and wait for the process to exit.
- Check whether the hosting panel regenerates configuration files during a restart or update.
- Back up the file and inspect its ownership and permissions.
- If a management tool is involved, use its documented file editor or verify that it writes to the same server instance you are starting.
The player can join, but that was not intended
That result is expected if you configured only AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. Add and enable the separate exclusive player-join list when the requirement is to restrict connections. Do not attempt to solve a join-control problem by adding or removing administrator IDs.
A password still grants administrator access
The whitelist does not disable password authentication. If an unlisted player knows the configured administrator password, that player may still authenticate. Protect or rotate the password and review who has received it.
Maintaining the list safely
Use one authoritative copy
Keep the live file and a secure backup synchronized. Avoid having several administrators edit different copies and upload them in an unknown order. A single authoritative list prevents an old backup from silently removing a newly approved moderator.
Make the smallest possible change
Add or remove one complete line at a time, preserve the other IDs, and inspect the final file before restarting. Do not insert blank labels such as “admins” or “moderators”; the parser expects IDs, one per line.
Remove stale access promptly
When a moderator no longer needs command access, delete that Steam ID, save the file, and restart the server. If the person also knew the administrator password, rotate that password as a separate action.
Review after server moves
When migrating to a new machine or host, copy the file into the new installation’s ShooterGame/Saved/ directory and verify permissions. A successful upload to the old server does not change the new instance.
Choosing the right control for common scenarios
| Goal | Use | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Let two trusted moderators use cheat commands automatically | Add their 17-digit Steam IDs to AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt |
This is the administrator-permission function |
| Allow only a known group of players to connect | Configure PlayersExclusiveJoinList.txt and enable the exclusive-list setting |
Connection access is separate from administrator access |
| Let selected players bypass the normal player-count check | Use PlayersJoinNoCheckList.txt |
This affects the maximum-player check, not commands |
| Give a listed moderator access without sharing a password | Use the administrator whitelist and keep the password protected | Whitelisted users receive automatic command privileges |
| Prevent a former moderator from administering | Remove the Steam ID, restart, and rotate the password if necessary | Both whitelist and password-based paths must be considered |
Operational checklist
- Server edition confirmed as ASE.
- Server process stopped before editing.
- File path is the server’s
ShooterGame/Saved/directory. - Filename is exactly
AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. - Each line contains one verified 17-digit Steam ID.
- No names, passwords, punctuation, or comments appear in the file.
- Server account can read the file.
- Full restart completed.
- Listed account tested with a safe administrator command.
- Separate join restrictions configured if keeping strangers out is required.
- Administrator password reviewed independently of the file.
When a management tool is worthwhile
Manual editing is enough for a small ASE server with a few administrators. A graphical server-management tool can be useful when several people routinely change files, restart the server, or maintain backups. The official dedicated-server setup documentation references Ark Server Manager as a maintenance tool, but compatibility, installation method, pricing, and current feature support depend on the tool and your server environment.
Regardless of the interface, verify the resulting file yourself: it must still be the ASE filename in ShooterGame/Saved/, contain verified Steam IDs, and be followed by a complete restart. A control panel that edits an INI file cannot replace this text-file workflow unless it explicitly implements the administrator whitelist.
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