Understanding server.properties

The server.properties file is the main configuration file for any vanilla Minecraft server (and software built on it, like Spigot and Paper). It's a plain text file found in the root of your server folder, and it controls core settings like difficulty, PvP, and the world seed.

Each line follows a simple key=value format. Edit the value on the right of the = sign, save the file, and restart your server for the changes to take effect, as most of these settings are only read on startup.

Commonly Changed Properties

Property	What it does
motd	The message shown under your server name in the multiplayer list.
difficulty	World difficulty: peaceful, easy, normal, or hard.
gamemode	Default gamemode for new players: survival, creative, adventure, or spectator.
pvp	Set to false to disable player-versus-player combat.
max-players	The maximum number of players allowed online at once.
view-distance	How many chunks the server sends to players. Higher values increase load.
simulation-distance	How many chunks around a player stay actively ticking (mobs, redstone, crops).
white-list	Set to true to restrict who can join to your whitelist.
online-mode	Verifies players against Mojang's servers. Leave true unless running behind a proxy.
spawn-protection	Radius (in blocks) around spawn that only operators can build in.
level-seed	The seed used to generate the world. Only applies when the world is first created.
level-name	The folder name of the world the server loads.
enable-command-block	Set to true to allow command blocks to run.

tip

Only change one or two settings at a time. If your server stops behaving as expected, it's much easier to work out which setting caused it.