How to Fix a FiveM Server Banner That Isn’t Showing

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If a FiveM server banner is missing, first edit the server.cfg file that FXServer actually loads. Uncomment the setting for the screen you want, replace its placeholder with a publicly reachable image URL, save the file, and restart FXServer:

sets banner_detail "https://your-host.example/banner-detail.png"
sets banner_connecting "https://your-host.example/banner-connecting.png"

banner_detail controls the server information/detail view; banner_connecting controls the connecting screen. A leading #, an image URL that cannot be fetched from outside your network, editing the wrong configuration file, or skipping the restart can make a correct-looking line appear to do nothing.

Identify which FiveM banner is missing

FiveM has two banner settings, and they are displayed in different places. Decide which view is failing before changing configuration; otherwise you may test the wrong setting and conclude that banners do not work.

The official vanilla-server example marks both values as optional server-information or connecting-banner image URLs and says, “Size doesn’t matter, any banner sized image will be fine.” That means an arbitrary banner aspect ratio is not, by itself, a reason to reject the setting. The URL still has to deliver an image to FiveM.

Put the setting in the active server.cfg

FiveM only applies the configuration file supplied to FXServer at startup. Many installations contain more than one server.cfg, such as an old test file, a panel-generated file, or a copy in a different server-data directory. Editing an inactive copy produces no visible change even when the syntax is perfect.

1. Locate the file FXServer executes

Inspect the command or launcher used to start the server. The normal pattern includes +exec server.cfg (or an equivalent startup configuration). Follow that argument to the file being loaded, then edit that file rather than a similarly named backup.

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If a hosting panel starts FXServer for you, open the panel’s server-configuration editor and verify which file it writes. A panel may regenerate a file when the server starts, so a manual change in another directory can be overwritten or ignored.

2. Uncomment the intended line

In a CFG file, a leading # comments out a line. These examples are disabled:

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#sets banner_detail "https://your-host.example/banner-detail.png"
#sets banner_connecting "https://your-host.example/banner-connecting.png"

Remove only the leading # from the setting you need:

sets banner_detail "https://your-host.example/banner-detail.png"
sets banner_connecting "https://your-host.example/banner-connecting.png"

Keep the sets keyword, the setting name, quotation marks, and URL on the same line. Do not substitute load_server_icon; that is a different configuration command.

3. Save and restart FXServer

Save the active file, stop FXServer cleanly, and start it again using the same launch command. The banner values are read when the configuration is loaded; simply saving a file while the process is running does not reliably apply the change. After startup, allow the listing and client interface time to refresh before judging the result.

Use a URL FiveM can actually reach

The banner settings take image URLs, not local file paths. A path such as C:imagesbanner.png, /home/fivem/banner.png, or a URL that works only on the server’s private network cannot serve the banner to the FiveM service or clients.

Test from outside the server machine

1. Copy the complete URL from server.cfg.
2. Open it in a browser on a different network, such as a phone using mobile data or another internet connection.
3. Confirm that the request reaches the image without signing in, accepting a private-network certificate, or adding special headers.
4. Check that the response displays the image itself rather than an HTML landing page, access-denied message, redirect loop, or download page.

This external test matters because a URL can work on the host computer while being blocked for internet visitors. It also catches links that point to a web page containing an image instead of the image resource.

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Check common delivery failures

• Authentication: Remove login requirements. FiveM cannot use a banner that requires your browser session or a private account.
• Hotlink blocking: Some file hosts refuse requests when an image is embedded on another service. Use a host that permits direct image requests.
• Redirects: Verify that the final destination is reachable and remains an image URL. A redirect to a sign-in page or an expiring download link will fail later.
• HTTPS and certificates: Prefer a stable HTTPS URL with a certificate trusted by normal internet clients. A certificate warning that you bypass in a browser is still a delivery problem.
• Temporary or expiring links: Replace links that change or expire. A banner can disappear after the URL’s token becomes invalid even though the CFG line has not changed.
• Incorrect response type: The URL should return the image bytes. If it returns HTML, JSON, or a generic download page, choose the direct image endpoint.

FiveM’s published settings do not provide a complete host-by-host compatibility matrix. These checks are practical consequences of using a URL-based setting, not a guarantee that every image host behaves identically.

Confirm the URL and CFG syntax

Use a simple, unambiguous line while troubleshooting. Replace the example host with the direct URL you tested:

sets banner_detail "https://cdn.example.net/images/community-detail.png"
sets banner_connecting "https://cdn.example.net/images/community-connecting.png"

• Use the exact names banner_detail and banner_connecting; spelling variants are different settings.
• Keep the URL inside double quotation marks, especially if your configuration style consistently quotes string values.
• Do not leave a # before sets.
• Do not add a local path after the setting name.
• Remove duplicate lines while testing, or make sure you know which duplicate value your configuration parser will use.

FiveM’s example does not impose a banner pixel dimension: “Size doesn’t matter, any banner sized image will be fine.” You can therefore troubleshoot loading and delivery first instead of repeatedly resizing an otherwise reachable image.

Do not confuse the banner with the server icon

A banner and the server icon are separate assets. The icon is configured with load_server_icon and uses a local PNG file. The official command reference specifies: “The icon needs to be a 96×96 PNG file.”

If the small square icon is present but the large image is not, the server may be loading load_server_icon correctly while one of the banner settings is missing, commented, or unreachable. Troubleshoot each asset using its own setting.

Check whether the server is listed at all

A functioning banner cannot appear in a server-list detail or connecting flow if the server itself is absent from that list. Separate a banner problem from a discovery problem by testing a direct connection.

Test a direct connection

In the FiveM client, use the direct-connect option and enter:

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connect IP:Port

Replace IP:Port with the server’s public address and port. If direct connection works but the server does not appear in the public list, focus first on listing, heartbeat, firewall, and metadata rather than changing the image repeatedly.

Verify forwarding and firewall rules

• Confirm that the server’s required port is forwarded from the router to the machine running FXServer.
• Confirm that the host firewall allows the server traffic on the configured port.
• Check that the public address and port you give players point to the current server, not an old host or private address.
• Restart the server after correcting network rules, then test direct connection again.

FiveM’s official server-issues guidance notes that a listing can take up to eight minutes after launch when no other heartbeats are sent. Do not treat an immediately missing entry after a restart as proof that the banner configuration failed; wait through that interval while the network checks are correct.

Check sv_master1

For normal listing, leave #sv_master1 "" commented. An active value that disables or changes the normal master-list behavior can make an otherwise reachable server absent from the browser. Restore the commented form, restart FXServer, and allow the listing refresh period.

Set the project metadata used by the listing

Project metadata helps FiveM identify and describe the community in the server list. The command reference defines:

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• sv_projectName — the project or community name.
• sv_projectDesc — a sentence describing the project.

Set both values with the sets syntax in the active configuration, using text that accurately identifies your server:

sets sv_projectName "Example City RP"
sets sv_projectDesc "A role-play community with scheduled events and custom jobs."

These metadata lines do not replace either banner setting. They address the server’s identity and description; the banner lines still need their own reachable image URLs. If the server is online by IP but missing from the list, verify the metadata alongside ports, firewall rules, and sv_master1.

Use a symptom-based troubleshooting path

Symptom: The detail page has no banner, but the server is listed

1. Open the active server.cfg and find sets banner_detail.
2. Remove any leading #.
3. Replace the value with a direct, publicly reachable image URL.
4. Open that URL from outside the server’s network and confirm it displays the image without authentication.
5. Save, restart FXServer using the configuration that contains the line, and reopen the server detail view.

If the connecting screen has an image but the detail view does not, this symptom points to the detail setting or its URL, not to the general ability to display banners.

Symptom: The connecting screen has no banner

1. Check sets banner_connecting, not just banner_detail.
2. Ensure the connecting line is active and contains the intended URL.
3. Test that URL externally, including any redirect or access-control behavior.
4. Restart FXServer and reconnect after the restart.

The two settings are independent. Configuring one does not automatically populate the other.

Symptom: Neither banner appears

1. Confirm that you edited the file passed with +exec server.cfg or the equivalent startup option.
2. Check both lines for a leading comment marker and spelling errors.
3. Use a known reachable image URL for both settings temporarily.
4. Restart FXServer rather than relying on a live file edit.
5. Determine whether the server is listed. If not, follow the direct-connect and network checks in the listing section.

When both locations fail at once, an inactive CFG, omitted restart, or common URL-delivery failure is more likely than two unrelated display failures.

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Symptom: The server connects by IP but is missing from the browser

1. Run a direct connection with connect IP:Port to establish that FXServer is reachable.
2. Check router port forwarding and the host firewall.
3. Leave #sv_master1 "" commented for normal listing.
4. Set sv_projectName and sv_projectDesc in the active CFG.
5. Restart and wait up to eight minutes for the listing to refresh under the heartbeat condition described by FiveM.

Until the server is visible in the relevant list, a missing banner may simply be a consequence of not reaching the screen where that banner would be shown.

Symptom: The icon changed, but the banner did not

That is expected when you changed only load_server_icon. Keep the 96×96 local PNG for the icon and configure the appropriate banner setting with an image URL.

Validate changes without guessing

Make one controlled change at a time so you can identify the cause:

1. Record which view is missing the image.
2. Copy the exact active configuration file to a safe backup.
3. Change only the relevant banner line to a tested direct URL.
4. Restart FXServer with the same startup command that normally launches it.
5. Test the affected view and, if necessary, direct-connect using connect IP:Port.
6. Only after the basic URL works, investigate host-specific restrictions, redirects, or replacement artwork.

If a hosting panel offers a restart button, use it only after verifying that the panel is editing the same file FXServer executes. A successful restart of the wrong instance cannot apply the setting.

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What the official guidance does—and does not—establish

FiveM’s official setup example establishes the two URL-based banner settings and states that banner dimensions do not matter. The command reference establishes that the server icon is a separate local 96×96 PNG and defines the project metadata fields. The server-issues guidance covers direct connection, port forwarding, firewall configuration, normal sv_master1 behavior, metadata, and the possible eight-minute listing delay.

Those materials do not publish a banner failure-rate statistic or a complete compatibility list for image hosts. Therefore, there is no evidence-based percentage for how often a particular host fails and no universal host recommendation to substitute for testing the actual URL. Treat reachability, response content, redirects, authentication, and hotlink rules as checks you perform on your chosen host.

Final pre-restart checklist

• Identify whether the missing image belongs to the detail view, connecting screen, or both.
• Edit the server.cfg that FXServer loads through +exec server.cfg or the equivalent startup setting.
• Use sets banner_detail and/or sets banner_connecting exactly as written.
• Remove any leading # from the line you intend to activate.
• Use a direct image URL that works from outside the server network without authentication.
• Keep the banner separate from load_server_icon, which requires a local 96×96 PNG.
• Save the file and restart FXServer.
• If the server is absent from the list, test connect IP:Port, port forwarding, firewall rules, #sv_master1 "", sv_projectName, and sv_projectDesc.
• Allow up to eight minutes for listing refresh in the heartbeat condition described by FiveM.

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