The Valheim Mod Manager is the tool you use to install mods onto a BepInEx Valheim server, pulling them straight from Thunderstore into your server’s BepInEx/plugins folder. You find a mod on Thunderstore, paste its page URL (or its Author/ModName), and the panel downloads and unpacks it for you — no manual file uploads, no fiddling with BepInEx by hand. This guide shows how to install a Valheim mod step by step, how Thunderstore identifiers work, why a mod might list dependencies you still need to add, and how to enable, disable, update, and remove mods cleanly. Whether you searched for how to install Valheim mods, Valheim Thunderstore mods, or a Valheim mod manager, everything you need is below.
What the Valheim Mod Manager Does
The Mod Manager installs Valheim mods from Thunderstore into your server’s BepInEx/plugins folder. You paste a mod’s Thunderstore page URL or its Author/ModName, click Install, and the panel resolves the mod’s latest version, downloads the package, and unpacks it into a folder named after the mod. BepInEx scans the plugins folder when the server starts, so the mod loads on the next restart. Each mod gets its own folder under plugins (named Author-ModName), and the manager keeps track of what it installed so you can enable, disable, update, or remove a mod as a single safe action instead of editing files by hand.
Note: Install downloads the mod from Thunderstore and unpacks it into BepInEx/plugins/Author-ModName
Note: Each mod lands in its own folder, and the manager tracks what it installed so removes are clean
Note: Changes take effect on the next server restart, because BepInEx loads plugins at startup
Only on BepInEx Valheim Servers
Mods on Valheim run through BepInEx, the mod loader, so the Mod Manager is only available on a BepInEx Valheim server. The BepInEx server type already ships with the BepInEx mod loader bundled in, which is exactly what your mods need to load. If you are running a plain vanilla Valheim server, you will not have a Mod Manager, because there is no mod loader for the mods to hook into. When the Mod Manager is enabled on your server, it appears in the server’s sidebar as a Mod Manager item.
Note: The Mod Manager is for BepInEx Valheim servers — the server type that bundles the BepInEx mod loader
Note: It shows up as a Mod Manager entry in your server’s sidebar once it is enabled for the server
Tip: Because BepInEx is the loader, you do not install BepInEx itself as a mod — it is already part of the server
How to Install a Valheim Mod Step by Step
Installing a mod is a paste-and-click loop, and you repeat it for each mod you want. There is no in-panel browser or search — you find the mod on Thunderstore in your own browser, then paste its address into the Mod Manager. The panel always installs the mod’s latest version, downloads it, and unpacks it into BepInEx/plugins so it loads on the next start.
- Log in at hub.loafhosts.com and open your BepInEx Valheim server
- Open the Mod Manager from your server’s sidebar
- In a separate browser tab, find the mod you want on thunderstore.io
- Copy the mod’s Thunderstore page URL (or write it as Author/ModName)
- Paste it into the “Install a mod” box at the top of the Mod Manager
- Click Install (or press Enter) and let the panel download and unpack the mod
- If the mod lists dependencies, install each of those the same way
- Restart the server so the new mod loads
- Join the server and confirm the mod works
Note: Install always pulls the mod’s latest version from Thunderstore — there is no version picker
Note: After a successful install you are told the mod and version, with a reminder to restart the server to load it
Tip: You can press Enter in the install box instead of clicking the Install button
What You Can Paste: Thunderstore URLs and Author/ModName
The install box accepts a few forms of the same thing, so you can usually just copy whatever you have. It takes a full Thunderstore package page URL — both the community URL style (thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/Author/ModName/) and the subdomain style (valheim.thunderstore.io/package/Author/ModName/) work. It also takes the short Author/ModName form, and a full package name with a version on the end (Author-ModName-1.2.3), where the version is ignored because the manager fetches the latest version anyway. If what you paste cannot be read as a clean author and mod name, the panel tells you so you can try the page URL instead.
Tip: The easiest path is to open the mod’s Thunderstore page and copy the address bar URL
Tip: Author/ModName is the short form — for example the author’s name, a slash, then the mod’s name
Note: A version on the end of the name is ignored; the Mod Manager always installs the current latest version
Dependencies: Install What a Mod Needs
Many Valheim mods depend on other mods to work — a shared library, a framework, or a config tool. After an install, the Mod Manager shows you the mod’s dependencies so you know what else to add. It does not install them for you, so treat that list as a checklist: paste and install each dependency the same way you installed the main mod. The BepInEx loader itself is filtered out of that list, because your BepInEx server already has it, so anything that remains is something you genuinely still need to add.
Note: Dependencies are listed after install but are not installed automatically — add each one yourself
Note: The BepInEx pack is left off the dependency list because your server already includes the loader
Warning: A mod that is missing a dependency may fail to load or behave incorrectly, so install everything it lists before you rely on it
Enable, Disable, and Remove Mods
Every installed mod appears in the list with its name, its folder, its version, and an Enabled or Disabled badge. Disabling a mod does not delete it — the manager moves the mod’s folder out of the plugins folder so BepInEx stops loading it, and enabling it again moves the folder back in. That makes it easy to switch a mod off to test whether it is causing a problem, then switch it back on without reinstalling. Removing a mod is a separate action that deletes the mod’s files entirely, and it asks you to confirm first. All three changes take effect on the next server restart.
Tip: Disable a mod to take it out of play without losing it — it is parked, not deleted, and you can re-enable it later
Tip: If your server misbehaves after adding a mod, disable the most recent mod and restart to see if it was the cause
Warning: Remove permanently deletes the mod’s files and asks you to confirm first — restart the server afterward to apply
Note: Enable, disable, and remove all need a server restart before they take effect
Updating a Mod
To update a mod to its newest version, install it again. Because the Mod Manager always fetches the latest version from Thunderstore, re-installing the same mod replaces the older copy with the current one in the same folder. There is no separate update button — re-installing is the update. As always, restart the server afterward so the new version loads.
Tip: Re-install a mod from its Thunderstore URL to update it; the latest version replaces the old files
Note: Re-installing reuses the mod’s existing folder, so you do not end up with two copies
Tip: If a mod has dependencies, re-check that list after a big update in case the mod now needs something new
Restart to Apply Every Change
The single most common reason a mod “did not work” is forgetting the restart. BepInEx reads the plugins folder when the server starts, so anything you install, enable, disable, or remove only takes effect after the server is restarted. Make your changes in the Mod Manager, restart the server, then join and confirm.
Note: Install, enable, disable, and remove all require a server restart to take effect
Tip: Batch your changes — install several mods and their dependencies, then restart once at the end
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I install Valheim mods on my Loafhosts server?
Open the Mod Manager on your BepInEx Valheim server, find the mod on thunderstore.io, and paste its page URL (or Author/ModName) into the “Install a mod” box. Click Install and the panel downloads the mod’s latest version and unpacks it into BepInEx/plugins. If the mod lists dependencies, install each of those too, then restart the server so the mods load.
Why don’t I see a Mod Manager on my server?
The Mod Manager is only available on a BepInEx Valheim server — the server type that includes the BepInEx mod loader. A plain vanilla Valheim server has no mod loader for mods to hook into, so it has no Mod Manager. If the Mod Manager is enabled for your server, it appears as an item in the server’s sidebar.
Where do Valheim mods come from?
From Thunderstore, the Valheim community’s mod site. You find a mod there in your browser, copy its page URL, and paste it into the Mod Manager. There is no built-in search or browser inside the panel, so the workflow is: find it on Thunderstore, then paste it here to install.
Why does a mod still need other mods after I install it?
Many mods depend on shared libraries or frameworks. After install, the Mod Manager lists the mod’s dependencies so you know what else to add — but it does not install them for you. Install each listed dependency the same way you installed the main mod. The BepInEx loader is left off that list because your server already has it.
How do I update a mod?
Install it again. The Mod Manager always pulls the latest version from Thunderstore, so re-installing the same mod replaces the old files in the same folder with the current version. There is no separate update button. Restart the server afterward so the new version loads.
What is the difference between disabling and removing a mod?
Disabling moves the mod’s folder out of the plugins folder so BepInEx stops loading it, but keeps the files so you can re-enable it later. Removing deletes the mod’s files entirely and asks you to confirm first. Both take effect after a server restart, so restart once your changes are in place.
Why didn’t my mod load after I installed it?
Almost always because the server has not been restarted. BepInEx loads plugins at startup, so a freshly installed, enabled, disabled, or removed mod only takes effect after a restart. If you have restarted and a mod still is not working, check that you also installed every dependency the mod listed.