Settings: MOTD, difficulty and game mode

The Settings tab

The game's own settings sit in clear fields, and we write them into server.properties in the right format for you, so you never need to open the file.

Change what you want, then pick:

• Apply: the values are saved and apply at the next restart.
• Apply and restart: the values are saved and we restart your server right away, so they apply now.

The fields

• MOTD (motd): the text players see under your server's name in the server list, up to 59 characters.
• Max players (max-players): 1 to 200. Raising it doesn't add RAM, so pick a number that fits your plan.
• Game mode (gamemode): Survival, Creative, Adventure or Spectator. It applies to players joining for the first time; see the next section.
• Difficulty (difficulty): Peaceful, Easy, Normal or Hard.
• Hardcore (hardcore): one life per player, a player who dies becomes a spectator, and difficulty stays on Hard whatever you pick in the Difficulty field or the Gameplay tab. It applies to worlds created after you turn it on, so create one in the Worlds tab with Create world, then restart your server. For a world you already have, use Set hardcore in the Worlds tab.
• PvP (pvp): when it's off, players can't hurt each other.
• Online mode (online-mode): checks that every player joins with a genuine Minecraft account.
• Whitelist (white-list): when it's on, only players you add can join.
• View distance (view-distance): 3 to 32. The higher it is, the farther players see, and the more CPU and RAM it costs.
• Simulation distance (simulation-distance): 3 to 32. It's how far from each player mobs move and crops grow.
• Spawn protection (spawn-protection): 0 to 256. It's the number of blocks around spawn where only admins can break or build. Set it to 0 to turn the protection off.
• World seed (level-seed): leave it empty for a random world. Changing it doesn't touch an existing world. Only a new world uses it.
• Allow flight (allow-flight): it doesn't give anyone flight. It stops the server from kicking players who fly in Survival with a mod or a plugin. Turn it on if something on your server gives flight.
• Command blocks (enable-command-block): lets command blocks run in your world.

Game mode for existing players

The Game mode field in Settings is the default for players joining for the first time. It doesn't change players who joined before. To change one player's mode while they're online, open the Players tab and press Change game mode on their row.

Or type the command in the console, without the /:

gamemode creative PlayerName

Instant changes from the Gameplay tab

The Gameplay tab has buttons that run right away on your running server, with nothing to apply and no restart:

• World controls: set day or night, clear weather, rain or thunder, save the world, and change the difficulty.
• Broadcast: a chat message, or a message on screen, for everyone who is on the server right now.

Other settings in the file

server.properties has more settings than the tab shows. Open it from the Files tab, change the line you want and save, then restart your server.