Most basic server options live in server.properties. To edit it:
- Stop the server (changes made while it runs can be overwritten).
- Open the Files tab and click
server.properties. - Change the line you need, save, and start the server again.
Popular settings
| Setting | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
difficulty | peaceful, easy, normal or hard | difficulty=hard |
gamemode | Default mode for new players: survival, creative, adventure, spectator | gamemode=survival |
force-gamemode | If true, players are set to the default gamemode on every join | force-gamemode=true |
pvp | Whether players can damage each other | pvp=false |
allow-flight | Stops the server from kicking players for flying (needed for some mods and plugins) | allow-flight=true |
view-distance | How many chunks players can see (range 3 to 32, default 10) | view-distance=8 |
simulation-distance | How far from a player the world is actively updated | simulation-distance=6 |
max-players | Player slot limit | max-players=20 |
motd | The text shown in the server list | see MOTD |
white-list | Only allow listed players | see Whitelist |
online-mode | Verify accounts with Mojang | see Online Mode |
level-seed | Seed for new worlds | see Change Your World Seed |
enable-command-block | Allow command blocks on older versions | see Command Blocks |
Lower view-distance and simulation-distance are the easiest ways to cut lag. Values of 6 to 8 are plenty for most servers.
Changing things without restarting
Difficulty and gamemode can also be changed in-game with /difficulty and /gamemode. Changes to server.properties itself need a restart.
Allow-flight only matters in survival. Anti-cheats usually need to be told separately that flying is allowed for certain ranks.
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