--- title: "How to Use the Admin Console on Your ARK: Survival Evolved Server" description: Learn how to grant yourself Admin status using the Admin Console for an ARK Server hosted with Nodecraft! source: "https://nodecraft.com/support/games/ark/how-to-use-the-admin-console-on-your-ark-survival-evolved-server" image: "https://dynamic-assets.nodecraft.com/signedurl/w7vokBAexMnVlnMZ1Q/image.jpg?modifications=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&s=03d19d061724eec68c45db0a95a587fd8892ce442a4adbba10a4e485af3bd0cb" published: "2019-10-31T23:02:06.520Z" updated: "2026-01-29T17:28:00.000Z" --- # How to Use the Admin Console on Your ARK: Survival Evolved Server Learn how to grant yourself Admin status using the Admin Console for an ARK Server hosted with Nodecraft! This guide will help you enable and use Admin, or "cheat" commands, on your ARK: Survival Evolved multiplayer server. ## Setting the Admin Password Players who want to use admin commands on a multiplayer ARK server have to enter an admin password first to authorize them, which is set in the server configs. > Only multiplayer servers require this, in singleplayer games you are automatically an admin, and you don't have to "turn on" admin access. The admin password for your server can be set on the Nodecraft Pro panel on the "Game Settings" tab, under the "Advanced" tab. ![Shows the game settings page with a red box around the admin password input](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1320x715/a6aa503315/game-settings-admin-password.png/m/1000x0/smart) Enter a password into the box, and then make sure to hit the save button at the bottom of the page afterwards, and then **restart the server.** It will not properly set the admin password unless the server is restarted afterwards. ### `Gameusersettings.ini` You can also set the admin password by directly editing the config file `GameUserSettings.ini` too. Just find the line for server password, and type your password after the equals sign. ## ARK Console Bar Connect to your ARK server. When you load into the game, hit the `tab` key to open the console window in game, which appears as a black bar at the very bottom edge of the screen. Sometimes, depending on your monitor settings, it may be hard to see it. If so, hit `tab` a second time. ![A view of ARK showing the console window open](https://s3-assets.nodecraft.com/attachments/42GuBhdQsWf7KitEIhLV_Ark_SP_Transfer_consolebar.PNG) When you hit `tab` a second time, the entire top portion of the screen will be the console window, with a black bar near the middle for entering commands, and it will also show the previous commands you've entered on the top half of the screen. ![a view of the game ARK, showing the console window expanded.](https://s3-assets.nodecraft.com/attachments/YM6T4EdRd2v2gpflUSrx_Ark_SP_Transfer_consolewindow.PNG) The expanded window is **very** handy for finding typos in entered commands. > For example, I repeatedly type "cheats" instead of "cheat" when entering commands. `cheat` works. `cheats` with the `s` on the end is wrong, and the entire command is ignored. Oof. Hitting escape closes the console, or hit `tab` repeatedly to cycle through the two views and back to the normal game. ## Enable Cheats on your Character Once you have the console open, enter the following command to activate "cheats" in game for your character. ``` enablecheats (admin password) ``` Replace "(admin password)" with the actual password. You don't need the parenthesis. If done right, you are now an admin and you can use the "cheat" commands! The admin access only lasts for your current session, if you leave the server and come back, you have to re-enable cheats again. > NOTE: You normally don't get any kind of confirmation message when admin is turned on. It's just "on". If you're not 100% sure if it actually worked, you can test to make sure you're an admin by hitting `tab` again, and type in the console bar: ``` cheat fly ``` You should see a message that you "You feel much lighter", and when you hit the jump key you will rise into the air! Up, up, and away! To turn off fly mode if you want afterwards. hit `tab` again and enter: ``` cheat walk ``` Or leave "fly" turned on! Hovering in midair is actually a great way to not get interrupted in game while you're entering admin/cheat commands. ## Entering Admin/Cheat Commands Manually The entire list of ARK: Survival Evolved console commands can be found on their [wiki](https://ark.gamepedia.com/Console_Commands). The wiki describes what the command does, and what "arguments" it needs to work correctly. You can enter them directly into the console bar, just use the syntax and arguments shown in the Wiki. Many of the commands on the Wiki show upper case letters in them, that is mostly to make them easier to read. You can type them all entirely in lowercase. Many admin commands require you to type `admincheat`, or just the short version of `cheat`, in front of many commands for them to work correctly. Like "cheat fly" will let you fly, but typing just "fly" in the console does nothing. The wiki will show you if a command needs to have `admincheat` or `cheat` in front of it, on the description of each command. Just look for a "yes" next to the word "cheat". ![The console command listings for ARK, showing the cheat setting highlighted](https://s3-assets.nodecraft.com/attachments/rG8ACJPCRfuOhdpJ5weM_Ark_SP_Transfer_console_commands.PNG) ## `ShowMyAdminManager` ARK also has a GUI that opens in the game, that provides a way to enter many commands by simply clicking on menu choices. These are the same exact commands shown in the Wiki, just some of them are named a little differently on ShowMyAdminManager. You first have to have enabled cheats on your character, and then you open the GUI by entering the following command (no `admincheat` or `cheat` needed before it) in the console bar: ``` showmyadminmanager ``` And you will see something like the screenshot below. ![A view of the showmyadminmanager GUI for ARK](https://s3-assets.nodecraft.com/attachments/FumI6rXoQRqOvFTvEXGf_showmyadminmanager.PNG) Even if you plan to use the `showmyadminmanager` GUI, it's still a good idea to check how the commands actually work on the [wiki](https://ark.gamepedia.com/Console_Commands). Some commands have hardcoded limits you can't change, and the Wiki will explain why they don't work when you enter certain values. ## "Arguments" for Admin Commands Some admin commands will ask for targets, so the game now which players or tribes to effect. You might need to enter: - A player's Steam64ID from the Steam launch platform - The UE4 PlayerID number - The UE4 TribeID number We have guides that show you how to get those numbers: [how to find Steam64IDs](https://nodecraft.com/support/games/ark/how-to-quickly-find-steam-id-numbers) and [how to find PlayerID or TribeID](https://nodecraft.com/support/games/ark/how-to-find-your-tribe-or-player-id-in-ark-survival-evolved). ## Persistent Admin Access If constantly entering the `enablecheats` command and admin password is annoying, you can "whitelist" your player on an ARK server. In ARK, "whitelisting" means you are automatically granted admin status on login, all the time, every time. You don't have to enter the password ever again. The most convenient way to whitelist players is to use the `ShowMyAdminManager` GUI. Select a player from the "connected players" window, and then just click the "Whitelist" button, and they're whitelisted. Their name will now appear in the bottom center window for "whitelisted" players. ![A view of the showmyadminmanager GUI in ark, and how to whitelist players](https://s3-assets.nodecraft.com/attachments/lhYUK2QoSteWyRWqkGmR_ark_whitelist_edited.png) ![A view of the showmyadminmanager GUI in Ark, with a player successfully whitelisted](https://s3-assets.nodecraft.com/attachments/nu80RzMDS9WMkJM6miGq_ark_whitelist2_edited.PNG)