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Factorio: How to Add Admins & Manage Permissions

Factorio Guide • Updated Jul 18, 2026

Factorio: Managing Admins & Permissions

In Factorio, admins have the power to run console commands that affect the game state (like /c), kick/ban griefers, and pause/unpause the game. Permissions are managed via a simple JSON file or the server console. For the full command reference, see Factorio console commands.

1. The Admin List

The server tracks admins in a file named server-adminlist.json. Players listed here automatically get admin rights upon joining.

2. Console Promotion

You can promote a player to admin instantly using the server console (RCON) without needing a restart.

3. Cheat Mode

Admins can enable Cheat Mode (/c game.player.cheat_mode=true) to build instantly without resources. Useful for creative testing.

Method 1: Using the Console (Recommended)

This method works while the server is running and takes effect immediately.

  1. Go to your Supercraft Server Console.
  2. Type the command: /promote [PlayerName].
  3. The server will reply: "Promoted [PlayerName] to admin."
  4. To remove admin status, use: /demote [PlayerName].

Method 2: Editing server-adminlist.json

If you prefer to configure this offline or want to bulk-add admins:

  1. Navigate to the File Manager.
  2. Go to the root directory.
  3. Create or Edit the file server-adminlist.json.
  4. Add player names in a JSON array format: 
    [
  "EngineerViewer",
  "FactorioBuilder99",
  "SupercraftAdmin"
]
  5. Save the file and Restart the server.

Worth knowing which file does what: server-adminlist.json is separate from server-settings.json (and from server-banlist.json and server-whitelist.json). Your settings file will not contain your admins, and this admin list will not contain your server name, password or token. So if you are still putting the settings side together, the free Factorio Server Settings Generator builds a complete server-settings.json but deliberately stops there - admins, bans and the whitelist stay in these separate lists, exactly as Factorio expects.

Useful Admin Commands

Command Effect
/kick [Player] [Reason] Disconnects a player.
/ban [Player] [Reason] Bans a player. Bans are stored in server-banlist.json.
/mute [Player] Prevents a player from using chat.
/c game.speed = 2 Doubles the game speed (UPS). Careful, this increases CPU load!

Note: Some commands start with /c (Lua commands). Running these commands will disable achievements for the save permanently. Standard admin commands like /kick do not disable achievements.

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