Creating a server.cfg file for your Team Fortress 2 Server

The server.cfg file on a Team Fortress 2 server can be used to store any custom settings you want to use on your server.

The file doesn’t exist by default, you have to create it

This file normally does not exist on a freshly installed server. It does not come with the game files by default. The server.cfg must be manually created, and then moved to the correct folder on the server for it to have any effect.

You can create the file with any simple text editor and upload it to the server, or you can use the “create file” button on the control panel file manager view. This will open a text editor directly on the server, and you can enter text, name the file, and then save it.

Settings and cvars

The best source of information on the settings that can be included inside the server.cfg file is found at the Team Fortress 2 wiki: https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Dedicated_server_configuration

That webpage above has a section on the server.cfg , and also shows some example files. Their example included a LOT of custom settings, so if you aren’t sure what they do exactly, you might want to start with something simpler.

Inside the server.cfg , any line that starts with double slashes (// ), is a comment line. Nothing after the // will be read by the game, or acted on. This can be useful for leaving notes about why certain cvars have been added.

Where to put the file?

Move the completed server.cfg file to the /tf2/cfg directory on your server. It should automatically be read by the game on the next server startup.