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Godlike.Host offers hosted Squad servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
For a password that survives restarts, open SquadGame/ServerConfig/Server.cfg, add or edit ServerPassword=YourPassword, save the file, and restart the server. An authorized administrator can instead change the live password with AdminSetServerPassword <Password>; that runtime change is intended for temporary use. The Password in Rcon.cfg is a separate credential for RCON and does not protect players joining the server.
Which password method should you use?
Squad has two practical ways to control access to a server. Editing Server.cfg establishes the server’s configured join password. Using the administration command changes the live server state without editing the file. Choose based on whether the value must remain after a restart and what access you have.
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| Method | Where it is set | Survives a restart? | Access needed | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Configuration file | SquadGame/ServerConfig/Server.cfg |
Yes, when the file is saved and loaded at startup | Access to the server files, or an equivalent rented-host file manager | A private server or a standing password for a community |
| Administrator command | In the running server’s administration interface | Not as a persistent configuration; treat it as runtime state | An authorized administrator with the required command permission | A quick change for the current session |
The file method is the durable option. The command is useful when you need to lock or unlock a running server and do not want to edit files immediately. If you use the command and want the setting to remain in effect after the next restart, also place the desired value in Server.cfg.
Set a persistent password in Server.cfg
The official configuration documentation identifies ServerPassword as the setting that protects players joining the game server. The normal configuration directory is SquadGame/ServerConfig inside the server installation. See Squad’s Server Configuration documentation for the configuration-file context and the Server Installation documentation for the Windows and Linux directory layouts.
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1. Stop or schedule a restart
Plan a restart before changing a live configuration. A restart is required for the file value to be read reliably, and players currently connected may be disconnected. If you operate the machine yourself, use the service or launch method you normally use for that installation. If the server is rented, use the provider’s stop/restart controls; the button names differ between control panels.
2. Open the configuration directory
From the server installation root, open SquadGame/ServerConfig. On a self-hosted Windows deployment, this is under the Windows dedicated-server directory. On Linux, use the corresponding Linux server directory. Do not confuse the server installation with a client installation on a gaming PC: you need the files belonging to the dedicated server process.
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3. Add or change the setting
Open Server.cfg as plain text and add this line, or edit the existing line:
ServerPassword=YourPasswordReplace YourPassword with the value you intend to give approved players. Keep the setting name exactly as ServerPassword. If a line with that name already exists, change its value instead of creating competing entries. Save the file in the editor supplied by your host or in the text editor you use for the self-hosted installation.
4. Restart and wait for the server to finish starting
Restart the dedicated server after saving. A control panel may first save the file and then require a separate restart action. Wait until the server reports that it is running before testing; a restart that was requested but did not complete will leave the old runtime state in place.
5. Test from a fresh connection
Use a client that is not already authenticated to the server. Attempt to join and confirm that Squad displays a password prompt. Enter the configured value and verify that the connection succeeds. Testing a new connection matters because an administrator or an already-established session may not show the same join flow as an unauthenticated player.
Change the password temporarily with an administrator command
An authorized administrator can set the live password with:
AdminSetServerPassword <Password>The administration documentation lists this command under the private access level. That means the person issuing it must have the corresponding administrative authorization; simply being connected as a normal player is not enough. Consult the Squad Server Administration documentation for the command’s placement and access-level context.
Set a runtime password
- Connect to the server’s authorized administration interface.
- Enter
AdminSetServerPasswordfollowed by the password you want active for the running session. - Have a player who is not already authenticated attempt a new connection and confirm that the prompt appears.
This approach is appropriate for a one-off private event, an emergency lock, or a quick change while the server is running. It does not replace the configuration-file edit when the password must be restored automatically after a restart.
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Remove the runtime password
Use an empty argument to remove the password from the running server:
AdminSetServerPasswordThe empty command argument clears the runtime password according to the administration documentation. If Server.cfg still contains a ServerPassword value, a later restart will load that file value again. To keep the server open after restarts, remove or change the corresponding line in Server.cfg as well.
Do not confuse ServerPassword with the RCON password
ServerPassword controls whether players can join the game server. RCON uses a different credential: the Password entry in Rcon.cfg. These settings serve different purposes and live in different configuration contexts.
| Setting | File | What it authenticates |
|---|---|---|
ServerPassword |
Server.cfg |
Players joining the Squad server |
Password |
Rcon.cfg |
Remote-console (RCON) administration access |
Changing the RCON password will not add a join prompt for players. Likewise, changing ServerPassword is not a way to secure RCON. Keep the two values conceptually separate when you are editing files, documenting access for moderators, or diagnosing why a player can or cannot connect.
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Self-hosted Windows server
Use the Windows dedicated-server installation directory and navigate into SquadGame/ServerConfig. Edit Server.cfg, save it, and restart the same Windows service, script, or executable that normally runs the server. The exact outer installation path depends on where you installed the server, but the configuration subdirectory is the part that identifies the relevant files.
Self-hosted Linux server
Use the Linux dedicated-server directory and its SquadGame/ServerConfig subdirectory. Edit the text file with the account and permissions used to run the server, then restart the service or launch command used by that installation. If a text editor reports that the file is read-only, correct the file ownership or use the account that owns the server process rather than creating a second copy elsewhere.
Rented or managed server
Most rented hosts provide either a web file manager or a control-panel configuration editor that exposes the server’s configuration area. Locate Server.cfg under the Squad configuration directory, add or change ServerPassword=..., save, and use the host’s restart control. The precise labels and workflow are provider-specific, so do not assume that a button named “reinstall,” “restart,” or “quick restart” performs the same action. If the panel hides the file, ask support for access to the SquadGame/ServerConfig area or for the provider’s documented method of editing Server.cfg.
How to verify that the setting actually loaded
A successful save is not proof that the running process has read the new value. Use a controlled check:
- Record the intended value in your private administration notes so you can distinguish a typing error from a stale server state.
- Save the edited
Server.cfg. - Perform a complete server restart through the normal service or hosting control.
- Wait for the server to return to an online state.
- From a client that has not already authenticated, start a new join attempt.
- Enter the configured password at the prompt and confirm that the client is admitted.
If the prompt never appears, first determine whether the restart really occurred and whether the edited file belongs to the active installation. If the prompt appears but the value is rejected, re-open the file and compare the setting name and value character by character. Then save, restart, and repeat the fresh-client test.
Troubleshooting common failures
The password works until the server restarts
This usually indicates that the value was changed with AdminSetServerPassword but was not written to Server.cfg. Put the desired persistent value in the file, save it, and restart. Runtime state and startup configuration are separate operations.
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The server remains open with no password
Check that you edited Server.cfg, not Rcon.cfg, and that the file is under the active installation’s SquadGame/ServerConfig directory. Confirm that the line is present as ServerPassword=..., save the file through the host panel if applicable, and perform a full restart. A panel may show an editor for a template or inactive server instance, so verify that you are working on the instance players actually join.
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Re-enter the value from the saved file rather than relying on memory. Check for an accidental change to the setting name, an extra character, or an unsaved panel edit. After correcting the file, restart and test from a fresh client again. Do not use the RCON credential as a substitute; it belongs to a different authentication system.
The admin command is denied
AdminSetServerPassword requires authorized administration access and is listed under the private access level. Confirm that you are connected through the approved administration interface and that your account has that permission. If you do not have administrative access, use the file method if you control the server files, or ask the host or server owner to make the change.
Removing the password did not survive a restart
Clearing the runtime value only affects the running process. If Server.cfg still contains a password, the next startup will load it again. Remove or change the file entry, save, restart, and test with a fresh unauthenticated connection.
Operating a password-protected server safely
Share the correct credential
Give players the game-server join password, not the RCON password. The two values have different purposes, and distributing the RCON credential grants access intended for remote administration rather than ordinary joining.
Document whether a change is temporary
When you use the admin command, note that the change is runtime state. When you edit Server.cfg, note that the value is intended to load at startup. This simple distinction prevents moderators from assuming that a temporary event password will still be active after maintenance or that a cleared runtime password permanently changed the file.
Coordinate restarts with players
Because the persistent method requires a restart, schedule the change when a brief interruption is acceptable. After the server is online, perform the fresh-client test before announcing the password broadly. If you operate a rented server, tell players that the host’s restart process may take time even after the panel accepts the request.
Practical decision examples
A recurring private community server
Use Server.cfg. Add the chosen value under ServerPassword, restart once, and verify a new connection. Future restarts will load the same configured value unless you edit the file.
A one-night event on an otherwise public server
Use the authorized AdminSetServerPassword <Password> command for the event. When the event ends, issue the command with an empty argument to clear the live password. If the server’s configuration file already contains a persistent password, decide separately whether that file value should remain for the next restart.
A host panel that provides no file access
Look for a configuration editor or ask the provider to expose Server.cfg in the SquadGame/ServerConfig area. If the host supports administrator commands, an authorized operator can use the runtime method instead. Without either file access or the required administration permission, the server owner or host must make the change.
Final checklist
- For a persistent join password, edit
SquadGame/ServerConfig/Server.cfg. - Use the exact setting format
ServerPassword=YourPassword. - Save the file and restart the dedicated server.
- Test with a client that is not already authenticated.
- For a temporary live change, use
AdminSetServerPassword <Password>with the required administrative permission. - Use the command with an empty argument to remove the runtime password.
- Remember that
Rcon.cfg’sPasswordis for RCON, not player joins.
For a concise provider-oriented walkthrough, see How To Set A Password On Your Squad Server; for the underlying file locations and commands, use the linked Squad configuration, installation, and administration documentation above.
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