How to Open and Use the Console in EU4

Europa Universalis IV is great game - it has lots of replayability due to the infinite number of outcomes, storylines, etc. Another thing that makes EU4 great is its ability to be modded, and its awesome console command system.

Console commands are simply words (commands) that you type into the console, they're sometimes called cheats or codes. A console is a window in EU4 that you can type text into, and sends you messages back. Here's a picture:

(Yes! It's really that simple!)

How to Open the Console

Opening the console is as simple as pressing a hotkey! The hotkey to open the console varies based on your keyboard layout and langage, but the most common are (the first should work, but try the others if it doesn't):

• ` (grave)
• ~ (tilde)
• SHIFT + 2
• SHIFT + 3
• ALT + 2 + 1

If none of the above work, go to the options menu in EU4 and check the controls/keyboard settings to find the console key.

To send commands to the console, all you have to do is type them into the text box and hit your ENTER key.

What is an argument?

An argument is a "parameter", or piece of data you pass to a command. In the command tag ENG, 'ENG' is an argument. On EU4Cheats.com, you can find detailed explanation for each and every argument a command has on its own command page (e.g. the tag command).

How to Find IDs for Countries, Provinces, etc

When searching our commands list you'll often see the mention of "IDs" - these are also called "keys" or "codes". IDs are simily identifiers for different things in the game - they tell commands what "thing" to target.

The debug_mode command (called tdebug in games like Hearts of Iron IV) will show province IDs, country tags, border distances and more useful information when you hover over them in the map. To use the debug_mode command, all you have to do is open the console, type debug_mode and hit enter!

For other IDs, we have compiled lists on this website, see the following links:

• Country Tags List
• Province ID List
• Idea Group Keys / IDs
• Casus Belli IDs