Free tool
Minecraft server.properties generator for Java
Checked against the Minecraft Wiki key list for Java 26.3 and a Paper 26.2 file on . Sources: Minecraft Wiki: server.properties and Minecraft Wiki: game rules.
Starting points (ours)
A preset changes only the settings it lists; everything else stays as you set it.
World
level-name
The name of the world folder the server saves to; change it to start a brand-new world.
Default: world · Text
level-seed
A number or word that decides how the world is generated; leave it empty for a random world.
Default: (empty) · Text
level-type
The kind of world to generate, and it only matters when a world is first created.
Default: minecraft:normal
generate-structures
Whether villages, temples and other buildings appear in new parts of the world.
Default: on
max-world-size
How far from the centre the world border is allowed to stretch, in blocks.
Default: 29999984 · 1 to 29,999,984
spawn-protection
The radius in blocks around the world spawn where only operators can build; 0 turns it off.
Default: 16 · 0 or more
Players
max-players
How many players can be on the server at the same time.
Default: 20 · 0 or more; usually up to 100
white-list
When this is on, only players on the whitelist can join. It is on by default from Minecraft 26.3 and off before that. Add a friend with whitelist add <name> in the console.
Default: on
enforce-whitelist
Kicks players missing from the whitelist as soon as the whitelist changes.
Default: off
online-mode
Checks every player against Minecraft's account servers so nobody can pretend to be someone else.
Default: on
gamemode
The game mode that new players start in.
Default: survival
force-gamemode
Puts players back into the default game mode every time they join.
Default: off
allow-flight
Lets players fly in survival mode with mods; without it, anyone who floats too long is kicked.
Default: off
player-idle-timeout
Minutes a player can do nothing before being kicked; 0 means never.
Default: 0 · 0 or more
hide-online-players
Hides the names of who is online in the server list.
Default: off
enforce-secure-profile
Only lets players with a Mojang-signed chat key join; turn it off if plugins change chat messages.
Default: on
Difficulty & rates
difficulty
How hard the game is: peaceful has no monsters and hard has the toughest ones.
Default: easy
hardcore
Players are put into spectator mode when they die, and the game is always on hard. Only a new world can be made hardcore; an existing world keeps its own setting.
Default: off
Network
motd
The text shown under the server name in the multiplayer list.
Default: A Minecraft Server · Text
server-port
The port that players connect to; the usual one is 25565.
Default: 25565 · 1 to 65,534
enable-query
Turns on a small extra service that tools and websites use to read server info.
Default: off
query.port
The port the query service listens on.
Default: 25565 · 1 to 65,534
Admin
enable-rcon
Lets you send commands to the server from outside the game, using a password.
Default: off
rcon.port
The port that RCON listens on.
Default: 25575 · 1 to 65,534
rcon.password
The password needed to use RCON, so keep it long and secret.
Default: (empty) · Text
op-permission-level
How much power operators have, from 0 (none) to 4 (everything).
Default: 4 · 0 to 4
Performance
view-distance
How many chunks around each player the server sends; higher looks better but costs more CPU and bandwidth.
Default: 10 · 3 to 32; usually up to 16
simulation-distance
How many chunks around each player stay active, so mobs move and crops grow.
Default: 10 · 3 to 32; usually up to 12
pause-when-empty-seconds
Seconds with nobody online before the server pauses the world to save CPU; 0 or less means it never pauses.
Default: 60 · A whole number
Resource pack
resource-pack
A direct download link for a resource pack that players are offered when they join.
Default: (empty) · Text
resource-pack-prompt
A message shown to players when they are asked to accept the pack.
Default: (empty) · Text
require-resource-pack
Kicks players who refuse the resource pack.
Default: off
Reference
Every setting in server.properties
All 69 settings this tool knows, with the default each one starts at and the values it takes. Advanced settings are included; in the editor they sit behind the Advanced switch.
World
| Setting | Default | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
level-nameWorld name | Defaultworld | ValuesText | What it doesThe name of the world folder the server saves to; change it to start a brand-new world. |
level-seedWorld seed | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesA number or word that decides how the world is generated; leave it empty for a random world. |
level-typeWorld type | Defaultminecraft:normal | Valuesminecraft:normal (Normal), minecraft:flat (Superflat), minecraft:large_biomes (Large biomes), minecraft:amplified (Amplified), minecraft:single_biome_surface (Single biome) | What it doesThe kind of world to generate, and it only matters when a world is first created. |
generator-settingsGenerator settings · advanced | Default{} | ValuesText | What it doesExtra settings for a custom world type, written as JSON; leave it as {} unless you know you need it. |
generate-structuresGenerate structures | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesWhether villages, temples and other buildings appear in new parts of the world. |
max-world-sizeMaximum world size | Default29999984 | Values1 to 29,999,984 | What it doesHow far from the centre the world border is allowed to stretch, in blocks. |
spawn-protectionSpawn protection | Default16 | Values0 or more | What it doesThe radius in blocks around the world spawn where only operators can build; 0 turns it off. |
initial-enabled-packsEnabled data packs · advanced | Defaultvanilla | ValuesText | What it doesData packs that are switched on when a new world is created, separated by commas. |
initial-disabled-packsDisabled data packs · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesData packs that are left off when a new world is created, separated by commas. |
Players
| Setting | Default | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
max-playersMaximum players | Default20 | Values0 or more; usually up to 100 | What it doesHow many players can be on the server at the same time. |
white-listWhitelist | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesWhen this is on, only players on the whitelist can join. It is on by default from Minecraft 26.3 and off before that. Add a friend with whitelist add <name> in the console. |
enforce-whitelistEnforce whitelist | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesKicks players missing from the whitelist as soon as the whitelist changes. |
online-modeVerify accounts | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesChecks every player against Minecraft's account servers so nobody can pretend to be someone else. |
gamemodeDefault game mode | Defaultsurvival | Valuessurvival (Survival), creative (Creative), adventure (Adventure), spectator (Spectator) | What it doesThe game mode that new players start in. |
force-gamemodeForce game mode | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesPuts players back into the default game mode every time they join. |
allow-flightAllow flying | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesLets players fly in survival mode with mods; without it, anyone who floats too long is kicked. |
player-idle-timeoutIdle kick timer | Default0 | Values0 or more | What it doesMinutes a player can do nothing before being kicked; 0 means never. |
hide-online-playersHide player list | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesHides the names of who is online in the server list. |
enforce-secure-profileRequire signed chat | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesOnly lets players with a Mojang-signed chat key join; turn it off if plugins change chat messages. |
accepts-transfersAccept transfers · advanced | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesLets other servers send their players over to this one. |
enable-code-of-conductCode of conduct · advanced | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesShows joining players your server's code of conduct before they play. |
chat-spam-threshold-secondsChat spam limit · advanced | Default10 | ValuesA whole number | What it doesTunes how quickly players are kicked for chat spam; leave it at 10 unless normal chatting gets people kicked, and 0 turns the kick off. |
command-spam-threshold-secondsCommand spam limit · advanced | Default10 | ValuesA whole number | What it doesTunes how quickly players are kicked for spamming commands; leave it at 10 unless normal play gets people kicked, and 0 turns the kick off. |
Difficulty & rates
| Setting | Default | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
difficultyDifficulty | Defaulteasy | Valuespeaceful (Peaceful), easy (Easy), normal (Normal), hard (Hard) | What it doesHow hard the game is: peaceful has no monsters and hard has the toughest ones. |
hardcoreHardcore | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesPlayers are put into spectator mode when they die, and the game is always on hard. Only a new world can be made hardcore; an existing world keeps its own setting. |
Network
| Setting | Default | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
motdServer message (MOTD) | DefaultA Minecraft Server | ValuesText | What it doesThe text shown under the server name in the multiplayer list. |
server-ipServer IP · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesThe address the server listens on; leave it empty unless you need a specific one. |
server-portServer port | Default25565 | Values1 to 65,534 | What it doesThe port that players connect to; the usual one is 25565. |
enable-statusShow in server list · advanced | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesLets the server answer pings so it shows as online in the multiplayer list. |
enable-queryEnable query | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesTurns on a small extra service that tools and websites use to read server info. |
query.portQuery port | Default25565 | Values1 to 65,534 | What it doesThe port the query service listens on. |
network-compression-thresholdCompression threshold · advanced | Default256 | Values-1 or more | What it doesPackets bigger than this many bytes get squeezed to save bandwidth; -1 turns compression off. |
use-native-transportUse native networking · advanced | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesUses faster Linux-specific networking when it is available. |
prevent-proxy-connectionsBlock proxy connections · advanced | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesKicks players whose connection looks like it comes through a VPN or proxy. |
rate-limitPacket rate limit · advanced | Default0 | Values0 or more | What it doesKicks players who send more than this many packets per second; 0 means no limit. |
Admin
| Setting | Default | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
enable-rconEnable RCON | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesLets you send commands to the server from outside the game, using a password. |
rcon.portRCON port | Default25575 | Values1 to 65,534 | What it doesThe port that RCON listens on. |
rcon.passwordRCON password | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesThe password needed to use RCON, so keep it long and secret. |
enable-jmx-monitoringEnable JMX monitoring · advanced | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesShares Java performance numbers with monitoring tools. |
op-permission-levelOperator permission level | Default4 | Values0 to 4 | What it doesHow much power operators have, from 0 (none) to 4 (everything). |
function-permission-levelFunction permission level · advanced | Default2 | Values1 to 4 | What it doesThe permission level that data-pack functions run with, from 1 to 4. |
log-ipsLog player IPs · advanced | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesWrites players' IP addresses to the server log when they join. |
broadcast-console-to-opsShow console commands to ops · advanced | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesTells operators about commands that are run from the server console. |
broadcast-rcon-to-opsShow RCON commands to ops · advanced | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesTells operators about commands that are run through RCON. |
text-filtering-configText filter config · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesThe location of a chat-filtering service's settings, which almost nobody needs. |
text-filtering-versionText filter version · advanced | Default0 | Values0 to 1 | What it doesThe version of the chat-filtering service, 0 or 1; leave it at 0 unless you run that service. |
bug-report-linkBug report link · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesA web address shown on the connection-lost screen so players know where to report problems. |
Management API
| Setting | Default | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
management-server-enabledManagement API · advanced | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesTurns on Minecraft's built-in management API, which lets outside tools control the server over a WebSocket. |
management-server-hostManagement API address · advanced | Defaultlocalhost | ValuesText | What it doesThe address the management API listens on; localhost keeps it private to the machine. |
management-server-portManagement API port · advanced | Default0 | Values0 to 65,535 | What it doesThe port the management API listens on; 0 lets the server choose. |
management-server-secretManagement API secret · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesThe secret key tools must send to use the management API; the server makes one for you. |
management-server-allowed-originsAllowed websites · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesWebsites allowed to connect to the management API from a browser, separated by commas. |
management-server-tls-enabledManagement API TLS · advanced | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesEncrypts connections to the management API. |
management-server-tls-keystoreTLS keystore · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesThe keystore file that holds the management API's TLS certificate. |
management-server-tls-keystore-passwordTLS keystore password · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesThe password for that keystore file. |
status-heartbeat-intervalStatus heartbeat · advanced | Default0 | Values0 or more | What it doesSeconds between status updates sent to management API tools; 0 turns them off. |
Performance
| Setting | Default | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
view-distanceView distance | Default10 | Values3 to 32; usually up to 16 | What it doesHow many chunks around each player the server sends; higher looks better but costs more CPU and bandwidth. |
simulation-distanceSimulation distance | Default10 | Values3 to 32; usually up to 12 | What it doesHow many chunks around each player stay active, so mobs move and crops grow. |
entity-broadcast-range-percentageMob render range · advanced | Default100 | Values10 to 1,000 | What it doesHow far away players can see mobs, as a percentage of the normal range. |
max-tick-timeWatchdog timeout · advanced | Default60000 | Values-1 or more | What it doesMilliseconds one game tick can take before the server is stopped as stuck; -1 turns the watchdog off. |
max-chained-neighbor-updatesNeighbor update limit · advanced | Default1000000 | ValuesA whole number | What it doesCaps how many block updates can chain together at once, which stops lag machines. |
pause-when-empty-secondsPause when empty | Default60 | ValuesA whole number | What it doesSeconds with nobody online before the server pauses the world to save CPU; 0 or less means it never pauses. |
sync-chunk-writesSafe chunk saving · advanced | Defaulton | ValuesOn or off | What it doesWrites world data to disk straight away so a crash can't lose it, at a small speed cost. |
region-file-compressionWorld compression · advanced | Defaultdeflate | Valuesdeflate (Deflate), lz4 (LZ4 (faster)), none (None (biggest files)) | What it doesHow world files are squeezed on disk. |
Resource pack
| Setting | Default | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
resource-packResource pack URL | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesA direct download link for a resource pack that players are offered when they join. |
resource-pack-idResource pack ID · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesA unique ID (a UUID) that lets players' games tell packs apart. |
resource-pack-sha1Resource pack checksum · advanced | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesA SHA-1 fingerprint of the pack file so players' games can check the download. |
resource-pack-promptResource pack message | Default(empty) | ValuesText | What it doesA message shown to players when they are asked to accept the pack. |
require-resource-packRequire resource pack | Defaultoff | ValuesOn or off | What it doesKicks players who refuse the resource pack. |
Questions
Questions and answers.
- Where is server.properties?
- In the server's own folder, next to the server jar. The server writes it the first time it starts, so start it once before you look for it.
- Is the whitelist on by default?
- From Minecraft 26.3, yes: a new server.properties has white-list=true. Before 26.3 it was off. This tool always writes the white-list line, so your file says which way it is whatever the version.
- Why do pvp and spawn-monsters do nothing any more?
- Minecraft 26.2, the version we checked, reads pvp, spawn-monsters, allow-nether and enable-command-block as game rules, not from server.properties. Import a file that has them and the tool keeps the lines and tells you which game rule to set instead.
- Does my file get sent anywhere?
- No. The tool runs in your browser. Copy link puts your changes after a # in the address, which browsers never send to a website, and it always leaves passwords out.