--- title: "Valheim Server Not Showing in Community List? Fixes" url: https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/valheim-server-not-showing-in-community-list/ lastmod: 2026-10-26 --- # Valheim Server Not Showing in Community List: How to Fix It Why a Valheim dedicated server is missing from the community list and how to fix it: the -public flag, password rules, crossplay for consoles and joining by IP. By [Baurtock](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/author/baurtock/) Updated Oct 26, 2026 · 7 min read Read in[es](https://1up-servers.com/es/blog/servidor-de-valheim-no-aparece-lista-comunidad/)[en](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/valheim-server-not-showing-in-community-list/) **Your game server, free**Ready in 60 seconds, no card.[Create free server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/) Valheim server not showing in the community list? A Valheim dedicated server is listed only when it starts with `-public 1`, accepts its password, answers on its query port and runs on the backend your friends' platform reads. This guide checks each cause in order, then shows how to skip the list and join by address. If you are still setting the server up, our [Valheim dedicated server guide](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/valheim-dedicated-server/) covers the whole install. If you host with us, every switch below is in the panel of your [Valheim server](https://1up-servers.com/en/valheim/), and our [join code guide](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/valheim-join-code-not-working/) covers the crossplay codes. - **Not in the list at all:** the server runs with `-public 0`. On 1up: **Game → Show in the server browser**, set a **Server password**, then restart. - **The server will not take your password:** it needs at least five characters and cannot be part of the server name. - **PS5, Switch 2 or Xbox friends cannot see it:** without `-crossplay` only Steam players can see the server. Turn on crossplay. - **In a hurry:** skip the list. **Join Game → Add server** with the address and port, or a join code. ## 1. The public flag: is the server advertised at all? Iron Gate's [dedicated server guide](https://www.valheim.com/support/a-guide-to-dedicated-servers) describes one launch argument for this: "`-public 1` - Set the visibility of your server. 1 is default and will make the server visible in the browser. Set it to 0 to make the server invisible and only joinable via the 'Join IP'-button." The same guide says `-name` is the name "that will be visible in the Server list". On your own PC, `-public 1` is the default, so check that nobody wrote `-public 0` in your copy of the start script. On 1up it is the other way round: a new server starts with `-public 0`, so it stays out of the list until you choose otherwise. 1. Open the **Game** tab and turn on **Show in the server browser**. 2. Set a **Server password** (section 2). The hint under the switch says "Only with a password": without one, our start script keeps `-public 0` even with the switch on. 3. Press **Restart the server**. The switch only applies on restart. The list shows the **Server name** you typed when you created the server; the world name in the **Game** tab is a different thing and is not shown. One switch does **not** put you in the game's list: **Public list** under **Server → Address and ports** (and **Show in the public list** in the creation wizard) publishes your server on our website, not in Valheim. **Shortcut: on 1up it takes three clicks** Your free server in 60 seconds. No card. [Create your Valheim server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/?game=valheim) ### Give it a few minutes, then search by name A listed server is not visible the second it starts. First the world has to load: wait until the log, which you can read in **Console** on 1up, shows `Game server connected`, the line the wiki ties to the server reaching Steam. The [Valheim wiki](https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Dedicated_servers) explains what happens next on the Steam backend: the server registers with Steam's master servers, which then query it every five minutes and drop it when a query fails. In the game, open **Join Game**, pick the **Community** tab and type the exact server name in the filter box. Since [patch 0.221.4](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/892970/view/1809869180193981) the community list is only fetched once you open that tab, so open it, wait, and refresh if needed. ## 2. Password rules The start script that ships with the dedicated server carries Iron Gate's note: "Minimum password length is 5 characters & Password cant be in the server name." Those are the only two rules Iron Gate gives, so check them before you look anywhere else. | Rule | Example that fails | Example that works | | --- | --- | --- | | At least 5 characters | `odin` | `odin42` | | Not part of the server name | Name `Viking Hall`, password `Viking` | Name `Viking Hall`, password `mead-runs` | On 1up the panel checks both rules before it saves. **Server password** says "At least 5 characters, and not part of the server name", and a password inside the name is refused with "It cannot be part of the server name." The check is on the server name, not on the world name. A password does not hide the server. The wiki's example launch lines pair `-password` with `-public 1`, and its join steps end with typing the password after you pick the server in the list. On 1up you need one anyway to be listed, as section 1 explains. ## 3. Crossplay: the list depends on the backend Valheim has two networking backends. The dedicated server guide says it plainly: `-crossplay` "Runs the Server on the Crossplay backend (PlayFab), which lets users from any platform join. If you do not include this argument, the Steam backend is used, which means only Steam users can see and join the Server." So a server without crossplay can be perfectly listed for Steam players and still be invisible on PS5, Switch 2, Xbox, Game Pass and Mac. Patch 0.221.4 rewrote the server list to fetch community servers from both backends, and fixed a bug that had stopped community servers being advertised on non-Steam platforms. On 1up, open the **Game** tab, turn on **Crossplay (every platform)** and restart. The hint spells out the trade: "Off, only Steam players can join. On, players on Xbox, Game Pass, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and the Mac App Store join too." Crossplay goes through a relay, and the wiki warns that it makes lag, timeouts and disconnects more likely, so leave it off for an all-Steam group. In the list, a "shuffle" icon next to a server means it supports crossplay, according to Iron Gate's [crossplay patch notes](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/892970/view/4589754330750013147). The same notes say the join code changes at every restart. ## 4. Ports: the address the list hands out A Steam-backend server needs two UDP ports. The guide warns that "Valheim uses the specified Port AND specified Port+1", and the wiki's port table explains the second one: the Steam query port, used "for public lobby registration metadata and server heartbeat". If the game port is open and the query port is not, players can join by address while the list never shows the server. **Self-hosted:** forward UDP 2456 and 2457 (or your `-port` and the next number) to the server and allow both through the firewall. Valheim does not use UPnP, says the wiki. Since [patch 0.219.13](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/892970/view/6212245217911979862) the client also filters out local IP addresses when it searches for online servers, so a server that advertises a LAN address will not show up. **On 1up:** our servers do not use 2456 on the outside. The **Overview** shows the address and port players reach. The server is started with `-port` set to that same port, and the next port up is reserved for it and open, so the query port the list relies on is reachable. You do not set anything here. ## 5. Join by IP: skip the list The list is a convenience. A small group can join directly: 1. Open **Join Game** and press **Add server**, as the [Crossplay FAQ](https://www.valheim.com/support/crossplay-faq) describes. 2. Type the address and port from the **Overview** (`address:port`), or the join code from the pause menu of a crossplay server. 3. Enter the server password when asked, then mark the server as a favourite so you find it next time. This works with `-public 0` too. On crossplay, the wiki adds two rules: a LAN or loopback address never works, and a domain name must point to the exact public IP the relay sees. **Valheim 24/7 from Casual** Your own Valheim server online around the clock on the Casual plan, €3.00 a month. [Valheim 24/7 from Casual](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/?plan=casual&game=valheim) Tested on Valheim 1.0.16 (1up image sha256:08fece41), 2026-10-05: we checked the launch line our start script builds with the switches on and off. We have not yet watched a 1up server appear in the community list from a game client. **Change log** - 2026-10-05: first version. - 2026-10-08: panel names updated: the Game and Server tabs replace the old Settings tab. - 2026-10-20: Valheim now runs on Free and 24/7 from Casual (2 GB). ## Frequently asked questions Most often it runs with -public 0. On 1up, turn on Show in the server browser in the Game tab, set a server password and restart. Then search the exact name in the Community tab. About the author[Baurtock](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/author/baurtock/)Founder, developer and support ## Keep reading [Valheim · 8 min**Valheim World Modifiers and Server Settings: Every Preset, Value and Launch Flag**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/valheim-world-modifiers/)[Valheim · 8 min**Best Valheim Server Mods for 1.0: 12 Picks, BepInEx Setup and Who Installs What**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/best-valheim-server-mods/)[Valheim · 9 min**Upload Valheim World Saves to a Dedicated Server: Steam, Xbox and 1.0**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/upload-valheim-world-to-dedicated-server/)