server.properties explained
The most useful settings in server.properties: player limit, game mode, difficulty, PvP, view distance and more, and how to change them in the panel.
server.properties is the main settings file of a Minecraft Java server. You do not need to open it by hand: the Server settings tab shows every option with a description and a search box.
How to change a setting
Stop the server, open Server settings, find the option and save. Start the server again: Minecraft reads the file only at start, so a change made while it runs takes effect after the next restart. The server also rewrites the file when it stops, which can undo a change made while it was running, so it is safest to edit while it is off.
The settings people change most
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
motd | The text under the server name in the multiplayer list. Supports colour codes with §. |
max-players | Maximum players online at once. |
hide-online-players | Hides the list of online players in the server list. |
gamemode | Default game mode for new players: survival, creative, adventure or spectator. |
force-gamemode | Puts every player back in the default game mode when they join. |
difficulty | peaceful, easy, normal or hard. |
hardcore | Hardcore: hard difficulty and death means spectator mode. |
pvp | Whether players can hurt each other. |
allow-flight | Lets players fly in survival without being kicked. Turn it on if you use plugins or mods with jetpacks or gliding. |
spawn-protection | Radius in blocks around spawn that only operators can build in. 0 turns it off. |
enable-command-block | Allows command blocks. |
white-list | Lets only players on the whitelist join. |
online-mode | Checks accounts with Mojang. Leave it true unless you know you need cracked accounts, because false lets anyone join under any name. |
view-distance | How many chunks around each player the server sends. Lower values ease load on big servers. |
level-name | Name of the world folder. Changing it makes the server load or create a different world. |
level-seed | Seed for a new world. Only used when the world is generated, so it does nothing for an existing world. |
Server icon
The icon in the server list is not in server.properties. Upload a 64×64 PNG file named server-icon.png to the main server folder in Files and restart.
Common mistake
Changing level-seed on a running world does nothing. To use a new seed you need a new world: change the seed, then change level-name or delete the old world folder, and start the server.