Change the sleeping percentage

By default every player has to be in a bed before the night passes. A game rule sets the share of players who must sleep instead, so one sleeper can skip the night on a quiet server or half the group can on a busy one. It needs Minecraft 1.17 or newer and takes one command in the Console.

Checked against Minecraft 26.3, October 2026.

Pick the command for your version

Your version is the Version cell in the stats block of the left rail, and also shows in the JAR Manager tab.

Replace 50 with the percentage you want.

Set it

1. Open the Console tab and make sure the server is Running.
2. Click the Send a command box and type the command with your number. Do not add a leading slash.
3. Press Enter. The server replies that the game rule is now set to your number. If the rule already had that number, it replies that the rule is already set to it instead.
4. Ask players to sleep. The night is skipped once enough of them are in bed.

To read the current value, send the rule name on its own, for example gamerule players_sleeping_percentage.

Set it in game instead

If you are an operator, you can run the same command in chat with a leading slash, for example /gamerule players_sleeping_percentage 50. The Players tab can make someone an operator: see Minecraft whitelist: add players, set ops.

What the number means

The default is 100, so all players must sleep. Mojang added this rule in 1.17. These are the values that matter:

Worked examples

The number of players needed is worked out from the percentage, so the same number asks for a different head count as the server fills:

• 50 with 4 players online needs 2 in bed, and with 10 online needs 5.
• 25 with 8 players online needs 2 in bed.
• 100 with 10 players online needs all 10, which is the default behaviour.

Pick the number from the size of your usual evening crowd, then send the rule name on its own after a change to check it took.

Put it back to the default

Send the command again with 100 and every player has to sleep, as before. If the rule is already 100, the server replies that it is already set. The query form of the command, which is the rule name on its own, replies with the value now in force, so you can confirm it.

Problems

• The server replies Unknown or incomplete command. See below for error. The name or version does not match. Check the table, and on 1.16 or older this rule does not exist.
• The server refuses a negative number. On 1.21.11 and newer the lowest value you can set is 0.
• Nothing changes when players sleep. Run the rule name on its own and check the value. It may be above 100 or still at 100.

More rules you can change from the Console are in the game rules guide.