Open console · PC command and resource reference
Valheim How to Open Console on PC
Quick Answer
To open the Valheim console on Steam PC, right-click Valheim in your library, open Properties, add -console to Launch Options, start the game, and press F5 in game. PC Game Pass uses a shortcut to Valheim.exe with -console added to the Target field. Opening the console is only the first step: cheat commands still require devcommands, and dedicated servers do not accept cheat commands even if you can open a console.
- Reading time
- 6 minutes
- Difficulty
- Launch option setup
- Checked
- 2026-09-21
On this page
Guide details
Before you begin
Set -console for Steam or the proper PC shortcut path, then use F5 in game; keep console access separate from devcommands and server permissions.
PC console enabling and F5 access. Not a full cheat catalog, Xbox controls guide, server-admin setup, or proof that cheats work on every server.
- Status
- Source-checked guide from owner-supplied keyword
- Edition
- PC command and resource reference
- Platform
- PC · Steam / Game Pass; server limits noted
- Checked
- 2026-09-21
- Check note
- Steam -console, PC Game Pass shortcut, F5, devcommands distinction, and server limits were checked against the Developer console source. User supplied volume 70; KD Unknown.
Before you set out
Prerequisites#
- Close and relaunch Valheim after changing launch options or shortcut targets.
- Use the Steam steps only for Steam installs. PC Game Pass and App Store Mac installs have different paths in the source.
- Do not confuse the F5 console window with automatic permission to run cheats on a public or dedicated server.
Route 01
Open the Valheim console on Steam#
Open Valheim properties#
In the Steam library, right-click Valheim and select Properties. The source places the setting in the General tab under Launch Options, not inside an in-game graphics or controls menu.
Add the launch option#
Type -console in the Launch Options field. Keep the hyphen. Close the properties window after entering it so the next launch uses that argument.
Start Valheim and press F5#
After the game starts, press F5 in game to open the console window. If F5 does nothing, recheck the exact launch option and confirm that you restarted after adding it.
PC Game Pass uses a shortcut target instead#
For PC Game Pass, the saved reference points to the installation folder, typically C:\XboxGames\Valheim\Content, then to Valheim.exe. Create a shortcut, open that shortcut's Properties, and add -console to the end of the Target field before launching from the shortcut. This is different from Steam's Launch Options box. The page also lists an Xbox Game Pass controller chord and a Mac App Store shell-script method, but this guide keeps the main answer focused on PC Steam and PC Game Pass because that is the owner-supplied search task.
Pocket list 03
Opening the console is not the same as enabling cheats#
- F5 opens the console window after the console is enabled.
- devcommands toggles the cheat-command category on and off.
- Player commands and emotes do not require devcommands.
- Admin commands require the server's admin list when you are dealing with server administration.
- Cheat commands are limited to singleplayer or manually hosted mode and do not work on dedicated servers.
Fault ledger
If F5 does not open the console#
- F5 does nothing on Steam
- Confirm the Launch Options field contains -console with the hyphen, then fully restart Valheim. Changing the field while the game is already open will not prove the setting works.
- The PC Game Pass shortcut launches but F5 still fails
- Make sure the shortcut target points to Valheim.exe and that -console was added at the end of that target, not to the shortcut name or a folder path.
- The console opens, but a cheat command fails
- Type devcommands before cheat commands, then check world type. If you are on a dedicated server, the saved source says cheat commands do not work there.
- A server admin command fails
- Dedicated-server admin commands require the correct SteamID64 or Crossplay player ID in the admin list. Cheat access and admin-list access are different categories.