Running an ARK undedicated server with your friend group is one of the best ways to experience the game, right? You get to tweak settings to your group’s playstyle, skip the toxic randoms that populate public servers, and progress at your own pace. But if you’re the only host with command access, you’ll quickly get burnt out fielding requests every 10 minutes to spawn a lost dino, fix a base that got wiped by a random rex, or kick a random who wandered onto your server. Learning how to give someone else commands on ARK undedicated server takes that pressure off you, and makes your entire server run smoother for everyone playing.
Prep Steps Before You Give Someone Else Commands on ARK Undedicated Server
You don’t want to hand over admin access to just anyone without doing a little prep first, trust me. I’ve had a former friend go on a rampage once after we gave him command access without laying ground rules, and we lost 3 weeks of progress on our Aberration server. Taking 5 minutes to get everything sorted before you adjust permissions saves you a ton of headache later.
First, you need to get the correct info for the player you’re promoting. ARK doesn’t use in-game display names for permission assignments, since those can be changed easily to impersonate other players. Steam ID verification is non-negotiable here. You can find a player’s Steam ID by right clicking their name in your Steam friends list, hitting “View Profile”, then copying the string of numbers at the end of their profile URL. If they have a custom URL, you can use a free Steam ID lookup tool to get their numerical ID.
Next, lay out clear rules for what they can and can’t do with their command access. For example, your co-admin might be allowed to spawn building materials for new players, kick griefers, and teleport stuck dinos, but not allowed to wipe bases or spawn endgame gear for their own personal use. Having these rules written down somewhere your whole server can see eliminates confusion later.
Before you make any changes to your server settings, do these three quick things:
- Verify the player’s Steam ID twice to make sure you don’t give access to the wrong person by accident
- Have a quick voice chat with the player to confirm they understand all your server’s admin rules
- Backup your server save file and store it in a separate folder, so you can roll back if anything goes wrong after you assign permissions
It takes less than two minutes to do all of these, and they’ll save you from so many potential disasters. I never skip the backup step anymore, even if I’m promoting one of my closest long-term friends. If you’re going to give someone else commands on ARK undedicated server, this small prep work is non-negotiable.
Step-by-Step Process to Assign Admin Commands Access
The process for giving other players command access is actually pretty straightforward, even if you’ve never messed with your server’s config files before. You have two main options: assign them as an admin via the in-game console, or add their Steam ID to your server’s admin list file for permanent access.
If you only want to give someone temporary command access for a single play session, the in-game console method is the fastest. First, open your admin console by pressing the Tab key on PC, or the combination for your console if you’re playing on Xbox or PlayStation. Type in “EnableCheats [your admin password]” to activate your own admin access first. Then, type “GiveAdminTo [player’s in-game name]” and hit enter. That will give them access to all admin commands until they log off the server. This is the fastest way to give someone else commands on ARK undedicated server when you don’t need the access to be permanent. Admin password sharing is a last resort if you can’t get this method to work, because anyone with your admin password can take over your server completely if they want to.
If you want to give someone permanent command access that stays even after they log off and the server restarts, you’ll need to edit your server’s adminlist.txt file. You can find this file in your ARK server save folder, usually located under “ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer” if you’re hosting on PC. Open the file with a basic text editor like Notepad, then paste each player’s numerical Steam ID on a separate line. Save the file, then restart your server for the changes to take effect. Any player whose Steam ID is on that list will automatically have admin command access every time they join the server.
Once you’ve assigned the permissions, hop in game and ask the player to test a low-stakes command, like spawning a stack of berries, to make sure it works. If it doesn’t, double check that you copied their Steam ID correctly, and that you saved the adminlist file before restarting the server. It’s almost always a typo causing the issue, not a bug with the game itself.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Sharing Server Commands
I’ve made almost every possible mistake when it comes to managing ARK server permissions over the 7 years I’ve been playing the game, so I can tell you exactly what not to do. These mistakes are super common for new server hosts, but they’re really easy to avoid if you know what to look for.
The biggest mistake I see all the time is giving command access to people you haven’t known for very long. It might feel like the random guy who joined your server last week is super cool and helpful, but you have no way of knowing if he’s going to get bored and wipe all your bases the first time you disagree about something. Do not give command access to anyone you don’t fully trust, no matter how nice they seem at first. Stick to people you’ve played other games with for months, or real life friends, whenever possible. If you’re going to give someone else commands on ARK undedicated server, you need to be 100% sure they won’t abuse that power.
Another common mistake is not setting clear boundaries for what admins can and can’t do. I once let my cousin have admin access on our Ragnarok server, and he spawned himself a fully leveled giga and a full set of ascendant gear on his first day playing. That ruined the progression for everyone else on the server, because he could clear any boss in 10 seconds while the rest of us were still farming stone for our first base. Having clear written rules for admin use prevents that kind of unfair advantage.
You also want to avoid using the “GiveAdminTo” command for permanent access, because that access resets every time the server restarts. If you have a co-admin who helps you run the server full time, adding them to the adminlist.txt file is way more reliable, and you won’t have to re-grant their access every time you restart the server to add mods or fix bugs.
Best Practices for Managing Admin Permissions on Small Servers
Once you have multiple admins on your undedicated server, there are a few small things you can do to keep everything running smoothly, without any drama or conflict between players. These tips are based on running 12+ small private ARK servers over the years, and they’ve cut down on admin-related complaints by 90% for my groups.
First, make a public log for all admin actions. You don’t have to log every small thing like spawning a lost dino for a new player, but any big action like wiping a base, banning a player, or spawning large amounts of resources should be noted in a shared Discord channel for your server. That way, everyone can see what admins are doing, and no one can accuse admins of abusing their power for personal gain.
Remove permissions immediately when a player leaves your server group, even if they left on good terms. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard of former players logging back into a server months after they left, just to wipe everything out of boredom. You can always re-add their Steam ID to the admin list if they decide to come back later, so there’s no downside to removing it when they leave. When you give someone else commands on ARK undedicated server, you’re trusting them with all the hard work your group has put into your save file, so you don’t want that trust lingering after they’re no longer part of the group.
You should also limit the number of admins you have on your server at any given time. For a server with 10 regular players, 2 or 3 admins total is more than enough. Having too many admins leads to conflicting rules, and it’s harder to keep track of who is making what changes. Only promote more admins if your regular player count grows past 15 or 20 people, and you can’t keep up with requests on your own.
Last, always test permissions after you assign them, and after every major game update. Sometimes ARK updates will reset the adminlist.txt file, so it’s a good idea to check that all your admins still have access after you install a new patch. Test permissions after assigning them by having the new admin run a simple command, so you don’t find out they don’t have access when you’re offline and a griefer joins the server.
At the end of the day, running a small ARK undedicated server with your friends is supposed to be fun, not a second job. Taking the time to learn how to give someone else commands on ARK undedicated server lets you share the workload of running the server, so you can spend more time playing the game and less time answering admin requests. As long as you follow the prep steps, set clear rules, and only give access to people you trust, you won’t run into any issues with shared command access. Next time you’re tired of being the only one who can fix a broken base or kick a griefer, give one of your trusted friends admin access – you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.