Minecraft server.properties Generator
Change the settings you care about and download a complete server.properties file for your Java Edition server. Hover or tap the ⓘ next to a setting to see what it does.
Players & game (13)
Text under the server name in the server list. Use the MOTD generator for colors.
How many players can be online at once.
Game mode for joining players.
Mob damage, hunger and poison.
Radius around spawn that only operators can build in. 0 turns it off.
Kick players who are idle this many minutes. 0 never kicks.
Pause the world this many seconds after the last player leaves.
World (8)
World folder name. A new world is created if it doesn’t exist.
World seed. Empty means random. Only used when the world is created.
World type, used when the world is created.
World border radius in blocks.
Advanced world generation settings (JSON).
Data packs switched on when the world is created.
Data packs switched off when the world is created.
Performance (9)
How many chunks are sent to players (3–32). Lower = less RAM and bandwidth.
How many chunks around players are ticked (3–32). Lower = less lag.
How far away entities are shown, in % of normal (10–1000).
Compress packets bigger than this many bytes. -1 turns compression off.
Stop the server if one tick takes longer than this many ms. -1 turns the watchdog off.
How world region files are compressed.
Limit on chained block updates, which protects against redstone lockups.
Network (9)
Port the server listens on. On a game host, the panel sets this.
Bind to one local IP. Leave empty unless you know you need it.
Kick players who send more packets than this per second. 0 = off.
Resource pack (5)
Download link of a server resource pack (direct link to a .zip).
SHA-1 of the pack, so players re-download it only when it changes.
Unique ID (UUID) of the pack.
Custom message on the pack prompt (JSON text).
Admin, RCON & query (10)
Permission level for new operators.
Permission level data pack functions run at.
RCON port.
RCON password. RCON won’t start without one.
Query port (UDP).
Chat (6)
Chat spam protection budget. 0 turns it off.
Command spam protection budget. 0 turns it off.
Link shown for bug reports.
Chat filtering settings (used by Realms).
Format version for the setting above.
Management API (advanced) (9)
Address the management API listens on.
Management API port. 0 picks a random port.
Access token. Left empty, the server creates one on first start.
Browser origins allowed to use the API.
Path to the TLS keystore (PKCS12).
Keystore password.
How often the API sends heartbeats. 0 = off.
What is server.properties?
server.properties is the main settings file of a Minecraft Java Edition server. It sits in the server’s main folder next to the jar and is created the first time the server starts. Each line is one setting, written as key=value. The server reads it only when it starts, so restart after you change it.
This generator lists every setting of a current Java Edition server (26.x), grouped so you can find the ones you need. The starting values are the ones a fresh 26.3 server writes. Change what you want, then download the file and upload it to your server, replacing the old one. On a hosted server, you can also paste the settings into the panel’s config editor.
The settings most people change
| Setting | Why change it |
|---|---|
motd | Your message in the server list. Design a colored one with the MOTD generator. |
white-list | Keep strangers out of a private server. Add friends with /whitelist add <name>. New servers on 26.3 and later have it switched on by default, so turn it off for a public server. |
difficulty, gamemode, hardcore | Set how the game plays for everyone. |
view-distance, simulation-distance | The two biggest levers for lag and RAM. 6–8 is a good balance on busy servers. |
max-players | Limit how many can join, to match your plan’s RAM. See the RAM calculator. |
level-seed, level-type | Choose the world before it’s generated. They don’t change an existing world. |
spawn-protection | Set to 0 if you want everyone to be able to build at spawn. |
Settings that moved to game rules
Older guides mention pvp, spawn-monsters, allow-nether and enable-command-block. Recent versions moved these to game rules, so they’re no longer in the file. Change them in game with /gamerule, or with the equivalent setting in your server software.
Safety tips
- Keep
online-mode=trueunless your server sits behind a proxy that checks accounts. With it off, anyone can join with any name, including yours. - If you switch on RCON, use a long random password and don’t open its port to the internet unless you have to.
- Back up
server.propertiesand your world before changing world settings.
Frequently asked questions
Where is server.properties?
In the main folder of your server, next to the server jar. It’s created the first time the server starts. On a hosted server, open it in the control panel’s file manager or config editor.
Do I need to restart after changing server.properties?
Yes. The server reads the file when it starts, so save it and restart for changes to take effect.
What view distance should I use?
The default is 10 chunks. Lowering view-distance and simulation-distance to 6–8 is one of the most effective ways to reduce lag and RAM use on busy servers.
Why can’t I find pvp or spawn-monsters?
Recent Java Edition versions moved some old settings, including pvp and spawn-monsters, to game rules. Change those with the /gamerule command in game instead.
Should online-mode be true?
Yes. online-mode checks every player’s Minecraft account. Turning it off lets anyone join with any name, so only do that behind a proxy (BungeeCord or Velocity) that checks accounts itself.