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Minecraft server commands cheat sheet

The default Java server commands for players, bans, the whitelist, time and saving, with syntax and operator level, and how to send them from the Console.

Updated 24 Oct 20264 min read

On this page

How to send a command
Permission levels
Information and chat
Players
Whitelist and bans
World
Saving and stopping

These are the commands that ship with the Minecraft Java server itself, as the Minecraft Wiki documents them for the vanilla server. Paper, Purpur and the other server types can add to them or change how some behave, so treat this as the vanilla baseline. Type them into the Console tab without the leading slash, or into game chat with the slash once you are an operator. Plugins and mods add their own commands on top of these.

Checked against the Minecraft Wiki's command pages, October 2026. Mojang changes commands between versions, so run help on your own server if one does not behave as shown.

How to send a command

Open your server's Console tab.
Click the Send a command box and type the command with no slash.
Press Enter. The reply shows in the console.

Commands such as stop, op, ban and kick ask you to confirm first, with Run command. The list icon next to the box, Browse all commands, opens a searchable list of everything the box knows. How to use your server console has the rest.

Permission levels

Each command has an operator level from 0 to 4. Commands marked level 0 on the Minecraft Wiki, such as help, list and msg, need an operator level of 0, which is the level a player who is not an operator has. For the rest, you can run a command in game only if your level is high enough, and op gives new operators the level in op-permission-level in server.properties, which defaults to 4. The levels below matter most for people typing commands in game.

Information and chat

Command	What it does	Level
`help`	Shows command help	0
`list`	Lists players online. `list uuids` adds their UUIDs	0
`say <message>`	Broadcasts a message to everyone	2
`msg <targets> <message>`	Sends a private message. `tell` and `w` do the same	0
`seed`	Shows the world seed	2 on a server

Players

Command	What it does	Level
`op <targets>`	Makes a player an operator	3
`deop <targets>`	Removes operator status	3
`gamemode <gamemode> [<target>]`	Sets survival, creative, adventure or spectator	2
`give <targets> <item> [<count>]`	Gives an item, with a count of 1 if you leave it out	2
`tp <targets> <destination>`	Teleports players to another player. `tp <targets> <location>` sends them to coordinates instead. `teleport` is the same command	2
`kick <targets> [<reason>]`	Disconnects a player, with an optional reason	3

Whitelist and bans

Command	What it does	Level
`whitelist add <targets>`	Adds a player. They need not be online	3
`whitelist remove <targets>`	Removes a player	3
`whitelist on` and `whitelist off`	Turns the whitelist on or off	3
`whitelist list`	Shows who is on it	3
`whitelist reload`	Rereads `whitelist.json` after you edit it by hand	3
`ban <targets> [<reason>]`	Bans a player	3
`ban-ip <target> [<reason>]`	Bans an IP address, or the address of an online player	3
`pardon <targets>`	Lifts a ban	3
`pardon-ip <target>`	Lifts an IP ban	3
`banlist`	Shows the ban list. Add `ips` or `players` to show just one kind	3

The Players tab does the same with buttons: Whitelist, Operators, Bans and Banned IPs. Minecraft whitelist: add players, set ops covers it.

World

Command	What it does	Level
`time set day`	Sets the time of day. `night`, `noon` and `midnight` also work	2
`weather clear`	Sets the weather. `rain` and `thunder` also work, with an optional duration	2
`difficulty <level>`	Sets peaceful, easy, normal or hard. Without a level it shows the current one	2
`setworldspawn [<pos>] [<angle>]`	Sets the world spawn, to the block where the command runs if you leave it out	2

For rules such as keeping items on death, see Minecraft game rules.

Saving and stopping

Command	What it does	Level
`save-all`	Saves the server. Players save at once, and chunks are written gradually	4
`save-all flush`	Saves everything immediately and freezes the server briefly	4
`stop`	Saves, stops the server and disconnects everyone	4

For a normal stop, use Stop on the Console tab instead of typing it.

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Updated 24 Oct 20264 min readSettings & Admin