How do I make myself admin on my Rust server?

Type ownerid and your SteamID64 into the live console in your Game Panel, then leave and rejoin your server. Rust saves the change in cfg/users.cfg by itself, so you’re still admin after a restart.

Find your SteamID64

Your SteamID64 is the 17-digit number Steam gives every account. It starts with 7656. There are two easy ways to get it:

1. From Steam: open your Steam profile and choose Edit Profile. If you’ve never set a custom profile address, the number is in the address shown under the custom URL box. If you have set one, clear the box and the number appears in the address below it. Leave without saving and your custom address stays as it was.
2. From your server: join it, then type users in the live console. It lists everyone online with their SteamID64 and name.

Make yourself owner

1. Check your server is running, then open the live console in your Game Panel.
2. Type ownerid, then your SteamID64, then your name in quotes, and press Enter. For example: ownerid 76561198123456789 "YourName".
3. Rust replies Added owner YourName, steamid 76561198123456789.
4. If you’re on the server, leave and rejoin. Rust hands out admin powers when you connect.
5. When you join, the console shows a line containing has auth level. That’s you.

Rust has saved users.cfg straight after ownerid and moderatorid for a few years now. If you want to be certain before a restart, run server.writecfg as well. It writes the server’s cfg files on the spot.

Owners and moderators

Rust has two admin levels. Owners get the top one (auth level 2). Moderators get the one below it (auth level 1), which suits the people helping you run the server. Add a moderator the same way, and ask them to rejoin:

moderatorid 76561198123456789 "TheirName"

Where the list lives

Rust keeps its admin list in users.cfg, in the cfg folder inside your server’s identity folder (server/<identity>/cfg/users.cfg). Each person gets a line like this:

ownerid 76561198123456789 "YourName" ""

You can add lines by hand in your Game Panel’s file manager, but only while the server is stopped. Download a backup from your Game Panel first, then start the server again afterwards and rejoin.

Remove someone

Use their SteamID64 in the live console:

removeowner 76561198123456789
removemoderator 76561198123456789

Rust saves users.cfg after these too, so the change survives a restart.