TheGameHosting Team
To add a subuser to your game server panel, open the Users tab, click New User, enter your friend's email, tick only the permissions they need and click Invite User. They log in with their own account and password, so you never share yours, and you can change or remove their access at any time.
This works the same for every game on our panel, which is built on Pterodactyl. The permission names and messages below come from Pterodactyl's own source code.
Why subusers beat sharing your password
- Your account stays yours. Your login reaches every server you own and your account settings. A subuser only sees the one server you added them to.
- Each person gets only what they need. A moderator can restart the server without being able to delete files or download backups.
- You can take access back in one click, without changing your password and telling everyone else the new one.
- You know who did what. The Activity tab logs actions per user, so a deleted world is not a mystery.
Panel access is not the same as being admin inside the game. For that, see how to OP yourself on a Minecraft server or how to become admin on a Rust server.
Add subuser: game server panel, step by step
- Log in to the panel and open the server you want to share.
- Open the Users tab and click New User.
- Enter the email address of the person you are inviting. Use the address they will actually check.
- Tick the permissions they need. Start with less; you can add more later.
- Click Invite User. The person now appears in the list on the Users tab.
- Tell them to check their inbox. If the email had no panel account yet, the panel creates one and emails a Setup Your Account link where they choose their own password.
Two rules the panel enforces: you cannot add the server's owner as a subuser, and you can only grant permissions your own account has. A subuser who manages other users can never edit their own permissions or hand out ones they do not have.
What each subuser permission allows
Permissions come in groups. Here is what Pterodactyl says each one does:
| Group | Permissions | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| Console (websocket) | connect | See the live console output and server stats |
| Control | console, start, stop, restart | Type commands and use the power buttons |
| Files | create, read, read-content, update, delete, archive, sftp | Browse, open, edit, upload, delete, zip/unzip, connect by SFTP |
| Backups | create, read, delete, download, restore | Make, list, remove, download and restore backups |
| Startup | read, update, docker-image | View or change startup variables and the image the server runs on |
| Schedules | create, read, update, delete | Manage automatic tasks such as restarts |
| Databases | create, read, update, delete, view_password | Manage the server's databases and see their passwords |
| Network (allocations) | read, create, update, delete | View and manage the server's ports |
| Users | create, read, update, delete | Manage other subusers |
| Settings | rename, reinstall | Rename the server or trigger a reinstall |
| Activity | read | See the server's activity log |
Ready-made permission sets
| Role | Tick these | Leave these off |
|---|---|---|
| Moderator | Console connect, Control console, start, restart | Files, Backups, Startup, Settings, Users |
| Builder or config helper | Console connect, Files read, read-content, update, create, sftp, Control restart | Files delete, Backups restore/download, Settings |
| Co-owner | Everything | Nothing, so pick this person carefully |
A useful habit: give helpers Backups create so they can make a copy before they try something, but not restore or delete.
SFTP access for subusers
With the Files sftp permission, a subuser can connect with an SFTP client using their own login. Their details are in the server's Settings tab, under SFTP Details. The username is their panel username followed by a dot and the server ID, and the panel states that the SFTP password is the same one they use to log in to the panel.
Server Address: sftp://<panel SFTP address>:<port>
Username: <their panel username>.<server id>
Password: <their own panel password>SFTP still follows the other file permissions you set, so a subuser without delete cannot delete files over SFTP either.
Change or remove a subuser
- Open Users and click the person to change their permissions, then click Save.
- To remove someone, use the delete button on their row and confirm. Their access to this server ends straight away; their panel account itself stays.
- Check Activity if something changed and you want to know who did it. If a server stopped working after someone's change, our guide on reading server crash logs helps you find the cause.
Ask everyone with access to turn on two-factor authentication in their own account settings. One weak password is all it takes.
Share your server the safe way on TheGameHosting
Every TheGameHosting plan includes the Users tab with per-permission subusers, plus Activity to see who did what and Backups for when someone makes a mistake. One plan runs 60+ games, and you can switch games on the same plan with Game Changer. Servers are ready about 60 seconds after payment, run 24/7 on AMD Ryzen 9950X and 7950X3D CPUs with DDR5 and NVMe, and include DDoS protection in Dallas and Amsterdam. Support is on live chat and tickets 24/7.
Plans start at $1.90 USD a month with unlimited slots. Pick yours on the pricing page and use FULL2026 for 15% off for life.
FAQ
Does a subuser see my other servers?
No. A subuser is added to one server and only gets the permissions you tick for that server. Your account and your other servers stay private.
What if my friend does not have a panel account?
Invite them by email anyway. The panel creates an account and sends a Setup Your Account email where they choose their own password.
Can a subuser connect with SFTP?
Yes, if you give them the Files sftp permission. They use their panel username plus a dot and the server ID, and their own panel password.
Which permissions are risky to give?
backup.download exposes every file in the backup, backup.restore can delete all server files, and settings.reinstall can delete or change files. Keep them for people you fully trust.
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Written by TheGameHosting Team, the people who run our servers in Dallas and Amsterdam and answer your tickets.
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