Someone on your Palworld server needs kicking, the world needs a save before a restart, or everyone should hear that the server goes down in five minutes. All of that takes admin rights, and Pocketpair's server guide describes one way to get them: a password you set on the server and then type in chat. This guide shows how to set it, how to log in, every admin command in Pocketpair's list and how to send the same commands from outside the game. It follows version 1.0.4 of the server guide; the latest patch notes on Steam, for v1.0.5 on 15 September 2026, list only bug fixes.
Quick answer: Palworld admin commands work after you set AdminPassword in PalWorldSettings.ini (on Linux in Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/), restart the server, join, press Enter and type /AdminPassword followed by that password. Pocketpair's list then gives you 12 commands: /ShowPlayers, /KickPlayer, /BanPlayer, /UnBanPlayer, /TeleportToPlayer and /TeleportToMe (the last five with a SteamID), /ToggleSpectate, /Broadcast, /Save, /Info, /Shutdown and /DoExit. None of them spawns items or Pals. To send commands from outside the game, use the REST API: Pocketpair has deprecated RCON and says it is scheduled to stop working in an upcoming update.
Step 1: Set an AdminPassword
Pocketpair's command page says the AdminPassword "must be set in the configuration file beforehand", and anyone who runs /AdminPassword with it gets admin rights. Pick a long password that differs from the ServerPassword your players use to join, and share it only with people you would trust with a ban.
The file is PalWorldSettings.ini. According to the configuration page, it sits inside the server folder at:
- Linux:
Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini - Windows:
Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\PalWorldSettings.ini
Those folders only appear after the server has started once. If the file is not there yet, copy the default file into place from the folder that holds PalServer.sh:
cp DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
Edits to DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini itself do nothing. In the copy, all settings sit on one long OptionSettings=(...) line: find AdminPassword="" and put your password between the quotes. A short file works as well. Pocketpair's Docker guide uses one that sets only the values it changes, in this format:
[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(ServerPassword="YourJoinPassword",AdminPassword="YourLongAdminPassword")
Stop the server before you edit the file and start it again afterwards. On a Space-Node Palworld server you get full access to PalWorldSettings.ini, and changes apply on the next restart. Still installing a server yourself? Our Palworld dedicated server guide covers SteamCMD and the start script.
Step 2: Log In as Admin in Chat
Join the server, press Enter to open the chat and type:
/AdminPassword YourLongAdminPassword
That is the whole login. Pocketpair's page describes every command the same way: press Enter, then type the command. The guide has no list of admin accounts, only this one password, so every moderator logs in with the same one.
Every Palworld Admin Command
This is the full list from Pocketpair's command page. It is identical to the list in the guide's 0.7.3 version, so older guides that show these 13 commands are still right.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/AdminPassword <password> | Gives you admin rights |
/ShowPlayers | Shows information on all connected players |
/KickPlayer <SteamID> | Kicks that player from the server |
/BanPlayer <SteamID> | Bans that player from the server |
/UnBanPlayer <SteamID> | Lifts that player's ban |
/TeleportToPlayer <SteamID> | Teleports you to that player |
/TeleportToMe <SteamID> | Teleports that player to you |
/ToggleSpectate | Switches you to spectator mode |
/Broadcast <MessageText> | Sends a message to every player on the server |
/Info | Shows server information |
/Save | Saves the world data |
/Shutdown [Seconds] [MessageText] | Shuts the server down, after a delay and with a message if you add them |
/DoExit | Force stops the server |
Angle brackets mark a value you must fill in and square brackets an optional one. Leave the brackets out when you type.
Kick, Ban or Unban a Player
Run /ShowPlayers for information on everyone who is connected, then use the player's SteamID:
/KickPlayer <SteamID>
/BanPlayer <SteamID>
/UnBanPlayer <SteamID>
A kick removes the player for now; a ban keeps them out until /UnBanPlayer lifts it. Pocketpair's list calls the value a SteamID and says nothing about Xbox or PS5 players. If you run the REST API (further down), its player list shows each connected player's name, accountName, playerId and userId, and its kick, ban and unban calls take a userid. Pocketpair's examples use the same value in both places: steam_00000000000000000.
Teleport and Spectate
/TeleportToPlayer <SteamID> takes you to a player, which helps when someone reports trouble at their base. /TeleportToMe <SteamID> pulls the player to wherever you stand. /ToggleSpectate switches you to spectator mode while you have admin rights, and the command page says the \ key switches it too (the Japanese version words that most clearly). To see who built a structure, turn on bEnableBuildingPlayerUIdDisplay from the settings table below.
Save, Warn and Restart
For a planned restart:
- Warn everyone with
/Broadcast, followed by your message. - Run
/Saveto save the world data. - Run
/Shutdown 300. The server shuts down after 300 seconds; put a message after the number and everyone on the server sees it.
/DoExit is the force stop. Keep it for when a normal shutdown is not an option, and run /Save first if you can.
For extra copies on disk, leave bIsUseBackupSaveData on True, its value in DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini. The server then creates a backup folder in the save data folder; Pocketpair lists the intervals as 5 saves per 30 seconds, 6 per 10 minutes, 12 per hour and 7 per day, and notes that enabling it increases disk load.
Server Rules You Set Instead
Some admin work is done with settings rather than commands. These lines from the configuration page help with moderation:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
ServerPassword | Password players need to join |
bAllowClientMod | Whether players with mods enabled can join |
CrossplayPlatforms | Platforms that can connect, by default (Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac) |
ChatPostLimitPerMinute | Maximum number of chat messages allowed per minute |
MaxBuildingLimitNum | Building cap per player, 0 for no cap |
bEnableBuildingPlayerUIdDisplay | Shows the creator's player ID on structures |
bIsShowJoinLeftMessage | Shows a message in game when players join or leave |
Xbox and PS5 players can join your server only when it runs as a community server, which is the same dedicated server started with -publiclobby (About server). Our crossplay guide walks through it.
No Spawn or Give Commands
If you came for commands that give items, spawn Pals, set levels or change the time: the official list has none. Rates are settings instead, such as ExpRate, PalCaptureRate, EnemyDropItemRate, CollectionDropRate, DayTimeSpeedRate and NightTimeSpeedRate.
Anything beyond that needs mods, and Pocketpair's mod page says that "server-side mods work only on the dedicated server with Windows edition" at this time, adding that mods "may cause save-data corruption or crashes". Our Palworld servers run the Linux dedicated server, so server-side mods are not supported on them; the commands, settings, REST API and RCON in this guide are. Our Palworld mods guide has the details.
Admin Commands From Outside the Game
Most of these commands also work without joining the game, through RCON or the REST API.
RCON. Pocketpair's RCON page opens with "RCON is now deprecated. Please consider to use REST API." It adds that RCON "is scheduled to stop functioning in an upcoming update", and that when a player name contains multi-byte characters, as Japanese and Chinese names often do, the letters after them go missing. If an old tool still needs RCON, set RCONEnabled=True and keep the default port 25575 or pick another with RCONPort; the Japanese version of the page says commands use the same format as in game. Build nothing new on it.
REST API. This is the replacement. Turn it on with RESTAPIEnabled=True and set its port with RESTAPIPort; Pocketpair's API reference uses http://localhost:8212/v1/api as the address. These calls match the chat commands:
| REST call | Same as |
|---|---|
GET /info | /Info |
GET /players | /ShowPlayers, with ping, level, position and building count |
POST /announce with message | /Broadcast |
POST /kick or POST /ban with userid and an optional message | /KickPlayer or /BanPlayer |
POST /unban with userid | /UnBanPlayer |
POST /save | /Save |
POST /shutdown with waittime and an optional message | /Shutdown |
POST /stop | /DoExit |
Three calls have no chat command: GET /settings returns the server settings, GET /metrics the server FPS, frame time, player count, uptime, number of bases and in-game days, and GET /game-data a snapshot of every player, Pal, NPC and Pal Box in the world, which needs the -enable-gamedata-api launch argument. Teleports and spectating have no call. In return, kick and ban take a message that the player sees.
curl -u 'USER:PASSWORD' http://localhost:8212/v1/api/players
curl -u 'USER:PASSWORD' -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"message":"Restart in 5 minutes"}' http://localhost:8212/v1/api/announce
curl -u 'USER:PASSWORD' -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"waittime":60,"message":"Restarting now"}' http://localhost:8212/v1/api/shutdown
Every call uses HTTP Basic authentication. Pocketpair's reference names that scheme but not the user name and password the server expects, so replace USER:PASSWORD with the login your setup uses. From another machine, replace localhost:8212 with the server's address and your RESTAPIPort. The reference gives no unit for waittime; the chat command /Shutdown counts in seconds.
Pocketpair warns that these APIs "are not designed to be exposed directly to the Internet" and recommends using them within the LAN. A rented server has no LAN between you and it, so switch the REST API on only while a tool you trust needs it.
FAQ
How do I become an admin on my Palworld server?
Set AdminPassword in PalWorldSettings.ini, restart the server, join, press Enter and type /AdminPassword followed by the password. Pocketpair's guide describes no other way, and anyone who knows the password can do the same.
Are there Palworld console commands to spawn items or Pals?
Not in Pocketpair's list. Its 13 commands cover the admin login, kicks and bans, teleports, spectating, messages, saving and shutting down. Rates such as ExpRate and PalCaptureRate are settings, and anything more needs server-side mods, which Pocketpair says work only on the Windows edition of the dedicated server at this time.
Why are my Palworld admin commands not working?
Check four things: you edited PalWorldSettings.ini and not DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini, in the LinuxServer or WindowsServer folder that matches your server; you restarted the server after the change; you logged in with /AdminPassword first; and the SteamID belongs to the player you mean.
How do I find a player's SteamID?
In game, /ShowPlayers shows information on everyone connected. With the REST API on, GET /players returns each player's userId, which in Pocketpair's example has the form steam_ followed by a number.
Should I use RCON or the REST API? The REST API. Pocketpair has deprecated RCON, says it is scheduled to stop functioning in an upcoming update, and points to the REST API for player names with multi-byte characters as well. Pocketpair designed neither for direct exposure to the internet.
Can I give a reason when I kick or ban someone?
Not with the chat commands, which take only the SteamID. The REST API's /kick and /ban calls accept a message that the player sees.
Sources
All opened on 1 November 2026:
- Pocketpair, Palworld Server Guide 1.0.4: Commands (Japanese, 0.7.3), Configuration parameters, Arguments, Deploy dedicated server, About server, Installing mods on a server, RCON (Japanese)
- Pocketpair, REST API reference: Introduction, info, players, settings, metrics, game-data, announce, kick, ban, unban, save, shutdown, stop
- Pocketpair on GitHub: Palworld Dedicated Server Docker
- Palworld on Steam: v1.0.5: Bug fixes