The Valheim console is one interface with three separate permission tiers, and almost every “command not working” complaint comes from mixing them up. Player commands need nothing. Cheat commands need devcommands switched on. Admin commands need your SteamID64 on the server’s admin list. Get the tier right and the rest is lookup.
Step one: open the console at all
The console is not a hidden debug flag you have to hack in — it is a launch argument. Without it, F5 does nothing.
Steam. Right-click Valheim in your library → Properties → General → Launch Options → type -console → close. Press F5 in game.
PC Game Pass. Find Valheim.exe (typically C:\XboxGames\Valheim\Content), create a desktop shortcut, right-click → Properties → Shortcut tab → append -console to the end of the Target field → Apply. Launch from that shortcut and press F5.
Xbox Game Pass (console). Hold LB + RB + MENU while in game, then press A to bring up the keyboard. No launch option exists on this platform, which is why this route is different.
macOS via the App Store. Create a plain text file named valheim.sh containing /Applications/Valheim.app/Contents/MacOS/Valheim -console, run it, then press F5. This applies only to the App Store build — a Steam install on the same Mac uses the Steam method.
GeForce Now. You have to enable Family Sharing in Steam and specifically not whitelist Valheim, then enter your Steam PIN inside the GFN session and apply -console there. The setting resets every session, so this is a per-session chore rather than a one-time setup.
One thing worth knowing before you start: the console is a client-side tool. It cannot reach into someone else’s hosted world, which is why the cheat tier stops at the multiplayer boundary.
The three tiers, and why the distinction matters
| Tier | Requires | Where it works | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Nothing — chat window, / then Tab to autocomplete | Everywhere, including dedicated servers | ping, info, fov, nomap, respawn |
| Cheat | devcommands typed first | Singleplayer or manually hosted only | god, ghost, fly, spawn, nocost |
| Admin | SteamID64 on the admin list | Dedicated servers | kick, ban, save, setworldmodifier |
The wiki’s own wording for the cheat tier is blunt: the cheat commands are available in singleplayer or manually hosted mode only; they do not work on a dedicated server. So if you joined a rented server and god does nothing, that is not a bug and no amount of retyping will fix it.
Player commands: no cheats required
These work from the chat window and are the ones that stay useful in a normal co-op game.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
ping | Measures latency to the server |
info | Prints current system information |
fov [number] | Changes field of view |
maxfps [FPS] | Sets an FPS limit |
nomap | Toggles map visibility |
noportals | Toggles portals on or off |
printseeds | Prints seeds and positions of nearby dungeons |
pos | Shows player coordinates (cheat tier shares this name) |
die / respawn | Kills your character |
resetspawn | Resets the spawn location |
resetsharedmap | Removes shared map data from the cartography table |
resetplayerprefs | Resets saved settings and variables — not the save game |
resetknownitems | Clears known items and recipes on your character |
resetworldkeys [name] | Resets all world modifiers to default |
setworldmodifier [name] [value] | Sets a world modifier value |
setworldpreset [name] | Applies a named world modifier preset |
optterrain | Converts pre-0.150.3 terrain edits in the area to the new system |
restartparty | Restarts the PlayFab party network — the fix for stuck crossplay sessions |
lodbias [number] | Sets draw distance for the server |
exclusivefullscreen | Toggles exclusive fullscreen vs borderless |
clear | Clears the console window |
cr | Unloads unused assets |
help [page] | Shows available commands |
bind [keycode] [command] | Binds a command to a Unity keycode, e.g. bind mouse4 cheer |
unbind [keycode] / printbinds / resetbinds | Manage those binds |
sortcraft [type] / filtercraft [name] | Sorts or filters the crafting list |
tutorialtoggle / tutorialreset | Show or reset tutorial messages |
hidebetatext | Toggles beta text visibility |
say / s / W [player] | Chat, shout, whisper |
xb:version | Prints the build hash |
bind accepts a chain, including devcommands itself — so you can build a one-key toggle for the whole cheat tier if you use it often.
Emotes: chat commands, not console commands
Emotes do not need the console or devcommands. Press Enter, type the slash command. There are 24 of them, and exactly one has mechanical value: /sit (or the X key) lets you rest near a campfire for the Rested bonus. The rest are expression — /wave, /challenge, /cheer, /nonono, /thumbsup, /point, /blowkiss, /bow, /cower, /cry, /despair, /flex, /comehere, /headbang, /kneel, /laugh, /roar, /shrug, /dance, /relax, /toast, /rest, /vibe.
The Mysterious Rock’s facial expressions change based on the last emote the player used, which is the only other place emotes have any effect at all.
Admin commands: server-side only
These require the player’s SteamID64 or crossplay player ID to be in the server’s admin list. Being the person who rented the server is not the same as being on that list.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
kick [name/ip/userID] | Kicks the named user |
ban [name/ip/userID] / unban / banned | Ban management and the current ban list |
save | Forces a world save |
setworldmodifier [name] [value] | Changes a world modifier slider |
setworldpreset [name] | Applies a named preset |
resetworldkeys | Resets world modifiers — note this does not reset progression keys |
That last note is the one that surprises people: resetworldkeys clearing your difficulty sliders is not the same as clearing boss progression.
Cheat commands: the full list
Type devcommands and press Enter to switch the tier on; type it again to switch it off. Then:
Movement and survival. god (invincible), ghost (enemies ignore you), fly, freefly (detached camera), heal (restores health, stamina and eitr), puke (resets hunger to default), pos, goto [x] [z], recall [name] (pulls matching players to you; with no name, everyone).
Building and items. nocost (no material cost), spawn [entity] [amount] [level], itemset [name] [keep] (premade gear sets), forcedelete [radius] (removes objects within up to 50 m), removedrops, removebirds, removefish, setfuel [value] (default 10, does not overfill; negative values drain fires to zero).
World and progression. exploremap / resetmap, event [name] / randomevent / stopevent, location [name], genloc (redistributes unplaced locations), nextseed (forces the next dungeon’s seed), setkey [name] / removekey / listkeys / resetkeys (global keys), setpower [name] (Forsaken power, cooldown cleared), tod [0-1], skiptime [seconds] (default 240), sleep, time, timescale [target] [fadetime], wind [angle] [intensity], resetwind, resetenv, env [env].
Characters and creatures. tame (all nearby tameables), killall, killenemies, killtame, aggravate (aggro neutrals within 20 m), players [number] (difficulty scale), printcreatures, printlocations, find [text] [pingmax], findtp [text] (teleport to nearest match — the fastest way to locate a trader or a Vegvisir), raiseskill [skill] [amount], resetskill [skill], resetcharacter, hair [n], beard [n], model [0-1], addstatus [name] / clearstatus (e.g. Rested, Burning, Wet), dpsdebug, gc, test [value], ffsmooth 1.
Debug mode: six keyboard shortcuts
After devcommands, run debugmode. That unlocks a second layer that has no chat equivalent:
- B — creative building, no workbench and no resources
- K — kill nearby enemies (tamed creatures excluded)
- L — remove nearby item drops
- Z — fly; Space gains altitude, Ctrl descends
- Ctrl + middle mouse on the map — teleport to cursor
- Shift + C — set time to day
Running debugmode again exits it. Note that B is the cleanest way to test a build layout before you commit to gathering materials for it.
Which commands to avoid on a live world
The tier system is forgiving, but a few commands are unrecoverable in practice:
resetworldkeyson a world you care about clears modifier settings and is not the progression reset people assume it is.resetcharacterwipes your character data — skills, known recipes, everything tied to that character.forcedeleteis a radius delete with no undo. 50 m is a long way.genlocmoves unplaced locations. On an explored world this can put points of interest somewhere your map does not show.nocostplusspawnskips every boss gate, which is the point, and also removes the reason the next 20 hours exist.
For a build test or a screenshot, use them freely. For a co-op world you plan to keep, findtp, pos, tod and exploremap give you 90% of the convenience with none of the risk.
Related guides
- Valheim hub — all guides for this game.
- Valheim tips and tricks
- Valheim advanced guide
- Valheim crafting guide
- Valheim base building guide