Questing for Skyrim console commands to help explore the land of the Nords? You may dream of Bleak Falls Barrow each night, but have you shapechanged into a giant to stomp around Whiterun while screaming townsfolk scurry underfoot? Have you leapt into the skies and flown from Riften to Winterhold just to take in the view of a freshly created aurora? Have you masterfully crafted a personal throne out of thousands of wheels of cheese, or just spread holiday cheer as Skyrim's very own Santa Claus?
Skyrim console commands make all of these shenanigans ready to go at your fingertips. There are also everyday useful cheats for the more practical sort, like invincibility, quick levels for annoying skills, or easy shortcuts into locked treasure chests when you've broken the last of your picks. All good thieves are experienced at bending the rules from time to time, after all.
For additional ways to change, improve, and break Skyrim, try our list of Skyrim Special Edition mods, best Skyrim mods for the original edition, and mods for playing Skyrim as another character.
Otherwise, here's how to use console commands in Skyrim, along with detailed cheats broken up by their general function (like commands for quests, players, or the ability to toggle).
How to use Skyrim console commands
How to enable Skyrim console commands
To enable the console, just hit the tilde (~) key and enter one of the appropriate codes, which are listed below. You can turn on more than one in a row, so you can become invincible, fly, and teleport all at the same time.
Fallout 4 cheats: Nuclear codes
Minecraft commands: Unblocked
RDR2 cheats: Most wanted
GTA 5 cheats: Phone it in
The Sims 4 cheats: Life hacks
Ark cheats: Expedited evolution
The Skyrim console is pretty straightforward for folks who've played around with similar cheats. It has a few rules to follow, but when typing in commands, you don't have to worry about case sensitivity. You'll mostly just want to understand the types of cheat variables, like the target, numerical value, or if there's an on/off toggle.
Be warned, some of these console commands may cause glitches, problems, or crashes, so it's definitely worth saving your game first. You don't want to make some change and get stuck with it.
Targeting for reference codes in Skyrim
Many of these console commands require specifying an NPC or item or place with a reference number. If you're identifying an item or NPC in front of you, click on them with the console open to get their code immediately. Otherwise, here's a quick cheat sheet of reference pages where you can find those codes. Remember, CTRL+F is your friend!
Most useful Skyrim console commands
Most useful Skyrim console commands
While we've listed the full range of Skyrim's console commands further below, these commands are probably the ones you're looking for if you're in need of some quick Skyrim cheat codes.
Toggled Skyrim console commands
Toggled Skyrim console commands
Toggle commands for Skyrim turn various game features off or on. You can turn off the UI for taking great screenshots or turn off detection from NPCs to make yourself the perfect thief.
Skyrim player console commands
Skyrim player console commands
Skyrim player cheats can set different values for your Dragonborn. You can change your level, your face, your carry weight, and a bunch of other things. For commands that require an item or NPC ID, check our linked lists above.
Targeted Skyrim console commands
Targeted Skyrim console commands
Targeted Skyrim commands will have an effect on an NPC or item that you select. They're perfect for unlocking chests, instakilling enemies, and bringing them back to life again.
Quest-related Skyrim console commands
Quest-related Skyrim console commands
Skyrim quest commands can help you get around bugged issues in quests by automatically getting yourself to the next quest state or just let you cheat by moving directly to your next objective.
Other Skyrim console commands
Other Skyrim console commands
These are all of the odds and ends of Skyrim console commands. Do make sure you try out that secret developer room with all the toys.