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Choose the control you actually need
Before editing anything, decide whether you are protecting access or delegating administration. These settings solve different problems and should not be substituted for one another.
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| Goal | Setting or file | What identifies a player | Result | What you must do after editing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep a small private group on the server | Password in dedicatedserver.cfg |
A shared password | Players who know the password can attempt to join | Save valid JSON, restart the server, and share or rotate the password privately |
| Give a trusted person owner-level control | ownerswhitelist.txt |
One exact SteamID64 per line | The listed account receives server-owner administration, not merely guest access | Save the file and restart; remove the ID when that trust is no longer appropriate |
A password does not make someone an administrator. Conversely, adding every friend to ownerswhitelist.txt is not a safe way to create a normal player whitelist, because each listed account receives high-level powers. The documented dedicated-server configuration does not provide a separate SteamID-based guest allow-list.
Requirements and preparation
You need a running Sons of the Forest dedicated-server instance, access to its server user-data/configuration directory, and permission to stop and restart the process. For the password method, you need only a private value to share with invited players. For owner access, you need each administrator’s exact SteamID64. Keep a backup of the files before editing so you can restore a known-good copy if the JSON becomes invalid or an ID is entered incorrectly.
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The configuration change itself does not require a special whitelist application, physical accessory, router purchase, or separate software product. A managed host may present the same files through a web control panel, while a self-managed installation exposes them in its server data directory. In either case, the important requirements are the correct instance, correct file, valid formatting, and a restart.
Prepare the dedicated server files
Start the server once first
The official dedicated-server guide says the server should be started once so its default files are created. If you have never launched this instance, do that before looking for the configuration files. A newly created user-data area should eventually contain the configuration and data used by the server, including ownerswhitelist.txt, dedicatedserver.cfg, saves, and game settings.
Locate the server user-data configuration directory
Look under the dedicated server’s server user-data folder rather than the ordinary game installation directory. The correct directory is the one that contains both dedicatedserver.cfg and ownerswhitelist.txt (along with the server’s saves and game settings). Managed hosts normally expose this location through a file manager or configuration editor.
If neither file exists, start the server and allow it to finish creating its defaults, then stop it before making changes. Do not create an unrelated file in a random installation folder; the running instance will not read it.
Back up before editing
Make a copy of the configuration file and owner list before changing them. This gives you a quick way to restore a known-good version if a JSON edit introduces a syntax error or an incorrect SteamID grants access to the wrong person. Keep the backup outside the active configuration location so the server does not confuse it with the live file.
Use the host panel’s sequence when applicable
A hosted server may have separate buttons for stopping, editing, saving, and starting. Follow that sequence rather than launching a second process manually. If the panel reports that the server is still online, wait for it to become offline before saving. A panel can reject edits to an active instance or restore the previous file when the service next starts.
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How to restrict the server to invited players
1. Stop the instance when your host requires it
Many managed control panels require the server to be stopped before configuration files can be edited. Stop it from the panel, wait until the status shows that it is offline, and then open the user-data configuration directory. If your setup allows offline file editing, still make the change while the process is stopped so the running server cannot overwrite it.
2. Edit the JSON configuration
Open dedicatedserver.cfg. It is a JSON file, so preserve its braces, quotation marks, commas, and existing settings. Set Password to a non-empty value, for example:
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"Password": "use-a-unique-password"Keep the value in quotes and avoid adding comments, trailing commas, or a second Password entry. If the file already contains a password setting, replace its value rather than adding a duplicate key. A unique phrase that is not reused on other services is preferable, because anyone who learns it can attempt to join.
3. Save, restart, and test
Save the file, close the editor, and start the server again. Test from an intended player account by entering the new password through the normal dedicated-server join flow. Confirm that a player without the password cannot join, then confirm that an invited player can. This test catches both an incorrect file location and an invalid JSON edit.
Run the positive and negative tests after every password change. Testing only from the host account can hide a stale configuration, because the host may already have a session or a cached server listing. A separate intended account provides a more useful check of the actual join requirement.
4. Share and rotate the password safely
Send the password only to the people who should play. If it is posted publicly, shared with someone who should no longer have access, or copied into a place other players can see, change the Password value and restart the server again. A password protects the join attempt; it does not identify individual guests or grant them administrative commands.
Rotation changes the credential for everyone, so tell current players when the new value becomes active. There is no need to add every invited player to the owner file simply because they need the password.
How to grant trusted server owners
1. Stop the server
Stop the dedicated server before editing its owner list, particularly when using a hosted control panel. Editing while the process is running can leave the server using the old contents until its next restart, and a panel may reject or overwrite changes made to an active instance.
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Use the same configuration/user-data directory that contains dedicatedserver.cfg. The official guide identifies ownerswhitelist.txt as the file used to set server ownership. Its name can be misleading: it is an owner list, not a list of ordinary players who are allowed to connect.
3. Add one exact SteamID64 per line
Enter the SteamID64 for each trusted owner, with one identifier on each line. For example:
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76561198000000001Use the account’s SteamID64, not a nickname, display name, or an abbreviated identifier. Keep the file as a plain list: do not add commas, quotation marks, bullets, comments, or labels. An incorrect numeric ID can fail silently, so copy it carefully and verify it against the intended Steam account before saving.
Maintain one line per person even when several owners are listed. Do not combine IDs on one line or surround them with JSON syntax; this file is not the same format as dedicatedserver.cfg.
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4. Save and restart
Save the file, start the server, and have the listed player join. The operational guidance for hosted servers says that a listed player then receives administrator permissions in-game. If the account does not receive those permissions, stop and recheck the identifier, line formatting, file location, and restart status before adding more entries.
5. Use owner powers sparingly
The official guide describes server owners as having essentially the same rights as a peer-to-peer host, including access to all commands. Owners can use the in-game Pause Menu and Players panel to promote players, demote them, kick guests, and ban or unban guests. Give this access only to people you trust with the entire server, not simply to everyone who needs to play.
That authority is broader than moderation of a single friend. An owner can affect the experience of every connected player, so keep the list short and review it whenever the group’s staffing or trust changes.
6. Remove access when trust changes
To revoke owner access, stop the server, delete that player’s SteamID64 line, save the file, and restart. Removing the line is separate from changing the guest password: if the same person still knows the password, they may remain able to join as a normal player.
When removing an owner, check both controls. Delete the ID to remove administrative powers, and rotate Password if that person should no longer be able to enter the private server at all.
Why ownerswhitelist.txt is not a player whitelist
The filename is easy to misread. In the documented configuration, it identifies server owners, not every player who is allowed to connect. It therefore controls privilege, not ordinary admission. Adding a guest’s SteamID64 to this file can give that guest the ability to manage other players and server commands.
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For private group access, use the non-empty JSON Password. For administration, use the owner file. If you need both, configure both independently: password-protect the server, then list only the few people who need owner powers.
Do not promise a native hot-reload SteamID allow-list, a ServerSettings.ini whitelist syntax, or a documented RCON workflow based on these files. Those methods are not established by the dedicated-server documentation. Check newer official documentation before relying on a later build’s feature or third-party modification.
Password and owner controls compared
| Question | Password | Owner file |
|---|---|---|
| What is the identifier? | A shared non-empty value | An exact SteamID64 |
| Who should receive it? | Every invited player | Only trusted administrators |
| What does it control? | Whether a player can attempt to join | Whether an account receives owner-level commands |
| How is access revoked? | Replace the password and restart | Delete the SteamID64 line and restart |
| What is the main risk? | A leaked credential lets unwanted players attempt to join | An incorrect or over-broad entry grants powerful administrative control |
Using the least powerful control that meets your goal is the safest pattern. A friends-only session normally needs a password, not an owner list. A community moderator may need owner access, but that person should still be the only account added to the owner file.
Troubleshoot a password-protected server
The server still appears open
- Confirm that
Passwordis present in the activededicatedserver.cfg, not a similarly named file elsewhere. - Check that the value is not empty and that the file remains valid JSON.
- Stop and restart the instance after saving; a running process may still have the previous configuration in memory.
- Test from a separate intended account rather than relying only on the host’s own view of the server.
- Check that the panel did not restore an older configuration after the restart.
Invited players cannot join with the password
- Verify the exact capitalization, spaces, and punctuation of the password being shared.
- Make sure the server restarted successfully after the edit. A JSON syntax error can prevent the new configuration from loading.
- Confirm that the password was changed in the configuration directory used by this particular server instance.
- If the password was recently rotated, send the new value privately and stop using old copies.
- Ask one invited account to test again after the server shows a fully started status.
Troubleshoot owner access
The SteamID does nothing
- Confirm that the entry is the intended player’s SteamID64, not a display name or nickname.
- Check every digit against the account that is joining. A wrong numeric ID can fail without an obvious error.
- Use exactly one ID per line with no comments, extra punctuation, or formatting.
- Verify that
ownerswhitelist.txtis in the same server user-data/configuration directory used by the running instance. - Stop and restart the server after saving, then have the listed account reconnect.
- Test one verified owner entry by itself if a larger list is difficult to audit; this helps identify a malformed line.
The wrong person has owner powers
- Stop the server immediately and remove the incorrect line from
ownerswhitelist.txt. - Save the file and restart before allowing normal play to continue.
- Review any in-game changes that account could have made, including promotions, bans, kicks, or other commands.
- If the person also knows the private password, rotate the
Passwordvalue separately.
A panel will not let you edit the file
Use the provider’s file manager or configuration editor and follow its stop-edit-save-start sequence. Managed hosting can perform the same edit as a self-managed server, but the panel may require the process to be offline before it accepts changes. If the panel restores an older copy, download the current file, make the change there, and restart through the panel rather than launching a second server process.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Recommended setup patterns
Private friends-only server
- Start the server once and locate the generated configuration directory.
- Set a unique non-empty
Passwordindedicatedserver.cfg. - Restart and test with one invited account.
- Share the password privately and rotate it if the group changes.
Private server with two administrators
- Complete the password steps above so ordinary access remains private.
- Add only the two administrators’ verified SteamID64 values to
ownerswhitelist.txt, one per line. - Restart and have each administrator confirm access.
- Keep the owner list limited to the people who actually need command access.
Public or community server with moderators
The owner file should still contain only the small group that must have server-owner powers. Do not use it as a roster of every regular player. Where the game’s in-game Players panel supports promotion or demotion, use those controls deliberately and remove elevated access when a moderator leaves.
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The documented controls establish two reliable actions: a non-empty Password in dedicatedserver.cfg for private joining, and SteamID64 entries in ownerswhitelist.txt for server ownership. They do not establish a separate per-player guest allow-list, a hot-reload mechanism, ServerSettings.ini syntax, or a standard RCON procedure for this purpose. Treat community instructions that describe those features as version- or modification-dependent until a current official build documents them.
That distinction prevents the most common administration mistake: handing out owner powers when the real requirement was simply to keep a small group together. Use the least powerful control that meets the goal, restart after every file change, and verify the result with a test account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ownerswhitelist.txt a normal player whitelist?
No. It is the documented owner list. Each SteamID64 entered there receives server-owner administration; it does not create a guest allow-list.
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How do I make a Sons of the Forest dedicated server private?
Set a non-empty Password in dedicatedserver.cfg, save valid JSON, restart the server, and share the password privately.
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It is in the dedicated server’s user-data/configuration directory, alongside dedicatedserver.cfg, saves, and game settings. Start the server once if the default files have not yet been generated.
Why does my SteamID64 not make me an admin?
Verify every digit, use one plain SteamID64 per line, remove comments or extra formatting, confirm you edited the active server directory, and restart before reconnecting.
Can I add every invited player to the owner file?
You should not. Use the password for ordinary access. Add only people who genuinely need owner-level commands, because owners can promote, demote, kick, ban, and unban players.
How do I remove an administrator?
Stop the server, delete that account’s SteamID64 line from ownerswhitelist.txt, save, and restart. Rotate the password separately if the person should also lose normal joining access.
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Does the password identify individual players?
No. It is a shared join credential. Anyone who learns it can attempt to join, so rotate it when the group changes or the value is exposed.
Do I need a special product or extra hardware to configure this?
No additional whitelist product or physical accessory is required. You need access to the server files or your hosting control panel, plus the correct password or SteamID64 values.
The Bottom Line
Use Password in dedicatedserver.cfg to keep a Sons of the Forest dedicated server private. Use ownerswhitelist.txt only for a small, trusted set of SteamID64-based server owners. Edit the active files while the server is stopped, preserve the required format, restart after every change, and test with an intended account.
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