---
title: "Fix: I'm Not Getting Admin Rights (users.ini Ignored)"
excerpt: "Why AMX Mod X does not recognise your admin - SteamID vs name-based auth, Reunion/non-Steam IDs, account flags, and the amx_reloadadmins step - diagnosed the way admins actually break."
category: "errors"
tags: "users.ini, admin"
image: ""
read_time: "8 min read"
---
<p>You added yourself to <code>users.ini</code>, restarted, and you still have no admin. AMX Mod X admin auth is precise about three things: the identity string, the password column, and the account flags that decide <em>how</em> that identity is matched. If any one is off, or if your server authenticates players by a different identity than the one you wrote down, the whole line is ignored. Here is how to diagnose it the way it actually fails.</p>

<h2>1. Know which file and which format</h2>
<p>Admins live in <code>addons/amxmodx/configs/users.ini</code>. Each line is:</p>
<pre>"identity" "password" "access flags" "account flags"</pre>
<p>A typical SteamID admin with full access and SteamID auth:</p>
<pre>"STEAM_0:1:12345678" "" "abcdefghijklmnopqrstu" "ce"</pre>
<p>The fourth column is the <strong>account flags</strong> and it decides <em>how</em> the identity is matched: <code>c</code> = match by SteamID, <code>d</code> = match by IP, <code>a</code> = no password required, <code>e</code> = the identity is a SteamID. Getting this column wrong is the single most common reason a correct-looking line does nothing.</p>

<h2>2. Find your real identity string</h2>
<p>Do not guess your SteamID. Connect to the server and, on the server console, run:</p>
<pre>amx_who</pre>
<p>It lists every connected player with the exact <code>authid</code> AMXX sees for them. Copy that string verbatim into column one. On a <strong>non-Steam</strong> server this matters enormously: whether players get a real <code>STEAM_</code> ID or a pending ID depends on your setup. If you run Reunion for non-Steam clients, Reunion must be configured with a <code>SteamIdHashSalt</code> of at least 16 characters or it will not produce stable SteamIDs at all, and everyone shows as pending — no stable ID means SteamID admin auth cannot work.</p>

<h2>3. Match the auth method to the flags</h2>
<p>If <code>amx_who</code> shows you as <code>STEAM_0:1:...</code>, use SteamID auth:</p>
<pre>"STEAM_0:1:12345678" "" "abcdefghijklmnopqrstu" "ce"</pre>
<p>If your players do not have stable SteamIDs (a non-Steam server without proper Reunion IDs), fall back to name+password auth:</p>
<pre>"MyAdminName" "mypassword" "abcdefghijklmnopqrstu" "a"</pre>
<p>With name+password the admin must set the password client-side with <code>setinfo _pw "mypassword"</code>, and you drop the <code>e</code>/<code>c</code> flags. Mixing the two — a SteamID in column one but an <code>a</code> account flag, or a name with <code>ce</code> — is a guaranteed silent failure.</p>

<h2>4. Reload without a full restart</h2>
<p>AMXX does not re-read <code>users.ini</code> on its own. After editing, run on the server console:</p>
<pre>amx_reloadadmins</pre>
<p>Then reconnect (the check runs at connect/putinserver). If you edited the file but never reloaded, of course nothing changed.</p>

<h2>5. Confirm the access flags are the ones you think</h2>
<p>The access-flags string maps to specific powers (kick, ban, slay, cvar, rcon, menu, and so on) plus <code>u</code> for the custom/menu access most plugins require. The letters <code>abcdefghijklmnopqrstu</code> grant everything. If a command "does not work" for you specifically, you may hold admin but lack the flag that command requires — check the command's required flag in that plugin's config rather than assuming your line is broken.</p>

<h2>6. Are your admins even coming from users.ini?</h2>
<p>AMXX can load admins from a database instead of the flat file. If <code>admin_sql.amxx</code> is in your <code>plugins.ini</code> (and <code>admin.amxx</code> is the file-based one), your admins are read from MySQL/SQLite, and edits to <code>users.ini</code> do nothing at all. Check which admin plugin is active:</p>
<pre>amxx plugins
amx_cvar amx_mode</pre>
<p>If <code>admin_sql</code> is running, add yourself to the <code>admins</code> table (or disable it and use the file). Turning up AMXX's logging also shows exactly why a line was rejected: set the map-config or console to a higher log level and reconnect, and the auth decision is written to <code>addons/amxmodx/logs/</code>.</p>

<h2>Common errors</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Line looks perfect, still no admin</strong> — the account-flags column does not match the identity type (SteamID with <code>a</code>, or name with <code>ce</code>). Align them.</li>
<li><strong>Works on Steam, not on non-Steam</strong> — no stable SteamID. Fix Reunion's <code>SteamIdHashSalt</code> (16+ chars) or switch that admin to name+password.</li>
<li><strong>Changes ignored entirely</strong> — you never ran <code>amx_reloadadmins</code>, or you edited a <code>users.ini</code> in the wrong game folder.</li>
<li><strong>Some commands work, others say no access</strong> — you are an admin but missing the specific flag; not a users.ini bug.</li>
<li><strong>Everyone is admin</strong> — a stray line with an empty identity or a wildcard, or a second admin plugin. Audit the whole file.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Verification</h2>
<p>Reconnect, then on the server console run:</p>
<pre>amx_who</pre>
<p>Your row should show your access flags filled in rather than empty. In-game, open the admin menu (<code>amx_help</code> lists what you can run) or try a low-risk command like <code>amx_map</code> from <a href="/plugins/csb-admin-menu">the admin menu</a>. If <code>amx_who</code> shows the flags but a command still refuses, it is a per-command flag issue, not an auth failure — and if the flags are still empty, your identity string or account-flags column is still wrong.</p>