New

EmeraldHost 2.0 is here: faster, more intuitive, and made for everyone - the new panel!

Learn more
Guides
How to Enable the Whitelist on Your Valheim Server
ValheimValheimEnable Whitelist

How to Enable the Whitelist on Your Valheim Server

Enable the whitelist on a Valheim server

2 min read
Sep 24, 2026

With the whitelist you can restrict access to your server to specific players. Valheim uses the file permittedlist.txt for this.

Set up the whitelist

  1. Connect via SFTP
    Connect to your server via SFTP.

  2. Open permittedlist.txt
    Open the file permittedlist.txt in the following directory:

    /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/permittedlist.txt
    

    It is located in the same folder as adminlist.txt and bannedlist.txt, one level above the worlds_local folder. The server creates the file automatically on its first start.

  3. Add players
    Enter one player ID per line. Copy it exactly as it appears in the player list (F2) or in the server log, including the prefix and upper and lower case (see Find the player ID):

    // List permitted players ID ONE per line
    V_76561198012345678
    V_76561198087654321
    

    For Steam players, the older form Steam_76561198012345678 and the plain SteamID64 also work. Lines starting with // are comments and are ignored. Player names do not work in this file, only IDs. Make sure there are no spaces before or after an ID.

  4. Save the file
    Save the file.

Find the player ID

The player ID has the format [Platform]_[ID], e.g. V_76561198012345678. For Steam players, the part after V_ is the SteamID64. You can find the ID in two ways:

  • In the in-game player list, which you open with F2 while the player is on the server.
  • In the server log, i.e. in the console of your dashboard, when the player connects. This also works when the whitelist rejects them. Without crossplay, the log shows only the SteamID64 without a prefix for Steam players.

Crossplay players (e.g. on Xbox, PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2) do not have a SteamID64. For them you always need the ID from the player list or the server log.

Disable the whitelist

Delete all player IDs from permittedlist.txt and save the file. Comment lines starting with // can stay. After that, all players who are not banned can join again.

Written byEmeraldHost Team
Last updated on Sep 24, 2026 Edit on GitHub

Did this article help you?

Your feedback helps us improve our guides.

Help shape the guides

€10.00 in credit for every new guide, €5.00 for every improvement.

Contact Support

Create a support ticket and our team will get back to you as soon as possible – personal and professional.

Go to Support
1257 members online

Discord Community

Connect with other players, get quick help from the community, and stay up to date with the latest news.

Join Discord
Valheim

Ready to get started?

Rent your Valheim Server now

Join our Discord community 1257 members online right now