The server.properties file contains the core settings of your Minecraft server. Each line is a setting with a value. Here are the most important options explained.
Connection and network
- server-port=25565 - The port the server listens on. Only change this if you run multiple servers on the same IP.
- server-ip= - Leave empty unless you want to bind to a specific network interface.
- online-mode=true - Verifies players through Mojang. Only set to false if you use Geyser or an offline setup.
- max-players=20 - Maximum concurrent players.
- network-compression-threshold=256 - Packets larger than this byte count are compressed. Lower to 128 for better performance on slow connections.
World and gameplay
- level-name=world - Name of the world folder. Point this to a different folder name to load another world.
- level-seed= - World generation seed. Empty means random.
- gamemode=survival - Default gamemode: survival, creative, adventure or spectator.
- difficulty=easy - peaceful, easy, normal or hard.
- pvp=true - Allows PvP damage between players.
- spawn-protection=16 - Radius in blocks around spawn where only operators can build. Set to 0 to disable.
Performance settings
- view-distance=10 - Chunks loaded per player. Lower to 6 to 8 for many players.
- simulation-distance=10 - How far entities are ticked. Can be lower than view-distance for better performance.
- max-tick-time=60000 - If a tick takes longer than this (in ms), the server crashes. Set to -1 to disable for heavy modpacks.
Where do I find server.properties?
In the root folder of your server. Through the HostValues game panel, you can edit it directly under "Files" or via the configuration editor.
Do I need to restart after changes?
Yes. Most settings are only read at startup. Save the file and restart the server to apply changes.
What if I delete a setting?
The server regenerates missing settings with default values on the next start. You cannot permanently break the file by removing a line.