Ban, Kick and Unban Players on a Minecraft Server
Kick, ban, IP-ban and unban (pardon) players on your Minecraft Java server from the panel console or in game, plus how it works on Bedrock.
4 min read · Updated Sep 23, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team
Minecraft Java has built-in commands to kick, ban and unban (pardon) players, and you can run all of them from the Console tab in your panel, even when you are not in game. This guide covers each command, where bans are stored, how to handle temporary bans, and what is different for Bedrock players and Bedrock servers.
Who can use these commands
In game, you need to be an operator (op) at permission level 3 or higher. See How to op yourself if you have not done that yet.
The Console tab always has full permission. Type commands there without the slash, for example ban Steve. In game chat, add the slash: /ban Steve. Using the console command box has more on the console.
The commands at a glance
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
kick <player> [reason] | Removes a player now. They can rejoin straight away. |
ban <player> [reason] | Bans a player's account. Works whether or not they are online. |
ban-ip <player or IP> [reason] | Bans an IP address, or the current IP of an online player. |
pardon <player> | Unbans a player's account. |
pardon-ip <IP> | Unbans an IP address. |
banlist | Lists every ban. Add players or ips to filter. |
The reason is optional, and everything after the name counts as the reason, so no quotation marks are needed.
Kick a player
kick Steve Stop spamming chat please
The player is disconnected and sees your reason on their screen. A kick is a warning shot, not a punishment that sticks.
Ban a player
ban Steve Griefing at spawn
Vanilla bans are stored against the player's account ID (UUID), not their name, so changing their username does not get them back in. Without a reason, the player sees Banned by an operator.
Ban an IP address
ban-ip Steve Alt accounts
ban-ip 203.0.113.25
Using a name only works while that player is online, because the server needs their current address. Be careful with IP bans:
- Everyone sharing that connection is banned too, such as family members or a whole school network.
- Many home and mobile connections change IP regularly, so the ban may not last.
- A VPN gets around it in seconds.
For most situations a normal ban is the better tool.
Unban (pardon) someone
pardon Steve
pardon-ip 203.0.113.25
pardon-ip only accepts an address, not a player name. Run banlist ips to find the exact address first.
Where bans are stored
Bans live in two files in the server root, which you can see on the Files tab:
banned-players.jsonfor account bansbanned-ips.jsonfor IP bans
Each entry looks like this:
{
"uuid": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
"name": "Steve",
"created": "2026-09-23 14:05:12 +0000",
"source": "Server",
"expires": "forever",
"reason": "Griefing at spawn"
}
The commands are safer than editing these files. If you do edit one by hand, stop the server first, because a running server rewrites the file and your change can be lost. A missing comma breaks the whole list.
Temporary bans
Vanilla Minecraft has no temporary ban command. Every ban lasts until you pardon it. On Paper, Purpur or Spigot, a moderation plugin adds one. EssentialsX, for example, provides:
tempban Steve 3d Cooling off
Plugins like this often replace ban and kick with their own versions, which work the same way but may add extras. See Installing plugins.
Bedrock players on a crossplay server
On a Geyser and Floodgate server, Bedrock players get a prefix on their name, a dot by default, so a Bedrock player called Steve appears as .Steve. Use the name exactly as it shows in chat or in list:
ban .Steve Griefing
Banning a Bedrock player while they are online is the most reliable way, since the server cannot look up a Bedrock name the way it looks up a Java one. Set up Geyser and Floodgate covers the prefix in more detail.
On a Bedrock Dedicated Server
Bedrock's own server software is more limited. It has kick:
kick Steve Stop griefing
but no ban command. To keep someone out for good, use the allowlist: add everyone you trust, turn it on, and leave the troublemaker off. Allowlist and whitelist explained walks through it without locking yourself out.
Setting default-player-permission-level=visitor also stops newcomers from building or breaking anything until you promote them. See Bedrock server.properties explained.
Prevention beats banning
If your server is only for friends, a whitelist stops strangers before they ever join. See Set up a Minecraft whitelist without locking yourself out. For public servers, Keeping griefers out covers permissions and land claim plugins, and What to do if your server was griefed helps if the damage is already done.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.
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