Sometimes, you may get the message “You are not authorized to pilot this ship” when trying to fly a spaceship in Starfield. This issue can be a nuisance if you don’t know how to deal with it. It is not a bug and can have multiple reasons for displaying this message, all with different solutions.
The possible reasons for getting this error message in Starfield are below, along with their solutions.
Inadequate Credentials and Permissions
For some ships in the game, you may need specific licenses and certifications to pilot them. These documents are necessary as you cannot access the ship’s controls without them.
It would be best to get the missing credentials to Pilot the ship. Getting such credentials may require talking with relevant authorities.
You will also sometimes require permission from the relevant space station or larger battlecruiser to even board these ships.
Lack of Training and Piloting Skills
When you first start your adventure in Starfield, you will only be able to access lower-level class A ships. To get access to the high-tech class C cruisers you will need to upgrade your skills as well.
Chances are the “Not Authorized to Pilot” message is because your piloting skill is too low level. Make sure to spare some skill points for the Pilot skill under the Tech skill tree.
For Class B, you need to rank it up to 3, while Class C requires a level 4 Pilot skill. Remember that you may need to progress to a specific point to unlock these skills in Starfield.
The ship has not been registered
Only the individual who has direct ownership of the spaceship can pilot it. The ship’s owner can lock it, preventing you from piloting it. Only claiming ship ownership will allow you to pilot it in Starfield.
To get the Ownership of a ship, you need to visit a spaceport technician. You have to register that stolen ship as your own. Doing so will make it available on the spaceport as your ship.
Factional Disputes
If a ship belongs to a faction that does not want you to pilot it, it can do so by preventing authorization of said ship. Your past actions or reputation may cause this behavior by certain factions in Starfield.
You can gain access to the ship by befriending the faction that owns it. You can progress through their questline or use persuasion skills depending on the situation.
Previous crew mates are still alive
While taking over or stealing ships, you need to take out its previous members. If you have cleared the inside and still see the message, chances are there are other nearby enemy ships or some crew members are still alive.
For the enemy ships, simply take out everyone in the vicinity. For the hidden crew members, kill the current members and visit another planet of the same system. Then return to the ship you want and the remaining crew will be visible. Eliminate them all to remove the Unauthorized message.
The ship is not in the right location
For some reason, certain ships can only be taken under specific conditions. The ships you encounter normally can differ from the ones being operated by bounty hunters if you have the Wanted Trait.
One of them is the Ecliptic Cutlass, which can only be taken in orbit if bounty hunters are controlling it. Trying to pilot it on land will show the “Not authorized to Pilot” error notification. If it is controlled by anyone else, like the Ecliptic, it can be taken while on the ground.
Use console command
You will come across some ships in Starfield that will have a pilot in them but you will still see the “You are not authorized to pilot this ship” message, no matter what you do.
You can access ships like these, and any other ship in the game except quest ships, using console commands. To do so, simply move your cursor to the pilot seat and open your console. Find the FURN number and copy it.
If there are multiple FURN numbers then try against all of them to get the one that works. Then use the following command to get access to it:
CallFunction”ObjectReference.BlockActivation” False False
