ARK Server Whitelist Setup Guide

Overview

By default, an ARK: Survival Evolved server allows players to connect without being manually approved first. That is convenient for public communities, but less ideal when the server is meant for friends, private testing, mod setup, or maintenance.

A whitelist changes that behavior by allowing only approved Steam accounts to join. The setup is not difficult, but ARK expects SteamID64 values rather than normal Steam profile names, because apparently dinosaurs were not enough trouble already.

Enable Whitelist Control

Before adding players, turn on the whitelist option for the server.

1. Open your server panel and select the server settings from your panel menu.

1. Find the Server Settings section.
2. Enable the checkbox for Whitelist.

1. Return to the main panel and restart the server so the setting can take effect.

Find Each Player's SteamID64

ARK does not whitelist players by display name. Each player needs their SteamID64 value added to the whitelist file.

1. Go to a Steam ID lookup site, such as SteamID IO Lookup.
2. Enter the player's Steam username or profile URL.
3. Find the SteamID64 value in the results.

1. Copy the full number.
2. Repeat this for every player who should be allowed to join.

Check these numbers carefully. A single incorrect digit can block the right person or whitelist the wrong account.

Add Players to the ARK Whitelist File

Once the whitelist option is enabled and the SteamID64 values are ready, edit the whitelist file from the server panel.

1. Open your server panel.
2. Select the config file section from your panel menu.

1. Open the ARK Whitelist File. This should correspond to `PlayersExclusiveJoinList.txt`.

1. Paste each SteamID64 value into the file.
2. Put only one SteamID64 on each line.

1. Save the file.
2. Restart the ARK server again.

After the restart finishes, have an approved player try joining the server. If their SteamID64 was entered correctly and the whitelist setting is active, they should be able to connect normally.

Common Problems

The Whitelist Does Not Work

First, confirm that the whitelist option is still enabled in your panel settings. If it is disabled, ARK will ignore the whitelist file and allow normal joining behavior.

If the setting is enabled, verify that the player is joining from the same Steam account whose SteamID64 was added. Steam display names can change, but the SteamID64 is tied to the account.

A Whitelisted Player Cannot Join

The most common cause is an incorrect SteamID64. Recheck the number in `PlayersExclusiveJoinList.txt`, making sure there are no missing digits, extra spaces, or accidental punctuation.

If the ID is correct, restart the server once more after saving the file. If the problem continues, investigate other connection issues, such as broken mods, version mismatch, or server-side errors unrelated to the whitelist.

Final Notes

A whitelist is useful when an ARK server needs to stay private, stable, or limited to a specific group. Once enabled, the main routine is simple: find each player's SteamID64, add one value per line, save the whitelist file, and restart the server.