Change your server's spawn point

The world spawn is the point the game sends a player to when nothing else claims them: a first join, or a death with no bed or respawn anchor. You move it with one command, either from the Console or standing in the spot you want. Two settings then decide how much of the area around it players can use.

Checked against Minecraft 26.3 and Paper 26.3, October 2026.

Set it from the Console

1. Find the coordinates you want. In Java Edition, stand there and press F3. The debug screen shows your position as X, Y and Z.
2. Open the Console tab and make sure the server is Running.
3. In Send a command, type setworldspawn followed by the three numbers, with no leading slash. For example setworldspawn 120 70 -340. Press Enter.
4. The server replies that it set the world spawn point to those coordinates.

Set it in game

If you are an operator, you can stand where you want the spawn and run /setworldspawn in chat. With no coordinates it uses the block you are in. Not an operator yet? Use the Players tab to make yourself one: Minecraft whitelist: add players, set ops shows how.

From Minecraft 1.21.9 the command also takes an optional rotation after the coordinates: two numbers, yaw then pitch, which set the direction players face at the spawn, for example setworldspawn 120 70 -340 90 0. Minecraft 1.21.8 and older take a single angle there instead.

Spawn protection

The Config Editor has a Spawn protection (blocks) setting in its World section. It is the area around the spawn point where only operators can build, and it defaults to 16. Setting it to 0 turns it off. It follows the spawn point, so after you move the spawn the protected area moves with it.

1. Open the Config Editor tab and find Spawn protection (blocks).
2. Enter a new number and press Save changes.
3. Restart the server so it takes effect.

If the server has no operators at all, Minecraft turns spawn protection off by itself.

How far from the spawn players land

Players do not land on the exact block. They appear somewhere in a small area around it, which is 21 by 21 blocks by default (a radius of 10). A game rule controls that radius. Set it to 0 to shrink the area to the spawn block:

• Minecraft 1.21.11 and newer: gamerule respawn_radius 0
• Minecraft 1.21.10 and older: gamerule spawnRadius 0

Common problems

• A player spawns somewhere else. A bed or respawn anchor they have set is their own spawn point, and it is used instead of the world spawn.
• You cannot build near spawn. That is spawn protection. Lower it or make the player an operator.
• You want a /spawn command for players. The world spawn does not give you one. A plugin does, and the EssentialsX spawn guide covers it.

Before Minecraft 1.21.9 the game kept a fixed area of spawn chunks loaded at the world spawn. See Change how many spawn chunks stay loaded.