How to Add an Admin to Your Factorio Server

Overview

Factorio servers run smoothly when trusted players can help manage the factory, especially once the base starts growing faster than anyone's ability to keep belts tidy. Admin access allows a player to use server commands for moderation, resource adjustments, cheat mode, inventory changes, and world control.

You can add an admin from your server console with a single command, or by editing the admin list file directly if you need to review or change multiple admins.

Promote a Player from the Console

1. Open your hosting control panel and select your Factorio server.
2. Choose Console from your panel menu.

1. Enter `/promote [PlayerName]` in the console text box.
2. Replace `[PlayerName]` with the exact Factorio username of the player you want to promote.

1. Press Enter or use the Send button to run the command.

If the command works, the console should return a message like `[PlayerName] was promoted to admin by server`.

To remove admin access later, use the matching demotion command with the player's username: `/demote [PlayerName]`.

Edit the Admin List Manually

Manual editing is useful when you want to remove a player, check every current admin, or add several admins at once.

1. Stop the Factorio server from the control panel.
2. Open FTP or your file manager from your panel menu.
3. Locate `server-adminlist.json`.

1. If the file does not exist, create it with the New File option.
2. Click Edit for `server-adminlist.json`.
3. Add player names in this format: `[ "PlayerName1", "PlayerName2" ]`.
4. Save the file, then restart the server.

For one admin only, remove the second name and the comma: `[ "PlayerName1" ]`.

Useful Admin Commands

In-game commands are entered from the Factorio chat bar. Press `~`, then type the command with `/` at the start. Factorio has many admin commands, so the official Factorio Wiki is the best place to check the full list when you need something specific.

Troubleshooting

The promote command does nothing: Make sure the command begins with `/`. Also confirm the username is spelled exactly right. If the console says the player was promoted but commands still fail in-game, restart the server so the admin status fully reloads.

The manual admin list is not working: The usual cause is invalid JSON formatting in `server-adminlist.json`. Replace the full file contents with the example format above, save it, and restart the server. JSON is not forgiving, which is very on-brand for automation.

Helpful Links

• Factorio on Steam