---
title: Kick or Ban Players from a Valheim Server
description: Keep your Valheim server under control with the built-in moderation commands. This guide explains how to enable the console, kick or ban players, remove bans, and edit bannedlist.txt directly through your Nodecraft server files.
source: "https://nodecraft.com/support/games/valheim/setup/kick-or-ban-players-from-a-valheim-server"
image: "https://dynamic-assets.nodecraft.com/signedurl/w7vokBAexMnVlnMZ1Q/image.jpg?modifications=W3sibmFtZSI6ImdhbWVfYmciLCJpbWFnZV91cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2Ntcy1hLm5vZGVjcmFmdC5jb20vZi8xMzM5MzIvMjAwMHg1NTAvZjY2ZTY0Y2JjNS92YWxoZWltLTEtMi0wLnBuZy9tLyJ9LHsibmFtZSI6ImdhbWVfbG9nbyIsImltYWdlX3VybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY21zLWEubm9kZWNyYWZ0LmNvbS9mLzEzMzkzMi8zNzV4MTUwL2MwZGEwNmUzMzAvdmFsaGVpbS5wbmcvbS8ifSx7Im5hbWUiOiJjdGFfdGV4dCIsInRleHQiOiJDcmVhdGUgeW91ciBvd24gc2VydmVyISJ9LHsibmFtZSI6InRleHQiLCJ0ZXh0IjoiS2ljayBvciBCYW4gUGxheWVycyBmcm9tIGEgVmFsaGVpbSBTZXJ2ZXIifV0&s=f33c22be68beae29243c913be8278dd6224d680b19aa70d541b9fc820f48521a"
published: "2026-09-03T23:05:33.494Z"
updated: "2026-09-03T23:05:33.494Z"
---

# Kick or Ban Players from a Valheim Server

Keep your Valheim server under control with the built-in moderation commands. This guide explains how to enable the console, kick or ban players, remove bans, and edit bannedlist.txt directly through your Nodecraft server files.

Sometimes a player needs to be removed from your Valheim server. Server admins can kick players temporarily, ban them from reconnecting, and remove bans when needed.

This guide covers the commands used to kick and ban players from a Valheim server, along with how to manage banned players directly through your Nodecraft server files.

**Note: You need administrator access before using moderation commands. **

1. Open Valheim and select Settings.
2. Select Gameplay.
3. Turn on Enable Console, as shown below. Join your server, then press F5 to open the console.

  ![The Valheim in-game Settings menu with the Enable Console option highlighted under the Gameplay tab.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/939x686/c50a3b6c97/valheim-enable-console-setting.png/m/)

## Kick a Player

1. Join the server with an administrator account.
2. Press F5 to open the console.
3. Confirm that the console appears as shown below, then enter kick PLAYERNAME, replacing PLAYERNAME with the player's exact name. The player can reconnect afterward.

  ![The Valheim in-game console open with the command prompt visible and the help message displayed.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/367x142/e795693fd3/valheim-in-game-console.png/m/)

## Ban a Player

1. Press F5 to open the console.
2. Enter **ban PLAYERNAME**, replacing PLAYERNAME with the player's exact name.

## Unban a Player

1. Press F5 to open the console.
2. Enter **banned** to display the current ban list.
3. Enter **unban USERID**, replacing USERID with the account you want to restore.

## Using the Server Files

You can also manage bans directly through bannedlist.txt. This is useful if the player is no longer online or if you want to review the server's current ban list.

### Add a Manual Ban

1. Navigate to your Nodecraft dashboard.
2. Locate your Valheim server and click **Manage**.
3. Stop the server.
4. Click **Server Files** in the menu on the left, then click **Files**.
5. Navigate to /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim.
6. Locate **bannedlist.txt**

  ![The Nodecraft File Manager showing the Valheim server directory with bannedlist.txt selected alongside adminlist.txt, permittedlist.txt, and the worlds_local folder.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/994x728/6102d7398f/valheim-bannedlist-file.png/m/)
7. Select **bannedlist.txt** and click **Edit**.
8. Add one complete Platform User ID per line.
9. **Save** the file, then **start** the server.  ![The Nodecraft File Manager editor showing bannedlist.txt with a banned player’s Platform User ID entered on its own line.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/477x283/c12a06fdec/valheim-bannedlist-player-id.png/m/)

### Remove a Manual Ban

1. Stop the server to remove a manual ban.
2. Delete the player's line from the bannedlist.txt that you edited earlier.
3. Save the file and restart the server.

## Final Thoughts

Valheim's moderation tools are simple, but they cover the important jobs: removing a disruptive player, keeping an account out, and opening the door again when the situation is resolved. Used carefully, they keep the server welcoming without turning every disagreement over a misplaced workbench into a Viking tribunal.