Skyrim console commands, item IDs and safe fixes

Skyrim’s developer console is powerful because it can act on the player, a selected reference, a quest or the world. It is also easy to misuse: player.additem needs a base ID, while moving or resurrecting an existing NPC needs that specific object’s reference ID.

This guide starts with safe, reversible commands and puts quest-changing commands last. Make a new manual save before changing a quest stage, faction, essential character or global variable.

Platform support and how to open the console

The console is available in the Windows PC versions of Skyrim, Skyrim Special Edition and Skyrim Anniversary Edition. Press the key below Esc, usually tilde or grave. Regional layouts may use apostrophe, section or another key in that physical position.

PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch do not expose the developer console. Creations and platform-approved mods are separate systems and do not make PC commands available.

Commands are not case sensitive. Brackets in this guide describe a value you replace; do not type the brackets.

The safest commands to learn first

Command	Result	Reversible?
tgm	Toggle god mode, unlimited health, magicka and stamina	Yes, enter again
tcl	Toggle collision and move through geometry	Yes, enter again
tfc	Toggle free camera	Yes, enter again
tfc 1	Free camera and freeze action	Yes, enter again
tm	Hide or show interface menus	Yes, but the console also becomes invisible
tcai	Toggle combat AI	Yes, enter again
tdetect	Toggle NPC detection	Yes, enter again
unlock	Unlock the selected door or container	Not automatically
fov 90	Set field of view to 90	Use fov 0 to reset
set timescale to 20	Set normal world-time scale	Change the number again

When using tcl, make sure no object is selected. If a reference ID appears at the top of the console, click empty space first. Otherwise the command may be directed at the selected object instead of the player state.

Gold, items, carry weight and levels

Goal	Command	Example or note
Add gold	player.additem 0000000f [amount]	player.additem 0000000f 5000
Add lockpicks	player.additem 0000000a [amount]	player.additem 0000000a 100
Add any item	player.additem [BaseID] [amount]	Requires the item’s base form ID
Remove an item	player.removeitem [BaseID] [amount]	Use with care on quest items
Change carry weight	player.modav carryweight [amount]	Adds the amount to the current value
Set carry weight	player.setav carryweight [value]	Replaces the actor value
Set player level	player.setlevel [level]	Does not automatically distribute perks
Add perk	player.addperk [PerkID]	Prerequisites are not always enforced cleanly
Remove perk	player.removeperk [PerkID]	Can leave dependent perks inconsistent
Add dragon souls	player.modav dragonsouls [amount]	Adds spendable souls

modav changes a value relative to its current state. setav replaces it. If you only want 100 more carry weight, use player.modav carryweight 100; setting carry weight to 100 could make the character weaker than before.

Finding item, NPC and quest IDs

Use the console itself instead of trusting an ID copied without context.

Need	Method
Search an item by name	help "ebony sword" 4
Search a quest by name	help "quest name" 4 and inspect QUST rows
Identify a visible NPC or object	Open the console and click it
Scroll search output	Page Up and Page Down
Clear the current target	Click empty space in the world

A base ID identifies the template used to create an object. A reference ID identifies one placed instance. player.additem expects the base ID; moveto player expects a selected or specified reference.

Anniversary Edition and Creation Club forms can begin with a load-order prefix that differs between installations. Search by name on the current installation rather than hardcoding someone else’s first two digits.

Skills, attributes and perk points

Goal	Command	Note
Add skill experience	player.advskill [skill] [amount]	Uses experience, not desired level
Set a skill value	player.setav [skill] [value]	Changes displayed actor value but may bypass leveling
Add perk points	cgf "Game.AddPerkPoints" [amount]	Special and Anniversary Edition
Set health	player.setav health [value]	Save first before lowering
Set stamina	player.setav stamina [value]	Replaces base actor value
Set magicka	player.setav magicka [value]	Replaces base actor value

Skill names mostly match the menu. Two common exceptions are marksman for Archery and speechcraft for Speech. Advancing a skill with experience follows the leveling system more naturally than forcing its actor value.

Travel and location commands

Command	Result
coc qasmoke	Move to the developer test cell containing item chests
coc Riverwood	Move to a named cell when the editor ID is known
cow Tamriel [x] [y]	Move to exterior world coordinates
player.moveto [RefID]	Move the player to an existing reference
moveto player	Move the selected reference to the player
coc Riverwood after qasmoke	A practical route back to the world

The test cell is not a normal store. Taking large numbers of quest, DLC or debug objects can bloat or destabilize a save. Use direct player.additem commands for the few items you actually need.

NPC and object commands

Open the console and click the target before using commands without an explicit ID.

Command	Effect	Risk
resurrect	Rebuild the selected dead actor	Can reset inventory or quest state
resurrect 1	Revive while retaining more state	Still unsafe for scripted deaths
disable	Hide and disable the selected reference	Use enable to reverse
enable	Re-enable a disabled reference	Requires the same reference
kill	Kill the selected actor	Essential actors may only kneel
resetai	Reset the selected actor’s AI	Useful for stuck behavior
recycleactor	Rebuild the selected actor	Can reset inventory, placement and quest state
setessential [BaseID] 1	Mark an actor essential	Uses base ID, not reference ID
setrelationshiprank player 4	Make selected NPC an ally	Does not create missing follower dialogue

Do not resurrect a character whose death is part of a completed quest. The actor may return visually while the quest remains in the post-death state.

Quest diagnosis before quest repair

Use read-only commands first:

Command	Purpose
sqt	Show active quest targets and quest IDs
showquesttargets	Show current quest target data
getstage [QuestID]	Display the current stage
sqs [QuestID]	Show stages and whether each has run
showquestvars [QuestID]	Show quest variables

Only after identifying the correct quest and stage should you consider:

Command	Purpose	Warning
setstage [QuestID] [Stage]	Run a specific quest stage	Can skip scripts attached to earlier stages
resetquest [QuestID]	Reset quest state	Often leaves world objects inconsistent
completequest [QuestID]	Mark a quest complete	May not grant rewards or run cleanup
caqs	Attempt to complete every quest	Do not use on a real save

caqs is frequently listed as a convenient finish-game command. It is better understood as a destructive test command: it attempts to fire stages across unrelated and mutually exclusive quests, often creating a broken save.

Do console commands disable achievements?

Bethesda support warns that developer-console mode can interfere with Steam achievements. The cautious workflow is to make a manual save, use commands in a separate session, close Skyrim completely, restart, and load the clean save before achievement play.

Mods have a separate and clearer rule: Bethesda states that a save with mods enabled cannot earn achievements or trophies without an unsupported workaround.

Common reasons commands fail

• The wrong object is selected.
• A base ID was used where a reference ID is required, or the reverse.
• A Creation Club form has a different load-order prefix.
• Brackets were typed literally.
• A quest command used the displayed journal title instead of the internal quest ID.
• The console key differs because of the keyboard layout.
• The player is on console hardware, where the developer console does not exist.

For related Creation Engine syntax, continue to Fallout 4 console commands. For a game with official platform cheats rather than a developer console, see Red Dead Redemption 2 cheats.

How this guide was reviewed

Command syntax was checked against the UESP console reference and a current Special and Anniversary Edition guide. Achievement wording follows Bethesda support rather than assuming that every command has identical persistence across launchers and builds.