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On a Java Edition server, change a player immediately with /gamemode <mode> <player>. For everyone currently online, use /gamemode <mode> @a. You need operator permission level 2, a permissions-plugin node that grants the equivalent ability, or access to the server console. To control players who join later, set the default with /defaultgamemode <mode> or the gamemode value in server.properties; those settings do not normally alter people who have already joined.
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The command to use
The Java Edition command has three parts: the command name, one of the four game modes, and an optional target player.
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|---|---|---|
survival |
Normal health, hunger, damage and resource-gathering rules. | /gamemode survival Alex |
creative |
Creative inventory, flight and the usual creative building rules. | /gamemode creative Alex |
adventure |
A mode generally used for maps and controlled interactions. | /gamemode adventure Alex |
spectator |
Spectator viewing and movement rather than ordinary interaction. | /gamemode spectator Alex |
Replace <mode> and <player> with real values. The command is immediate; it is not a setting that waits for a restart.
Permission requirements
In Java Edition, /gamemode requires permission level 2. An operator has that level by default, and the server console can run administrative commands. If a permissions plugin controls access, grant the plugin permission that corresponds to the vanilla gamemode command; the exact node depends on that plugin.
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Grant operator status from the console
- Open the server’s console or hosting control panel.
- Run
op <username>, replacing the placeholder with the player’s exact in-game name. - Have the player reconnect if the server or permissions system does not recognize the new status immediately.
Only give operator status to people you trust. It grants more than gamemode access, so a narrowly scoped permissions-plugin rule is safer for staff who should change modes but not administer the entire server.
Choose the scope before running a command
The most common mistake is using a command that affects a different group than intended. Decide whether you are changing one online player, all online players, or the default for future joiners.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Change one player now | /gamemode <mode> <player> |
The named player | Immediately, while that player is online |
| Change everybody online now | /gamemode <mode> @a |
Every online player selected by @a |
Immediately |
| Set the command default for new players | /defaultgamemode <mode> |
Players who have never joined, under normal Java behavior | As they first join |
| Set the server’s configured default | gamemode=<mode> in server.properties |
Players joining for the first time, under normal Java behavior | After the configuration is loaded, normally following a restart |
| Force the default on every Java join | force-gamemode=true |
Returning players as well as new players | When they join |
Change one player step by step
- Confirm that the target player is currently connected and note the exact username, including capitalization as displayed by the server.
- Open in-game chat with the slash command interface, or use the server console if you have console access.
- Enter
/gamemode <mode> <player>. For example,/gamemode creative Alexswitches Alex to Creative. - Submit the command and look for the server’s success or error response. The player should see the mode change immediately.
- Repeat with another mode when needed; changing back is the same command with a different mode, such as
/gamemode survival Alex.
A command aimed at a player who is offline will not update that player’s next login as a general default-setting mechanism. Use the default controls described below for people who have not joined yet, or enable Java’s force-gamemode behavior when every login must be normalized.
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Change everybody who is online
The @a target selector means all players currently online. To put the entire connected player list into Creative, run:
/gamemode creative @aTo return everyone online to Survival, run:
/gamemode survival @aThis is a live operation: it does not establish a permanent default for players who join later, and it does not include players who are offline when the command runs. If you need both an immediate change and a lasting join policy, use the all-online command once and then configure the appropriate default separately.
Check the target before pressing Enter
- Use a named player instead of
@awhen only one person should change. - Remember that
@aincludes moderators and administrators who are online; it is not limited to ordinary players. - Run the command during a planned transition if changing modes could affect a build session, map objective or survival challenge.
Set the default for players who have never joined
/defaultgamemode <mode> sets the default mode used for players who have never joined the world. For a new server intended to begin in Adventure, for example, run:
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/defaultgamemode adventureThis command is not a retroactive conversion. Existing players retain their current mode unless you change them with /gamemode. In ordinary Java server behavior, it also does not force a returning player into the default every time they reconnect. That separate requirement is handled by force-gamemode.
Recommended two-part changeover
- Run
/defaultgamemode <mode>to establish the rule for first-time joiners. - Run
/gamemode <mode> @aonce to bring everyone currently online into the same mode. - Decide separately whether returning players should keep their saved mode or be reset at every login.
This sequence avoids the common situation in which a server has a new default but its current population remains in different modes.
Configure the default in server.properties
The server configuration file contains a gamemode key. Its default value is survival. Set it to the desired mode, for example:
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gamemode=creativeHow to edit it safely
- Stop the server cleanly so the file is not being rewritten while you edit it.
- Open
server.propertiesin the server’s root directory or in the host’s file manager. - Find the line beginning with
gamemode=and replace only the value withsurvival,creative,adventureorspectator. - Save the file without changing the key name or adding quotation marks.
- Start or restart the server so it loads the new configuration.
The configured value is used when a player joins for the first time. Editing it later does not automatically change players who have already joined the world. Apply a live command to those players, or to everyone online, after the restart if you want the current population to match.
Make every Java login use the default
Java servers have a force-gamemode property. It is false by default. When set to true, a player is placed into the server’s default gamemode whenever they join, including players who have joined before.
force-gamemode=trueUse this only when resetting a player’s saved mode is intentional. It is useful for a hub, classroom or tightly controlled map where nobody should retain a personal mode between sessions. It is usually the wrong choice for a survival world in which players are allowed to keep their normal mode and administrators occasionally switch someone temporarily.
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Interaction with the other settings
gamemodesupplies the configured default value.force-gamemode=truemakes that default apply on every Java login rather than only to first-time joiners./gamemoderemains the immediate tool for a one-off change while players are connected.- Changing a property requires the server to load the edited file, normally by restarting it; it is not the same as submitting a live command.
Java and Bedrock are not identical
The command and property behavior described above is for Minecraft Java Edition servers. Bedrock Edition uses a different server implementation and its force-gamemode setting is not the same control: the Bedrock setting concerns whether the server sends a gamemode other than the one saved with the world. Do not copy a Java configuration recipe into a Bedrock server and assume that returning-player behavior will match.
Check the edition, server software and version before applying a command or editing a property. Command syntax and available server properties can change between releases, and the command references used for this guide were not tied to a specific 2026 release. If a current version rejects a form shown here, consult the command help exposed by that server version and its edition-specific documentation.
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“You do not have permission” or an unknown-command response
- Verify that you are an operator with the required vanilla permission level, or run the command through the server console.
- If a permissions plugin is installed, check that your group has the plugin’s gamemode permission node; operator status and plugin permissions can be managed separately.
- Confirm that the server is actually running Java Edition if you are following Java syntax.
The command succeeds but the wrong people change
- Check the target name for spelling and capitalization.
- Replace
@awith a specific username when the command is intended for one person. - Remember that selectors operate on players online at the moment the command runs.
The mode changes, then comes back after reconnecting
Check whether force-gamemode=true is resetting players to the configured default at login. If players should retain their saved modes, set it to false, reload the configuration by restarting, and use live commands only for the players who need an exception.
The properties edit appears to do nothing
- Make sure the server was stopped before editing and restarted afterward.
- Check that the edited file belongs to the world and server instance you actually start; hosting panels can expose multiple files or instances.
- Confirm that the key is spelled exactly
gamemodeorforce-gamemode, with an equals sign and no extra spaces or quotes. - Remember that
gamemodeis not retroactive. Test with a player who has never joined, or apply/gamemodeto existing players.
Players cannot use the command from chat
Chat execution still requires the necessary permission. Grant the appropriate operator or permissions-plugin access rather than enabling unrestricted administrative rights for everyone. Console execution is an alternative for a server owner who does not want to distribute operator status.
Quick Recap
Practical administration recipes
Temporary Creative access for one builder
- Run
/gamemode creative <builder>. - When the build session ends, run
/gamemode survival <builder>or the mode required by the map. - Do not change the server default unless future first-time joiners should also use Creative.
Convert an online world to a Creative event
- Set
gamemode=creativeinserver.propertiesif new joiners should enter Creative after the restart. - Restart so the file is loaded.
- Run
/gamemode creative @ato update the players already online. - Leave
force-gamemode=falseif participants should be able to retain their own modes later; set it totrueonly when every login must use Creative.
Restore a survival server without changing its join policy
- Run
/gamemode survival @afor the current online population. - Set the configured
gamemodevalue tosurvivalif future first-time joiners must also start in Survival. - Choose the existing
force-gamemodepolicy deliberately; changing the default alone does not decide what returning players keep.
Version and maintenance checklist
- Identify Java or Bedrock before using a command or property.
- Check the server version’s command help when syntax differs from the examples.
- Use full mode names to keep commands readable:
survival,creative,adventureandspectator. - Decide whether the target is one player, all online players or future joiners.
- Make sure you have operator level 2, console access or the matching permissions-plugin grant.
- Back up the server before editing configuration files or changing a live event’s rules.
- After editing
server.properties, restart and test with the type of player the setting is meant to affect.
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