Context
To ban a cheater, teleport or spawn items on your Rust server, you need to be an administrator. Rust has two levels, owner and moderator, granted with a simple console command using the player's SteamID64.
This guide shows you how to give yourself rights on your Winheberg Rust server, how to remove them, and how to secure RCON access, which lets you manage the server remotely with a dedicated tool.
Prerequisites
- An active Rust server on your Winheberg gaming panel, with the Online status
- The SteamID64 of the player to promote, a 17-digit ID starting with
7656119 - A custom RCON PASSWORD in the Startup tab, as explained in step 5. With the default
CHANGEMEvalue, the panel console cannot send any command to the server
1. Find the player's SteamID64
Unlike the player name, the SteamID64 never changes. Here are two easy ways to find it.
- In Steam, open the player's profile, right-click on the page and choose Copy Page URL. If the URL ends with a string of 17 digits, that is the SteamID64
- If the profile uses a custom URL, paste it into a converter such as steamid.io, which shows the steamID64 line
2. Grant rights from the console
Open your server Console in the panel. Type the command in the Type a command... field, without a / in front, replacing the SteamID64 and the name.
ownerid 76561198000000000 "MyName"
The name in quotes is only a label in the administrator list. Rust has two levels of rights.
| Command | Level | Use |
|---|---|---|
ownerid <SteamID64> "name" |
Owner, level 2 | Full access to administration commands |
moderatorid <SteamID64> "name" |
Moderator, level 1 | Moderation commands, for your trusted team |
The change is saved automatically in the server/rust/cfg/users.cfg file. It survives restarts, there is nothing else to do.
The player must disconnect and reconnect to the server for their new rights to apply.
If the console replies Unable to run "ownerid" due to RCON not being connected yet., the server has not finished starting. Wait for the Online status and type the command again.
3. Use the commands in game
Once reconnected, the player opens the Rust console with the F1 key. They can type administration commands there, still without /. For example, kick and ban followed by the player name, or banid followed by the SteamID64 to ban a player who is offline.
If you use Oxide, owners are also automatically added to the Oxide admin group, which gives them the permissions your plugins set aside for administrators. Moderators are not, so grant them the permissions you want with o.grant. It is all explained in our guide "How to Install Oxide or Carbon and Plugins on a Rust Server".
4. Remove a player's rights
Type the command matching their level in the panel console.
removeowner 76561198000000000
removemoderator 76561198000000000
The removal is also saved automatically in users.cfg.
5. Secure and use RCON
RCON lets you send commands to the server from an external tool, without opening the panel. It is protected by a password, set in the Startup tab.
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
| RCON PORT | RCON port assigned to your server, read-only |
| RCON PASSWORD | Password required for every RCON connection |
The default password is CHANGEME. As long as it is not replaced, RCON does not start and the panel console cannot run any command. Replace it with a long, unique password made of letters and digits, click outside the field to save it, then click Restart. Anyone who knows this password can take full control of the server.
To connect with a WebRCON-compatible RCON tool, enter your server address shown at the top of the panel (for example gm1-whXX.wh-game.fr), the RCON PORT instead of the game port, and your RCON PASSWORD.
The panel console also uses RCON to send your commands. After changing the password, restart the server so that the console and the game both use the same one.
If you run into trouble
❌ The player does not have their rights in game
- Check that they disconnected and reconnected after the command
- Check the SteamID64, 17 digits, no spaces, and not the short ID in the
STEAM_0:...format - Open
server/rust/cfg/users.cfgand check that their line is there
❌ The panel console does not run any command
If Waiting for RCON to come up... keeps looping long after Server startup complete, the console cannot connect to the server's RCON. The most common cause is the default password. Replace CHANGEME in RCON PASSWORD with a password made of letters and digits, then restart. When everything works, the console shows this line.
Connected to RCON. Generating the map now. Please wait until the server status switches to "Running".
Best practices
- Hand out the owner level sparingly, the moderator level is enough for most members of your team
- Never share the RCON password, it gives more power than any owner account
- To delegate server management, use a sub-user with limited permissions instead, as explained in our guide How to Add a Sub-User to Your Gaming Panel
- Remove the rights of a member who leaves your team, with
removeownerorremovemoderator
Need help?
If the rights still do not apply after these checks, our team is here to help. Open a ticket in the Technical department from your client area, fill in the Related Product field with your Rust server and attach a screenshot of the console.
Check out our plans on the Rust Hosting page. Your Rust server is now in good hands 🔒
