Spawnkeep

Valheim dedicated server troubleshooting

Source checked 29 Sept 2026; game-version match unverified.OfficialProject docs

This page only lists problems that a source actually describes. There is no official troubleshooting reference for the dedicated server that we could find, so anything not listed here is unknown, not “fine”.

Symptom Documented cause and fix Source
Players outside your network cannot reach a Steam-backend server The server’s port range must have internet access: port forwarding on your router (default 2456-2457). Iron Gate does not give router steps. official guide
Nobody on consoles or other stores can see the server Without -crossplay the Steam backend is used and only Steam users can see and join it. official guide
Cannot join a crossplay server by its local IP Crossplay servers cannot be joined through a local or loopback IP; use the public IP and port, the join code or the server list. official guide
Windows shows a firewall popup Tick all the checkboxes so the server can communicate with the internet. official guide
The server seems to keep running after you closed its window Close it with CTRL+C. Closing with the window’s X may leave it running in the background (“we don’t really know”). official guide
Your edited start script keeps reverting The original script is reset on every Steam update; edit a copy (which cannot be launched from Steam). official guide
docker ps says it cannot connect to the Docker daemon Make sure the Docker daemon is running. official guide
docker ps says permission denied on the socket The user running the server must belong to the docker group. official guide
Your Linux has older system libraries than the server requires The server needs at least GLIBC_2.29 and GLIBCXX_3.4.26; on older systems run it in Docker. official guide
Two servers on one machine collide Give each a unique -instanceid when they share a port and MAC address. official guide
Someone was added to the permitted list and now everyone else is locked out Adding a person to the permitted list bans everyone else. official guide
Odd problems with a modded game The Valheim Plus project suggests Steam’s “verify integrity of game files”, then contacting its help channel. Valheim Plus README
A host keeps installing the wrong Valheim Plus version Use one of the installation archives with Renamed in the file name (the mod file gets a different name so the host does not overwrite it). Valheim Plus INSTALL.md
Players cannot join a server with Valheim Plus and enforceMod With the Server section and enforceMod enabled, only players with the same mod version can join. Valheim Plus README

Reading the log

The official guide says the Platform User ID needed for the admin, banned and permitted lists can be obtained from the server log, and that -logFile sets where the log is saved (official guide). It documents no log messages other than Game server connected.

Sources