To change the player limit, stop the Minecraft server, open server.properties, edit the max-players value, save the file, and start the server again. Java Edition and Bedrock Edition use the same property name but separate configuration files, so edit the file belonging to the edition and server software you actually run.
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What the max-player setting controls
max-players is the configured ceiling for simultaneous player connections. It is a server setting, not a per-world setting: changing it affects the server process that reads that configuration file. It does not create additional hardware capacity, reserve bandwidth, or guarantee that a particular hosting plan can run the new number smoothly.
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The setting is read when the server starts. Editing the file while the process is running normally does not change the active limit until you restart. A hosting control panel may present the same value as a field named Max Players, Player Slots, or similar; that field ultimately writes the server’s configuration for you.
Java and Bedrock: limits and defaults
Use the row that matches your server. A Java server and a Bedrock Dedicated Server can have files with the same filename, but they are different configuration sets.
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| Edition or software | Property | Documented value or range | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedrock Dedicated Server | max-players |
Default documented by Microsoft: 10; accepts a positive integer | Microsoft warns that higher values affect performance. A value such as 20 in a sample configuration is an example, not the documented default. |
| Java Edition (general reference) | max-players |
Integer from 0 through 256, according to the Minecraft Wiki | The reference is community-maintained. The vanilla Java default was not established in the available official material. |
| Java Edition with Paper | max-players |
Paper documents a default of 20 | This is Paper’s documented default and should not be presented as the vanilla Java default. |
These figures describe the configuration value, not a performance recommendation. The practical limit depends on simulation workload, view and simulation distances, entities, redstone activity, plugins or add-ons, world generation, CPU speed, memory, storage, and network conditions.
Before you edit the file
Confirm the edition and server software
- Java Edition: common server jars include vanilla Java, Paper, and other Java-compatible implementations. Paper has its own documented defaults, while the property name remains
max-players. - Bedrock Edition: use the Bedrock Dedicated Server’s own server directory and properties file.
Do not copy a Java configuration wholesale into a Bedrock installation or assume that a value shown in one edition’s guide is the default for the other. The key is shared, but the surrounding configuration and accepted options are not interchangeable.
Get the right access
You need permission to stop and start the server and write to its server-root directory. On a self-hosted installation this usually means shell or file-manager access. On a host, you may have a web panel instead of direct filesystem access.
Make a backup
Copy server.properties before changing it. A backup lets you restore the previous cap if the panel overwrites the file, a startup script regenerates it, or another administrator changes unrelated settings during the same maintenance window. Back up the world separately if you are already stopping the server for maintenance; changing the player cap itself does not require a world conversion.
Announce the restart
Stopping the process disconnects everyone. Warn players, save the world through the server’s normal save procedure, and use the host’s graceful stop control when one is available. Do not simply close a terminal or kill the process unless the server is unresponsive.
Change the value in server.properties
The following procedure applies to both editions when you manage the files directly.
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- Stop the server completely. Wait until the console reports that shutdown has finished or the hosting panel shows the instance as stopped. Do not edit a file that the running process is still writing.
- Open the server root folder. This is the directory containing the server jar or Bedrock executable and the world folders. Open the
server.propertiesfile in a plain-text editor, not a word processor. - Locate the exact property. Find the line beginning
max-players=. A normal line looks likemax-players=20. - Replace only the number. For example, to allow 30 simultaneous players, change the line to
max-players=30. Keep the property name, equals sign, and integer together. Do not add quotation marks or explanatory text on that line. - Save the file as plain text. Preserve the filename and its
.propertiesextension. Check that your editor did not createserver.properties.txtor change the character encoding in a way your server cannot read. - Start the server again. Use the same startup command or panel action you normally use. Watch the startup log for configuration errors and wait until the server is ready to accept connections.
- Test the new ceiling. Have a small group connect, then check the server status or player list. You do not need to fill every slot to confirm that the new value was loaded; the startup log and status screen should show the configured cap where the software exposes it.
Changing the value while the server is running and then restarting can work, but stopping first avoids a save race in which the process writes its old value back over your edit.
Java Edition instructions
Vanilla Java or another Java server
Stop the Java process, edit the max-players line in the server-root server.properties, save, and restart. The Minecraft Wiki describes the Java property as an integer from 0 to 256. Choose a positive value that reflects the number of players you intend to support rather than treating 256 as a capacity promise. The available material does not establish a vanilla Java default, so do not infer one from a Paper installation or a sample file.
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Paper
Paper’s reference lists a default of 20 for this property. If your Paper file already contains max-players=20, that is the documented Paper default; changing it to another integer follows the same stop-edit-save-restart process. Other Paper settings, plugins, and world activity can become the bottleneck before the configured cap is reached.
Check for the file you actually launch
Java administrators sometimes keep several server directories for test and production worlds. Edit the directory used by the startup command, not an old backup or a staging copy. If the value appears unchanged after a restart, inspect the command’s working directory and the panel’s selected instance before changing anything else.
Bedrock Dedicated Server instructions
Microsoft’s Bedrock server-properties reference documents max-players with a default of 10 and allows a positive integer. To raise the limit, stop the Bedrock server, edit the line in its own server.properties, save it, and restart. For example, max-players=10 can become max-players=20 if that is the capacity you have chosen.
A configuration example showing 20 does not override Microsoft’s documented default of 10; it merely demonstrates a possible setting. Bedrock’s reference also warns that larger values affect performance, so treat every increase as a capacity change that needs testing.
Keep Bedrock’s file separate from a Java server’s file. Do not assume that Java-only properties, startup flags, or administrative workarounds apply to Bedrock. In particular, an unverified third-party claim about bypassing the limit for administrators should not be used as a production design.
Using a hosting control panel
Many Minecraft hosts expose a form instead of asking you to edit the file. Labels vary, but the workflow is usually:
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- Find Max Players, Player Slots, or the equivalent field.
- Enter the desired integer and apply or save the change.
- Stop and start, or restart, the server when the panel asks you to do so.
- Confirm the value in the panel and, if possible, in the generated
server.propertiesfile after startup.
The panel field is functionally equivalent to editing max-players directly. If the panel is authoritative, it may rewrite the file at every startup. In that situation, make future changes through the panel rather than editing a generated copy that will be replaced.
When a panel change does not stick
- Make sure you clicked the panel’s final save or apply button; changing a field without applying it may not write the configuration.
- Check that you edited the correct server instance, especially if the account contains multiple worlds or test servers.
- Look for a separate startup or template page that defines the value and overrides the general settings page.
- Restart only after the panel reports that the new configuration has been deployed.
- If the file is regenerated, use the panel’s documented field as the source of truth and keep a copy of the old value for rollback.
Choosing a safe player cap
The highest accepted integer is not automatically the right target. Every connected player adds network traffic and recurring work for movement, chunk delivery, entity updates, inventories, chat, and other game actions. A busy farm, many entities, frequent exploration, or plugin and add-on processing can make a lower cap feel better than a larger one.
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Start with the planned concurrent population
Count the number of people who are normally online at the same time, not the total number of members in your community. Add a modest headroom for events and guests, then test that number. There is no published universal player-count statistic that predicts performance across servers, so a community’s measured behavior matters more than a generic slot recommendation.
Test in stages
- Set a conservative cap and restart during a maintenance window.
- Invite a representative group, including players who explore, build farms, travel through new terrain, and use your busiest plugins or add-ons.
- Observe tick health, latency, memory use, CPU load, and the server log while activity is realistic.
- Increase the cap in small steps only when the measured workload remains acceptable.
- Record the last stable value and the conditions under which it was tested so you can roll back after a future plugin, world, or hardware change.
A larger cap can also make a full server harder to operate: more simultaneous complaints, more moderation work, and more players affected if the server crashes. Capacity planning should therefore include administration and recovery time, not only technical limits.
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After the restart, verify all three layers:
- Configuration: reopen
server.propertiesor the panel and confirm the intended integer is present. - Runtime: check the startup log, console status, or server-list information for the loaded maximum where your software displays it.
- Connection behavior: connect with enough test accounts to confirm that the previous lower ceiling is no longer blocking the intended count. You do not need to create unnecessary accounts; a status display or controlled test is sufficient when it reports the cap.
If the runtime still reports the old value, stop testing connections and find which configuration the process is reading. Repeatedly editing different copies can leave the actual server unchanged.
Troubleshooting common failures
The server still rejects players at the old number
- Confirm that you restarted the server after saving.
- Check for a second
server.propertiesin another instance directory. - Verify that the startup command or panel points to the directory you edited.
- On a managed host, check whether a panel template rewrote the value during startup.
- Read the startup log for a configuration parse error or a message showing a different loaded value.
The file change disappeared
The process may have been running when you edited the file, the editor may have saved a second extension, or the panel may regenerate configuration. Stop first, confirm the exact filename, save as plain text, and make the change in the panel if the panel owns the configuration.
The server will not start after editing
Restore the backup, then compare the changed line character by character. The value should be an integer after the equals sign, with no quotes or explanatory words. If restoring the backup fixes startup, reapply only the max-players change and inspect the console output before allowing players back in.
Players can join, but performance deteriorates
The cap controls admission, not performance. Lower the value to the last stable setting, then investigate workload: newly generated terrain, entity-heavy areas, redstone systems, plugins or add-ons, view and simulation distances, memory pressure, CPU saturation, and network limits. Raising the cap again without addressing the bottleneck usually increases failed ticks and latency.
Some administrators appear to bypass the cap
Do not rely on this behavior. A retrieved summary claimed that Java administrators might not count toward the cap, and another third-party Bedrock guide mentioned an ignoresPlayerLimit flag in allowlist.json when allow-list=true. Those claims were not confirmed in the primary references used here. Design your capacity around the documented max-players value and verify any special behavior against the exact server software version before using it.
Lowering the cap or rolling back
Reducing the value uses exactly the same procedure: stop, edit, save, restart, and verify. Players already connected may remain until disconnected depending on the server implementation, but do not assume a reduction will immediately remove existing connections. Schedule the change, warn players, and check the runtime behavior.
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To roll back, stop the server, restore the backed-up line or file, save it under the original filename, and restart. Keep a note of the old and new values, the date, and the workload observed. That record makes it easier to identify whether a later performance problem came from the player cap or from another configuration change.
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- Identify Java versus Bedrock and the exact server instance.
- Confirm whether a panel or a local file is authoritative.
- Announce a graceful stop and back up
server.properties. - Change only the integer after
max-players=. - Save as plain text with the original filename.
- Restart and read the startup output.
- Verify the configured and runtime values.
- Test with realistic activity before advertising the new capacity.
- Keep the previous value available for a quick rollback.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change max players without restarting the server?
The property is read at startup. Stop and restart the server after saving so the new value is loaded; editing a running file alone should not be treated as a live change.
What is the Bedrock default max-player value?
Microsoft’s Bedrock server-properties reference documents a default of 10. A sample file showing 20 is an example setting, not the documented default.
What is the Java Edition maximum?
The Minecraft Wiki describes Java’s max-players property as an integer from 0 through 256. That range is a configuration bound, not a promise that a server can perform well at 256 players.
Does increasing slots add server resources?
No. It only raises the configured admission ceiling. Higher concurrent populations can consume more CPU, memory, storage throughput, and network capacity.
Where is server.properties located?
It is normally in the server root—the directory containing the Java server files or Bedrock executable and world folders. A hosting panel may edit the same file for you.
Why did my panel change revert?
The panel may use a startup template or generated configuration that overwrites direct file edits. Apply the value through the authoritative Max Players or Player Slots field and restart from the panel.
Can I set the value higher than 256 on Java?
The cited Java reference documents a range through 256. Do not assume values above that are supported; use the range documented for your exact server software and version.
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