Minecraft ops, whitelist and bans: make yourself admin

To make yourself operator (“op”), add your Minecraft name in Settings > Players, or type op YourName in Console. Then use the whitelist (Java) or the allowlist (Bedrock) to choose who can join. Both are on by default on new servers: on Java from version 26.3, and on Bedrock too.

Make yourself operator

In the panel: open Settings > Players and add your player name to the admin list. If you entered your Minecraft name in your account, the Make me admin button does it in one tap. The panel writes it into the right file for your edition.

With a command: open Console and type, without a slash:

op YourName

On Java, the player doesn’t need to be online. On Bedrock, join the server first, then type it with your gamertag. Use quotes if the gamertag has a space: op "Your Name".

To take op away, use deop YourName.

Op levels on Java

Each Java operator has a level from 1 to 4. New ops get the level in op-permission-level, which is 4 by default.

To give a friend a lower level, set their level in ops.json:

1. Stop the server.
2. Open ops.json in Files (or under Advanced in Settings).
3. Change "level": 4 to the level you want for that player. Keep the file valid JSON.
4. Start the server.

Stop first: the server rewrites ops.json while it runs, and can undo your change.

Roles on Bedrock

Bedrock uses three roles instead of levels:

New players get default-player-permission-level, which is member. Each player’s role is saved in permissions.json by their Xbox user ID (XUID). The op and deop commands fill it in for you. If you edit the file by hand, type permission reload in Console. permission list shows who has which role.

The whitelist on Java

With the whitelist on, only players on the list, and operators, can join. Everyone else sees You are not white-listed on this server!

Turn it on or off in Settings, or with white-list in server.properties. Add and remove players in Settings > Players, or from Console:

Players stay online when you remove them, until they leave. Set enforce-whitelist=true to kick anyone not on the list as soon as the whitelist is turned on or changes.

The list lives in whitelist.json, with each player’s name and ID. Adding players by command is easier, because the server looks up the ID for you.

The allowlist on Bedrock

Bedrock calls it the allowlist, and it’s on for new servers. Players not on it see You're not invited to play on this server.

allowlist on and off don’t change server.properties. To change it for good, use Settings, or set allow-list in the file.

The list lives in allowlist.json. Each entry needs only the gamertag, and the server adds the player’s ID the first time they join.

Kick and ban

On Java

Bans are saved in banned-players.json and banned-ips.json. You can also manage the ban list in Settings > Players.

Be careful with IP bans. Players at the same school or home can share one IP address, so an IP ban can block people you didn’t mean to.

On Bedrock

Bedrock servers have no ban command. To keep someone out:

1. Make sure the allowlist is on.
2. Type allowlist remove Name.
3. Type kick Name reason to remove them now.

They can’t come back while they’re off the list.

Bedrock players on a Java server

With the Bedrock addition, Bedrock players join a Java server through Floodgate, and their names start with a dot. Use Floodgate’s command for the whitelist, without the dot: fwhitelist add Steve. Use the dot for everything else while they’re online: op .Steve, ban .Steve. See Bedrock crossplay.

Ops are not panel roles

Being op only gives power inside the game. To let a friend help run the server itself, invite them in Friends with a role:

• Moderator: start, stop and restart, and use the console.
• Builder: change files, settings and mods.
• Admin: almost everything except inviting people and changing the address.
• Co-owner: everything a member can have.
• Viewer: watch the console.

A friend with console access can type op and ban, so only give it to people you trust.