Valheim start_headless_server.bat generator

Valheim has no config file at all — everything is command-line arguments on the launch script, which is why editing files never seems to change anything.

Start from a preset

Visual Settings

batch args Format
Identity

Server name in the browser. Must not be the same as the password, or the server refuses to start.

Game port. Valheim also uses the port immediately above this one for queries, so forward both.

Gameplay

World modifier preset introduced with the difficulty sliders. Applies on top of the world itself.

World

Name of the world save to load. A typo silently starts a brand new world instead of loading yours.

Override for where worlds and characters are stored. Leave blank for the default location.

Seconds between automatic saves.

How many rolling backups to keep.

Players & Access

Minimum five characters, and it must not appear inside the server or world name. Breaking either rule stops the server booting with little explanation.

Network

1 lists the server publicly, 0 makes it joinable by address only.

Enables the PlayFab crossplay backend so console players can join. Changes how the server is discovered.

start_headless_server.bat

valheim_server.exe -nographics -batchmode -name "Spawnly Valheim" -port 2456 -world "Dedicated" -password "changeme" -public 1

How start_headless_server.bat syntax works

Settings are flags passed to the server executable: name, port, world and password each take a value, and values containing spaces need quotes. The world argument names a save file rather than creating one from a seed, so a typo silently starts a fresh world instead of loading the one you meant.

The mistake that costs people hours

The password rules will stop your server booting and the reason is not obvious. It must be at least five characters, and it must not contain the server name or the world name. A server called Valhalla with the password valhalla123 simply refuses to start. If your server exits immediately after launch, check the password before anything else.

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