How To Enable And Use The Console In Valheim

Having access to the developer console in Valheim is essential for server owners. It allows you to kick rule-breakers, manage your server settings, and check on server performance. However, the developers disabled the console by default, so pressing F5 won't do anything until you turn it on.

Enabling the console is incredibly easy and only takes a few seconds in your Steam settings. Let's get it unlocked so you can start managing your Viking world.

Important Note: To use admin commands on a dedicated multiplayer server, your Steam64 ID must first be added to the server's adminlist.txt file! If you haven't done this yet, check out our guide on How to Add Admins in Valheim.

Step 1: Enable the Console in Steam

We need to add a quick launch argument to the game so it knows to load the console feature when it boots up.

1. Open your Steam Library.
2. Locate Valheim in your games list, right-click it, and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
3. Make sure you are on the General tab on the left side of the new window.
4. Scroll all the way down to the bottom until you see the Launch Options text box.
5. Type exactly -console into the box.
6. Close the Properties window. Steam will automatically save the setting.

Step 2: Open the Console In-Game

Now that the setting is active, launch Valheim and connect to your server. Once you are loaded in, simply press the F5 key on your keyboard. A dark grey box should drop down from the top of your screen. This is the developer console!

Basic Multiplayer Commands

If you are an admin on your dedicated server, you can type these commands into the console to manage your world and players:

• help - Displays a list of all available commands.
• kick [name/ip/userID] - Kicks a specific player from the server.
• ban [name/ip/userID] - Permanently bans a player.
• unban [ip/userID] - Unbans a player.
• banned - Shows a full list of currently banned players.
• ping - Displays your current connection latency to the server.
• lodbias [number] - Sets the draw distance for your server.
• info - Prints current system and connection information.

Can I Use Cheats (Devcommands)?

In vanilla Valheim, cheats (like God Mode, free building, or item spawning) are completely restricted to single-player or locally-hosted worlds. Even if you are an admin, typing devcommands on a dedicated MintServers host will just return an error.

If you want to use cheats on your dedicated server, you will need to install a mod. The most popular solution is installing the Server Devcommands mod on both your server (into the BepInEx plugins folder) and your personal game client.

If you run into any issues getting the console to pop up or need help installing the devcommands mod, no worries! Just open a support ticket and our team will jump right in to help you out.