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The fastest supported way to add an administrator is to run /promote PlayerName in the Factorio server console. The other supported method is to place usernames in server-adminlist.json, the admin-list file stored beside factorio-current.log. For a headless server, you can select a different file with the --server-adminlist FILE launch parameter.
Use the console command when the player is online or when you need the change immediately. Use the JSON file for initial setup, scripted deployments, or a server that is not convenient to access interactively. The command /demote PlayerName removes administrator status, while /admins displays the current list.
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Choose the right method
Factorio documents two ways to manage server administrators:
- Console promotion: An existing administrator runs
/promote PlayerName. The player receives admin status without editing a configuration file. - Admin-list file: The server reads usernames from
server-adminlist.json, a JSON array. This is useful for headless servers and repeatable deployments.
If you are setting up your first administrator and nobody currently has admin rights, use the file method or an administration feature supplied by your hosting panel. Once one administrator exists, the console method is normally simpler.
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Method 1: Promote a player from the Factorio console
What you need
- Access to the server’s Factorio console or an in-game console session with permission to run admin commands.
- An account that is already an administrator. The promotion command is itself admin-only.
- The player’s exact Factorio username as it appears in the multiplayer session.
A regular player cannot bootstrap administrator access by entering the command. If nobody can run an admin-only command, use server-adminlist.json or your host’s server-management interface first.
Step-by-step promotion
- Join the server, or open the server console through the interface provided by your headless-server process or host.
- Open the command entry area used for Factorio console commands.
- Enter
/promote PlayerName, replacingPlayerNamewith the target player’s exact username. Do not include the angle brackets shown in documentation-style syntax. - Submit the command and have the player reconnect or check their available admin controls if the interface does not update immediately.
- Run
/adminsto confirm that the username appears in the server’s administrator list.
The command changes the server’s administrator list; it is not a change to server-settings.json. If the target is offline, use the file method or promote the player the next time they are available, depending on how your server interface accepts commands.
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Commands you will use
| Command | Purpose | Permission |
|---|---|---|
/promote PlayerName |
Adds the named player to the administrator list. | Admin-only |
/demote PlayerName |
Removes administrator status from the named player. | Admin-only |
/admins |
Prints the current administrator list. | Use it to verify the result; access is subject to the server’s command permissions. |
When the command appears not to work
- “Unknown player” or no change: Check spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and spaces against the username shown in the player list. Promote the player while they are connected if the server cannot resolve an offline name.
- Permission denied: The account issuing the command is not an administrator. Sign in with an existing admin account or bootstrap one through the JSON file.
- The player still sees ordinary controls: Ask them to reconnect, then run
/adminsagain. Also confirm that you promoted the intended username rather than a similarly named account. - Several servers are running: Verify that the console is attached to the intended Factorio instance and save. A successful command on one instance does not modify another instance’s admin list.
Method 2: Edit server-adminlist.json
File name and location
The supported file is server-adminlist.json. It is separate from server-settings.json. By default, the admin-list file belongs in the same directory as factorio-current.log. If you cannot find it, locate the log used by the running server and inspect that directory rather than guessing a settings-file location.
On a headless server, the launch parameter --server-adminlist FILE tells Factorio to use an admin-list file at a custom path. The path supplied to that parameter becomes the file the running instance reads, so edit that file rather than an unused copy beside another installation’s log.
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JSON format
The file contains a JSON array of usernames. Each username is a quoted JSON string, and entries are separated by commas:
["ServerOwner", "Alice", "Bob"]For one administrator, the valid form is:
["ServerOwner"]Do not add comments, use single quotes, leave a trailing comma, or wrap the array in a property such as {"admins": [...]}. Those are not the documented array format. Preserve the exact usernames that Factorio uses.
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- Identify the active admin-list file. Check the server’s launch command for
--server-adminlist. If that option is absent, useserver-adminlist.jsonbesidefactorio-current.log. - Make a backup copy of the file before editing. If the file does not exist, create it with a text editor that saves plain UTF-8 text.
- Stop the Factorio server before changing the file. This prevents the process from writing over your edit and gives you a known startup state.
- Put every administrator username in one JSON array, using double quotes around each name.
- Save the file and validate the JSON with a local JSON-aware editor or validator. A missing quote or comma can make the file unreadable.
- Start the server again using the same command-line options as before.
- Join the server and run
/admins, or check the server console, to confirm that the intended names are listed.
The official documentation identifies the file and its location but does not establish a guaranteed live-reload behavior. Stopping the server, editing the file, and starting it again is the safest operational sequence; do not assume that changing the file while the process is running will take effect immediately.
How the file is created
The Factorio wiki describes the admin-list file as being created when a player is promoted through the console. Therefore, an existing server may already have a correctly formatted file even if you never created one manually. Back it up before editing, and inspect the active path if your server uses --server-adminlist.
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Adding the first administrator
The first-admin problem is common on a new headless installation: no account can run the admin-only /promote command yet. Use this sequence:
- Stop the server if it is running.
- Create or edit the active
server-adminlist.jsonfile. - Add the owner username as a one-element JSON array, for example
["ServerOwner"]. - Start the server with the same save, settings, and admin-list arguments used for normal operation.
- Connect with that username and verify with
/admins. - Use
/promote OtherPlayerfor additional administrators once the first account is recognized.
Do not put the username in server-settings.json. An unofficial user-written wiki page has suggested that file for headless-server administrators, but the official Multiplayer documentation identifies server-adminlist.json as the admin-list location. The two files have different purposes, and relying on the unofficial arrangement can leave the server without the expected administrators.
Existing players, new players, and file edits
A forum report summarized in available search material claims that an edited JSON list may be applied when a player is first created on joining, which could explain why a currently known player does not appear to gain rights after a manual edit. That behavior has not been verified against the full forum post or confirmed as a current rule. Treat it as a possible compatibility issue rather than a guaranteed feature.
For an existing player who needs access now, the reliable operational choice is to use /promote PlayerName from an account that is already an administrator. If no administrator exists, seed the file, restart the server, connect with the listed account, and then use the console command for subsequent changes.
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Headless servers and custom paths
Using –server-adminlist
A headless server can point to a non-default admin list at launch:
factorio --start-server /path/to/save.zip --server-adminlist /path/to/server-adminlist.jsonThe exact executable and save arguments depend on your installation; the relevant option is --server-adminlist FILE. Keep the option in the service definition, startup script, container command, or panel configuration that actually launches the server. If you edit a file in the default log directory while the launch command points elsewhere, your changes will not affect the running instance.
Verifying which file is active
- Inspect the process or service configuration for
--server-adminlist. - If the option is present, use the exact path supplied after it.
- If it is absent, use
server-adminlist.jsonbesidefactorio-current.log. - After restarting, verify with
/adminsrather than assuming the file was accepted.
When several Factorio instances share a machine, give each instance an unambiguous admin-list path. Otherwise, an edit intended for one server can be mistaken for an edit intended for another.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Removing an administrator
Use /demote PlayerName from an administrator account to remove a player’s admin rights. Then run /admins to confirm the remaining list. If you manage administrators through the JSON file instead, remove the username from the array, validate the JSON, and restart the server using the active file path. Keep a backup before making the change so an accidental formatting error does not erase the usable list.
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Before demoting the only other administrator, confirm that at least one trusted account remains. If you remove every usable administrator, you will need file access or a hosting-panel recovery path to restore access.
Hosting panels
Many game-server hosts provide an “admins,” “operators,” or similar control-panel field. The labels and file paths vary by provider, and a panel may write the JSON file for you. Use the panel’s Factorio-specific admin feature when it is available, then verify inside Factorio with /admins. If the panel exposes a file manager instead, identify whether it starts the server with --server-adminlist so that you edit the file the process actually uses.
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Quick Recap
Troubleshooting checklist
The file is ignored
- Confirm the name is exactly
server-adminlist.json, including spelling and extension. - Check whether
--server-adminlist FILEpoints to another location. - Ensure the file is beside the active
factorio-current.logwhen no custom path is configured. - Stop and restart the server after editing; live reload is not established by the official documentation.
- Validate that the file is a JSON array of strings, not a settings object.
The server fails to read the list
- Restore the backup and start the server to separate a formatting problem from a path problem.
- Check for smart quotes, comments, a missing comma, or a trailing comma.
- Make sure the service account can read the file and its parent directory.
- Confirm that the edited file is saved as plain text and not as a second extension such as
.json.txt.
The player is listed but has no admin controls
- Verify the username character-for-character with
/admins. - Have the player reconnect after the server restart or promotion.
- Check that they joined the same server instance whose console and admin list you inspected.
- If the name was added by a manual file edit and the player is already established, use the console
/promotecommand instead.
Operational and security practices
- Give administrator status only to trusted players; the permission is intended for server management, not ordinary participation.
- Keep a dated backup of
server-adminlist.jsonbefore bulk edits or migrations. - Protect the file and the server launch configuration from unauthorized write access.
- Record which username owns the initial administrator role so recovery does not depend on guessing a name.
- After changing the list, verify it from inside the correct server with
/admins. - When an administrator no longer needs access, remove them with
/demoteor delete their entry from the active JSON file.
Quick decision guide
| Situation | Best route |
|---|---|
| An administrator is online and you need to add one player | Run /promote PlayerName. |
| No administrator exists on a new headless server | Create server-adminlist.json with the owner’s username, restart, and verify. |
| You deploy servers from a script or service | Maintain a JSON admin list and pass its path with --server-adminlist FILE. |
| You need to revoke access immediately | Run /demote PlayerName, then verify with /admins. |
| A hosting panel manages the instance | Use its Factorio admin control, then confirm the result in Factorio. |
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