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Use ban, unban, and kick from the dedicated-server console without a leading slash, or run them as an administrator in chat with / or @. Identify the player with a SteamID whenever possible; a player name is mainly useful when that player is online.

ban blocks a player from joining for a duration measured in seconds, defaulting to one year (31,536,000 seconds). unban removes a SteamID from the blocked list. kick only disconnects the player, so they can join again unless another restriction applies.

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Command overview

These commands affect access to the running server. The console and in-game administrator chat use the same command names, but their prefixes differ.

Command Purpose Accepted target Duration or result
ban Blocks a player from joining SteamID or player name Seconds; one year by default
unban Removes a block SteamID The player may join again if no other restriction exists
kick Disconnects a player immediately SteamID or player name No continuing ban; the player may reconnect
bans Displays current bans None Lists the active blocked entries
slay Kills the player and applies a ban Player target Also bans for 31,536,000 seconds

A ban is different from a kick: use a kick for a temporary removal from the current session, and a ban when the player must be prevented from reconnecting.

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Open the right command interface

Dedicated-server console

Enter commands directly in the server console without a leading slash:

ban 76561198000000000 Griefing 86400

The console is also where you can run administrative commands when you are not connected as a player. The exact way to open or focus the console depends on the server host and its launch setup.

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Administrator chat in the game

When you have administrator rights, prefix the command in chat with / or @:

/kick 76561198000000000 Repeated team killing

Do not add that prefix when entering the same command in the server console.

Check the current syntax before acting

Community references disagree about separators. One documents parameters separated by spaces, while another describes forward slashes between parameters. Because Unturned updates or server wrappers can change parsing, check the current in-game command help or the console’s command listing on your specific server before relying on a slash-separated form. The examples in this guide use the space-separated form shown by one community reference.

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Duration values are seconds in every reference that specifies a unit. If your server’s help output shows a different syntax, follow that output rather than mixing the two forms.

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How to ban a player

1. Choose a reliable identifier

Use the player’s SteamID when you can. A SteamID avoids ambiguity between similarly named players and is the practical choice for an offline ban. Community guidance indicates that name targeting generally works only while the player is online, so use the SteamID for someone who has already disconnected.

2. Decide the duration

The optional duration is an integer number of seconds. If you omit it, the server applies a one-year ban: 31,536,000 seconds. The server reports that duration in the console, and a connecting player sees the remaining seconds and the ban reason.

Common conversions are:

  • One hour: 3600 seconds
  • One day: 86400 seconds
  • One week: 604800 seconds
  • Thirty days: 2592000 seconds
  • One year: 31536000 seconds

These are elapsed-second values, not calendar-month or calendar-year calculations. A 30-day value is always 2,592,000 seconds, for example.

3. Run the command

The documented form is:

ban [SteamID | Player] [reason] [duration]

For example, a one-day ban by SteamID with a reason is:

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ban 76561198000000000 Griefing 86400

For a default one-year ban, omit the duration:

ban 76561198000000000 Exploiting

In administrator chat, add the prefix:

/ban 76561198000000000 Exploiting 86400

The reason and duration are optional. If you omit the reason as well, use the form accepted by your server’s help output; parameter parsing is the area where community references conflict, so avoid experimenting on a live disciplinary action.

4. Confirm the result

Watch the console response for the applied duration and reason, then run bans to verify that the entry appears in the active list. If the player is still connected, the ban should prevent a later connection; use kick separately if you also need to end the current session immediately.

How to unban a player

Use the SteamID, not the display name

The unban command requires the player’s SteamID:

unban 76561198000000000

In administrator chat, use:

/unban 76561198000000000

There is no reason or duration argument. The command removes that SteamID from the list of users blocked from joining. If the player was kicked separately, they can reconnect after the unban takes effect.

Verify the removal

Run bans and confirm that the SteamID is no longer listed. If it remains, check for transcription errors in the SteamID and make sure you are connected to the intended server instance. An unban on one server does not change a different server’s ban list.

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How to kick a player without banning them

Run the kick command

Use:

kick [SteamID | Player] [reason]

Example from the console:

kick 76561198000000000 Spamming voice chat

Example from administrator chat:

/kick 76561198000000000 Spamming voice chat

The reason is optional. A kick disconnects the player from the current session but does not add them to the ban list. They may immediately reconnect unless you apply a ban or another access restriction.

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Choose kick or ban

  • Kick: Use for a warning, a temporary session problem, an idle slot, or conduct that does not justify blocking future access.
  • Ban: Use when the player must be prevented from reconnecting for a defined period.
  • Kick followed by ban: Use when you need both immediate disconnection and a lasting access block. A ban alone may not end the player’s current connection, so verify the behavior on your server.

List current bans

The bans command takes no arguments:

bans

In chat, use:

/bans

Use this list to obtain the exact SteamID needed for an unban and to check whether a player is already blocked. A connecting user is shown the remaining time in seconds and the reason associated with the ban.

What the slay command does

slay is more severe than its name may suggest: the documented behavior kills the targeted player in game and also applies a 31,536,000-second ban, equal to one year. Do not use it as a simple substitute for kick. If you only want to remove someone from the current session, use kick instead.

Give yourself or another person permanent admin rights

Use Commands.dat for persistent ownership

The persistent owner setting is placed in Commands.dat, with one command per line:

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Owner 76561198000000000

This grants administrative rights to that SteamID when the server starts. The server folder also contains Adminlist.dat, Blacklist.dat, Commands.dat, and Whitelist.dat; they serve different administrative purposes, so do not substitute one file for another.

Console owner syntax is less certain

A 2026 third-party command list describes /owner <SteamID> entered in the console as permanent and saved to Commands.dat. Because that behavior is not confirmed by an official Smartly Dressed reference, check the current command help on your server before relying on the console form. The documented persistent method is the Owner <SteamID> line in Commands.dat.

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Cheat-gated commands are separate

Some commands, such as Give, require Cheats to be present in Commands.dat. Administrator status alone does not establish that every cheat-gated command is enabled.

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Persistence and server files

Commands.dat contains commands that run each time the server starts, with one command per line. That makes it appropriate for persistent owner or server-start settings. The available references do not establish that ban, unban, or kick can be safely written there as ordinary startup lines, and they do not document the internal format used by Blacklist.dat.

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Do not edit Blacklist.dat based on an assumption about its structure, and do not delete it as a generic way to clear bans. The behavior and storage format are not verified in the available documentation. Use the commands themselves and confirm the result with bans.

Troubleshooting command failures

The server says the command is unknown

  • In the console, remove the leading / or @; those prefixes are for chat use.
  • In chat, add / or @ before the command.
  • Check the current in-game help for your Unturned version and any server wrapper.
  • Confirm that the account issuing the command has administrator rights.

The ban does not affect the intended person

  • Prefer the SteamID over a name, particularly for offline players.
  • Copy every digit of the SteamID exactly.
  • Run bans immediately after the command and compare the listed entry.
  • Make sure the command was sent to the correct server instance.

The player reconnects after being kicked

This is expected. A kick is a disconnection, not an access block. Apply ban with an appropriate duration if the player must not rejoin.

The duration is wrong

Recheck that the value is in seconds, not minutes or hours. For example, one day is 86400, not 24. If the server interprets your spacing differently, follow its current help output; community references disagree about whether separators should be spaces or forward slashes.

The unban appears ineffective

  • Use the exact SteamID shown by bans.
  • Run bans again to confirm removal.
  • Check for another ban or whitelist requirement affecting the same player.
  • Verify that you changed the list on the server the player is trying to join.

Quick reference

Task Console form Administrator-chat form
Ban with reason and duration ban SteamID reason seconds /ban SteamID reason seconds
Ban using the one-year default ban SteamID reason /ban SteamID reason
Unban unban SteamID /unban SteamID
Kick kick SteamID reason /kick SteamID reason
List bans bans /bans
Persistent owner entry Owner SteamID on its own line in Commands.dat

Use a SteamID for dependable targeting, remember that all ban durations are seconds, and verify the active list after every ban or unban. Treat separator syntax and ban-file internals as version-sensitive: the current help output on the server takes priority over an older community example.

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