Editing server.properties: Key Minecraft Settings Explained

The server.properties file is the main settings file for your Minecraft Java server, and editing it lets you control everything from the world seed to the max player count and PvP.

3 min read · Updated Sep 24, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

Where to find server.properties

The easiest way to change it is the Server properties page. Open your server, and in the server menu under Minecraft tools, click Server properties. It shows the file as a form, grouped into sections such as The basics, Who can join, World and Performance, with a search box to find a setting by name. Anything we do not have a friendlier control for is listed further down as plain text, exactly as your server writes it.

A few settings are shown with a lock, for example server-port. GuavaHost sets these for you from your Ports & network or Startup settings and rewrites them every time the server starts, so change them there instead.

You can also edit the file itself. server.properties sits in the root folder of your server: open the Files tab and it is listed at the top level, in the same place as your world folder and any plugins or mods folders. Click the file name to open the built-in editor, make your change, and press Save.

Most settings only take effect after a restart, and a few (like the world seed) only apply when a brand new world is generated. To be safe, stop the server before editing, then start it again afterwards.

The settings you will change most

Each line is a setting followed by = and its value. These are the ones people edit most often:

• gamemode - the default mode for new players: survival, creative, adventure or spectator.
• difficulty - peaceful, easy, normal or hard.
• max-players - how many players can be online at once.
• motd - the message shown under your server name in the multiplayer list.
• pvp - true lets players damage each other, false turns it off.
• view-distance - how many chunks load around each player. Lower it (for example 8) to reduce lag on busy servers.
• simulation-distance - how far mobs, crops and redstone actually tick. Lowering this helps performance a lot.
• level-seed - the seed for a new world. Leave it blank for random.
• level-name - the folder name of the world to load. Change this to swap between saved worlds.
• spawn-protection - the radius in blocks around spawn that only ops can build in. Set 0 to disable.
• white-list - true turns on the whitelist (add yourself first, see our whitelist guide).
• online-mode - keep this true. It verifies players against Mojang. Setting it false allows cracked clients and is a security risk.

How to edit it safely

1. Open the Backups page and take a snapshot first, so you can roll back if something breaks.
2. Stop the server with the Stop button at the top of the page (or type stop in the Console and press Enter).
3. Open Server properties under Minecraft tools.
4. Change the value. For a setting in the plain text list, type the value only: no spaces around it and no quotes.
5. Click Save changes.
6. Start the server and check the Console log for errors.

If you edit server.properties on the Files tab instead, change the value after the = sign with no spaces around it and no quotes, then press Save.

A few gotchas

Values are case sensitive and boolean settings must be exactly true or false. If a change seems ignored, you probably need a full restart. And remember level-seed will not reseed an existing world; you have to generate a new one or change level-name to a fresh folder.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

• server.properties
• configuration
• minecraft
• java

Host a Minecraft Java server From $3.99/mo, with instant setup and DDoS protection.

Still need help? Our team is online 24/7 to answer questions.

Contact support