Revision history

v1.0: September 2026 — First edition.

From order to a ready-to-use server

Once your payment is completed, the server is built automatically and delivered to you already set up. We will send you an email as soon as it is ready.During the build, we take care of the following on our side. There is nothing you need to prepare yourself.

Downloading the game server itself and verifying that all files are complete
Assigning the required ports
Generating a join password dedicated to that server

No port forwarding and no router configuration are required.

The game itself (Valheim) must be purchased separately by you. What we provide is the server where everyone gathers.

Logging in to the game panel

All server operations are done from the game panel, which you use in your browser.

Use the details in your order completion email to log in to the game panel.
After logging in, select the Valheim server on your account.
From the menu on the left you can move to screens such as Console, Files, Backups, Network, Schedules and Startup.

The display language of the game panel can be changed to English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and more. Change it from your account settings after logging in.

Checking the settings

Server settings are configured on the game panel's Startup screen. What you enter is saved automatically and takes effect the next time the server starts.You can play with the default settings as they are. Only change them when you want to.

The game panel's Startup screen, showing the Server Name, Join Password, Backup Interval, Backup Count, Backup Shorttime and Backup Longtime fields — The Startup screen. The most commonly used fields

Item	Description
[SERVER] Server Name	The name of the server. If you leave it blank, the server name shown in the game panel is used as-is. Choosing a name your friends can recognize makes the server easier to find.
[SERVER] Join Password	The password required to join. If you leave it blank, a password dedicated to that server is generated automatically on the first start. See "Checking the join password" for how to look it up.
World Name	The name of the world. Specify it when you want to switch between multiple worlds.
Public Server	Whether the server is listed publicly in the server list. Enabled by default.
Auto Update	Checks for game updates on every start. Enabled by default.
Enable Crossplay	The crossplay setting. It is enabled by default. Because of this setting, mods cannot be used (see "About mods").
Backup Interval	How often the world is saved, in seconds. The default is 1800 (30 minutes).
Backup Count	How many generations of automatic backups are kept. The default is 4.
Backup Shorttime / Backup Longtime	The intervals for automatic backups, in seconds. The defaults are 7200 (2 hours) and 43200 (12 hours).

How backups work is explained in "Backups".

Starting the server

On the game panel's Console screen, press the Start button.

The first start takes several minutes. This is because the world is generated from scratch.
When the status turns Online and the join code appears in the console, the server is ready.
From the second start onward it finishes in a few seconds, because the world already exists.
When you change a setting, restart the server to apply it.

During the first start, many lines reading Failed to place all ... scroll past in the console. This is normal progress of world generation, not an error. Please just wait.

When you stop the server, it saves the world before shutting down. Stopping or restarting will not lose your save.

Checking the join password

If you leave [SERVER] Join Password blank, a password dedicated to that server is generated automatically on the first start. The same password is never reused across servers.

Open the game panel's Files screen.
Open valheim_password.txt in the top-level directory (home).
The string written in it is the join password for that server.

The game panel's Files screen. The join password is in valheim_password.txt directly under home, and the world data is inside the hidden folder .config — The Files screen. `valheim_password.txt` directly under home

If you want to use a password of your own, enter it in [SERVER] Join Password on the Startup screen and restart the server.

Be careful that the join password is not visible on screen when you are streaming or sharing your screen.

Joining the server

Method 1: Find it by server name

The server name is taken directly from [SERVER] Server Name on the game panel's Startup screen (or, if that is blank, from the server name shown in the panel).Launch Valheim, find that name in the server list and join. When joining, you will be asked for the join password you looked up above.

It can take a little while after starting before the server appears in the list. If you cannot find it right away, use the join code described next.

Method 2: Enter with a join code

A 6-digit join code is issued for the server. If you share the code, players can join directly without searching the list.

Open the game panel's Console screen.
Look for a line reading Session "server name" registered with join code .......
The 6-digit number in that line is the join code.

The game panel console. The 6-digit join code is shown in the Session registered with join code line — The join code shown in the console (display is an example)

The join code changes every time the server restarts. After you change a setting and restart, or if you have set up scheduled restarts, look up the new code in the console again.
If "yesterday's code does not work", check here first.

The join code is shown only in the console. It is not saved to a file. Get it from the console each time you share it with your friends.

Joining from Xbox or Game Pass

Our servers run with crossplay enabled. Players on PC (Steam / Microsoft Store / Game Pass) and on Xbox can gather on the same server.The way in is the same as Option 2 (join code) above. Get the six-digit join code from whoever runs the server and enter it in-game.

Nobody has to match setups. As long as the join code is shared, players on PC and on Xbox reach the same world.

About mods

Our Valheim servers are provided with crossplay enabled.In Valheim, enabling crossplay disables the game's mod loading mechanism on the game's side. For that reason, mods cannot be used on our servers.

In exchange for mods, we prioritize letting everyone gather in the same world without having to match play environments.

Backups

There are two backup mechanisms. Both are active by default.

Mechanism	Description	Where to configure
The game's own automatic backup	Valheim itself creates backups of the world. They are kept in the same location as the world data, named `<world name>_backup_auto-date-time` (world name, then the date and time).	Backup Interval / Backup Count / Backup Shorttime / Backup Longtime on the Startup screen
The game panel's backup	A backup of the whole server. It stores only the world data and the settings, excluding the game itself (about 2 GB). That way, keeping many generations does not eat up your storage.	The game panel's Backups screen

Using the Schedules screen, you can also take backups automatically at a set time. For the steps, see How to set up a recurring schedule on your game server.

For the restore procedure, see "Restoring from a backup".

Taking and restoring backups from the game panel should be done while the server is stopped.

Where the world data is stored

The world data is stored in the following location.

.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/
<world name>.db … the world itself (buildings, terrain changes and so on)
<world name>.fwl … the world's metadata (seed value and so on)

It is a hidden folder, because its name begins with a dot ( . ). Depending on your file manager settings, it may not be displayed. In that case, turn on "show hidden files".

The same information is also written in ワールドデータの場所.txt ("location of the world data"), directly under the server's home directory.

Adding an administrator

To allow admin commands to be used in game, write the Steam IDs, one per line, in the following file.

.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/adminlist.txt

In the same location there are also bannedlist.txt (the list of players who are refused) and permittedlist.txt (the list of players who are allowed).

For detailed steps, see How to add an administrator to your server.

After editing the files, restart the server.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to check
The join code does not work	The join code changes every time the server restarts. Look up the latest code again on the Console screen.
The server does not appear in the list	It can take a little while after starting before the server appears in the list. If you are in a hurry, join with the join code.
I do not know the join password	Check `valheim_password.txt`, directly under home on the Files screen.
The first start never finishes	The first start takes several minutes because the world is generated. `Failed to place all ...` is normal progress.
I cannot find the world files	`.config` is a hidden folder. Turn on "show hidden files" in the file manager.
I want to install mods	Because crossplay is enabled, mods cannot be used due to how the game works (see "About mods").
I changed a setting but nothing happened	Settings on the Startup screen take effect when the server restarts.

If this does not solve the problem, please send us a support ticket from the client portal. We handle tickets in English, as well as Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

Next steps

Logging in to the game panel and feature overview — how to use the panel as a whole
How to set up a recurring schedule on your game server — automatic restarts and automatic backups
Restoring from a backup
How to add an administrator to your server
Valheim Dedicated Server — plans and pricing