# How to Add Admins on Your ARK: Survival Ascended Server (/docs/ark-survival-ascended/adding-admins)



ARK: Survival Ascended uses an admin password system to grant admin access. Any player who knows the admin password can enable admin mode in-game and use cheat commands to manage the server, spawn items, teleport players, and more.

Setting the Admin Password [#setting-the-admin-password]

<div className="fd-steps">
  <div className="fd-step">
    Open the XGamingServer panel [#1-open-the-xgamingserver-panel]

    Log in to the [XGamingServer panel](https://panel.xgamingserver.com) and select your ARK: Survival Ascended server. Stop the server.
  </div>

  <div className="fd-step">
    Set the admin password via Startup [#2-set-the-admin-password-via-startup]

    Click **Startup** in the sidebar. Find the **Admin Password** field (this maps to the `?ServerAdminPassword=` parameter) and enter a strong, unique password.

    Alternatively, you can set it directly in the config file:

    1. Click **Files** in the sidebar.
    2. Navigate to `ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/`.
    3. Open `GameUserSettings.ini`.
    4. Under `[ServerSettings]`, add or edit:

    ```ini
    ServerAdminPassword=YourAdminPassword
    ```
  </div>

  <div className="fd-step">
    Save and restart [#3-save-and-restart]

    Save your changes and start the server.

    > ⚠️ **Warning:** The admin password is separate from the [server password](/docs/ark-survival-ascended/set-a-password). The server password restricts who can join, while the admin password grants cheat access. Use a different password for each.
  </div>
</div>

Enabling Admin In-Game [#enabling-admin-in-game]

Once the admin password is set on the server, any player can enable admin mode:

<div className="fd-steps">
  <div className="fd-step">
    Open the admin console [#1-open-the-admin-console]

    While in-game, press **Tab** to open the console.
  </div>

  <div className="fd-step">
    Authenticate as admin [#2-authenticate-as-admin]

    Type the following command and press Enter:

    ```
    EnableCheats YourAdminPassword
    ```

    Replace `YourAdminPassword` with the password you set on the server. If successful, you'll see a confirmation message.
  </div>

  <div className="fd-step">
    Use admin commands [#3-use-admin-commands]

    You can now use admin commands by typing them in the console. All admin commands must be prefixed with `admincheat`:

    ```
    admincheat fly
    admincheat god
    admincheat giveresources
    ```

    > 📝 **Note:** You must re-authenticate with `EnableCheats` every time you connect to the server. Admin status does not persist between sessions.
  </div>
</div>

Essential Admin Commands [#essential-admin-commands]

| Command                             | Description                                   |
| ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| `admincheat fly`                    | Enable flight mode                            |
| `admincheat walk`                   | Disable flight mode                           |
| `admincheat god`                    | Enable god mode (invincibility)               |
| `admincheat ghost`                  | Noclip through walls and terrain              |
| `admincheat giveresources`          | Give yourself 50 of every resource            |
| `admincheat addexperience 1000 0 1` | Give yourself 1000 XP                         |
| `admincheat forcetame`              | Instantly tame the creature you're looking at |
| `admincheat destroywilddinos`       | Remove all wild dinos (forces respawn)        |
| `admincheat settimeofday 12:00`     | Set the in-game time                          |
| `admincheat saveworld`              | Force a world save                            |
| `admincheat broadcast <message>`    | Send a server-wide message                    |

Player Management Commands [#player-management-commands]

| Command                                  | Description                               |
| ---------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `admincheat listplayers`                 | List all connected players with their IDs |
| `admincheat kick <SteamID>`              | Kick a player by their Steam ID           |
| `admincheat banplayer <SteamID>`         | Ban a player by their Steam ID            |
| `admincheat unbanplayer <SteamID>`       | Unban a previously banned player          |
| `admincheat teleporttoplayer <PlayerID>` | Teleport to a specific player             |
| `admincheat summonplayer <SteamID>`      | Teleport a player to your location        |

Spawning Items and Dinos [#spawning-items-and-dinos]

To spawn items, use the `GiveItemNum` or `GFI` commands:

```
admincheat GFI MetalIngot 100 0 0
```

This gives you 100 metal ingots. The format is `GFI <ItemName> <Quantity> <Quality> <ForceBlueprint>`.

To spawn a tamed dinosaur:

```
admincheat summon <DinoID>
admincheat forcetame
```

Or use `GMSummon` to spawn an already-tamed dino at a specific level:

```
admincheat GMSummon "Rex_Character_BP_C" 150
```

Admin Logging [#admin-logging]

ARK:SA logs admin commands to help you track what admins are doing on your server. You can enable admin logging in `GameUserSettings.ini`:

```ini
[ServerSettings]
AdminLogging=True
```

When enabled, all admin commands are logged to the server's log files, which you can view in the **Console** tab on the XGamingServer panel.

> 💡 **Tip:** Only share the admin password with people you fully trust. Anyone with the admin password has complete control over your server, including the ability to spawn items, kill players, destroy structures, and wipe the server. Consider using RCON for remote administration instead of sharing the in-game admin password.

If you get stuck at any time, you can join our [Discord](https://discord.xgamingserver.com/).