Valheim Private Server: Password, Whitelist and Bans
A Valheim server is locked down in three layers: the password, keeping it off the public list, and a whitelist with the IDs of who can join. All three combine, and the last one keeps everyone else out even if they know the password.
The password
Valheim won't let you run a public server without a password. It has to be at least 5 characters and can't be contained in the world name; if it doesn't meet that, the server won't start.
It's the same for everyone. If someone who shouldn't have it knows it, change it and restart: anyone who already had the server saved will have to type the new one.
Rather not set it up yourself? Valheim servers from €8 a month, no contract and a full refund within 72 hours. Or create a free Valheim server, no card needed.
Keep it off the public list
With -public 0 in the startup line, the server doesn't show up in the game's server list and you join by typing its address and port. It doesn't make it invisible to anyone who already knows them, but it gets rid of people browsing for random servers. How to join then, in how to join a Valheim server.
The whitelist: permittedlist.txt
It's a text file with one player ID per line. As soon as it has a line, only those accounts can join: the official manual warns that adding someone bans everyone else. Empty or missing, anyone with the password can join.
IDs have the platform in front and are case-sensitive. Since 1.0 the game shows them in a format that starts with V_; the old ones, like Steam_ followed by the SteamID64, work again since patch 1.0.12 (what changed). The safe bet is to copy it exactly as the game shows it; for a Steam friend who hasn't joined yet, the SteamID64 finder gets their number from their profile link.
The file goes in the same folder as adminlist.txt and bannedlist.txt: the server's data folder (on Windows, %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim; on Linux, ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim).
Get the IDs
Inside the server, the game's F2 panel shows the players with their ID. They also appear in the server log when someone connects.
Add yourself first
If you forget yourself, you're locked out of your own server.
One ID per line
No spaces before or after. Save the file with the exact name, permittedlist.txt.
Restart the server
And try joining with an account that isn't on it, to check that it gets kicked.
Banning someone: bannedlist.txt
An admin (with their ID in adminlist.txt) opens the console with F5 and types ban and the player's name. unban removes it and banned shows the list. Bans are saved in bannedlist.txt, with the same ID format, and can also be written by hand.
How to make yourself an admin, step by step, is in the Valheim server admin guide.
On NapNodes
The password
It's generated automatically when the server is created and you'll find it in “Settings” → “Password to join”, with “Copy”. If you change it, the panel asks for 5 to 20 characters, with no spaces or quotes, and not contained in the server or world name.
Off the public list
Turn off “Show in the public list” in “Settings”. People still join with the address and port on the “Address to play” card.
The whitelist
Stop the server. In “Files”, go into .config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim (it's a hidden folder) and edit permittedlist.txt; if it doesn't exist, create it with that name. The IDs of whoever connects also show up in the panel's “Console”.
Start it and test
With “Start”. If someone on the list can't join, compare their ID with the one F2 shows, letter by letter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a whitelist on a Valheim server?
With permittedlist.txt, in the server's data folder: one player ID per line, then restart. As soon as it has a line, only those accounts can join.
Where do I see a player's ID in Valheim?
In the game's F2 panel, with the player inside the server, or in the server log when they connect. Since 1.0 they start with V_.
Can a Valheim server have no password?
Not a public one: the game requires at least 5 characters not contained in the world name, or the server won't start.
How do I hide my Valheim server from the list?
Start it with -public 0. On NapNodes, turn off “Show in the public list” in “Settings”. People can still join with the address and port.
Why can't a friend on the whitelist join?
It's usually the ID: it has to be exactly as the game shows it, with its prefix and its capital letters. Also check that you restarted the server after editing the file.
Shall we set it up for you?
Valheim servers from €8 a month, never oversold: your RAM is yours alone. And if you'd rather start without paying, there's a free Valheim server, no card needed.
Not sure whether your server is online? Check it in a second with the Valheim server status checker: players, version and password, free.
Free tool: SteamID64 finder. Paste a Steam link, a username or a STEAM_0 ID and get every form of the ID and the adminlist.txt line for Valheim.
Keep reading
- Running a Valheim Server: Admins, Kicks and Bans
How to make yourself admin on a Valheim dedicated server: adminlist.txt, your SteamID64, the F5 console, kick, ban and a list of allowed players.
- Valheim Server for More Than 10 Players
Valheim allows 10 players per server. How to raise the limit with a BepInEx mod, what to check first, what happens with Xbox and how much RAM you need.
- Valheim Server Ports: What to Open (2456 and 2457 UDP) and When You Don't Need To
Which ports a Valheim server uses, how to forward them on your router, why crossplay doesn't need them and what to do if it doesn't show in the list.