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How to Use Console Commands in Fallout 4 on PC

Open the Fallout 4 developer console on PC, enter a command, and type help to view the list. Save first: commands can affect quests, gameplay, and later save progress.
WorldFallout 4 on PC Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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In Fallout 4 on PC, open the developer console with the tilde (~) key, type a command, and press Enter. Bethesda documents the grave-accent (`) key as an alternative on UK-configured keyboards. Save manually before trying commands: Bethesda warns they can disrupt quests, fast travel, or AI, and that using them flags subsequent save progress.

Before using a console command, make a manual save

Bethesda describes Fallout 4’s in-game console as primarily a debugging tool and says command use is unsupported. It warns that commands can break quests, remove fast travel, or disrupt AI. Not every command causes problems, but effects may not be reversible.

Create a manual save before experimenting. If a command causes trouble, Bethesda recommends returning to a save from before you used it. Bethesda also says that using a console command activates Developer Mode and flags later save progress. Its guidance for a save affected by the Developer Mode message involves moving the affected saves and restarting; consult Bethesda’s support site for help with that specific issue.

How to open and use the Fallout 4 console

  1. While playing on PC, press the tilde (~) key. Bethesda documents this as the usual access key. On a UK-configured keyboard, it documents the grave-accent (`) key at the upper left as an alternative.
  2. Enter a command at the prompt. Type the command and press Enter to run it. Required parameters and targets vary by command, so check a reliable Fallout 4 command reference before entering one.
  3. Use help to display the command list. Type help in the console and press Enter; Bethesda Support recommends this for a complete list.
  4. Close the console and check what happened. If the game behaves unexpectedly, stop entering commands and load your pre-command save.

Does the console work on Xbox or PlayStation?

No. These keyboard instructions are for the PC version. The Fallout Wiki describes the developer console as a PC feature that cannot be accessed in the console versions of Fallout 4; the in-game command steps therefore do not apply on Xbox or PlayStation.

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Which key should you press?

Bethesda documents the tilde (~) key for opening the console and the grave-accent (`) key for UK-configured keyboards. The documented exception is not a complete mapping for every national keyboard layout. If neither key opens the console, check Bethesda Support’s access guidance for your keyboard and game setup rather than assuming another key will work.

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