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Minecraft Bedrock Server Configuration: server.properties Explained

A complete, practical guide to Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server's server.properties file: defaults, allowed values, secure access, world selection, networking, performance tuning and troubleshooting.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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server.properties is the plain-text configuration file for Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server. Each line is a key=value setting that controls authentication, gameplay rules, ports, world selection, simulation distance, player limits and logging. Stop the server, make a backup, edit one group of settings at a time, then restart and test from the same network path your players will use.

How server.properties works

Microsoft describes the file as INI-style: one key and value per line, with comments beginning with #. Keep the syntax exact. A line such as view-distance=32 is valid; adding explanatory text after the value is not. Unknown or misspelled keys may be ignored, while an invalid value can make a setting fall back to a default or prevent the server from starting correctly.

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The file normally sits in the Bedrock Dedicated Server installation directory. The server reads it during startup, so changes made while it is running generally do not take effect until the next restart.

Default settings at a glance

Setting Default What it controls Important limits or effects
server-name Dedicated Server Name displayed to players Cosmetic label; it does not change the world folder.
gamemode survival Mode assigned to new players Allowed values: survival, creative, adventure.
force-gamemode false Whether configured mode overrides a world’s saved mode true sends the configured mode to clients even when the world was saved with another mode.
difficulty easy World difficulty Allowed values: peaceful, easy, normal, hard.
allow-cheats false Whether cheat commands are permitted Set to true only when command access is intentional.
max-players 10 Maximum simultaneous players Higher values increase server workload; no universal safe capacity is established.
online-mode true Xbox Live authentication Keep enabled for Internet-facing servers.
allow-list false Whitelist enforcement When true, every joining player must appear in allowlist.json.
server-port 19132 IPv4 Bedrock connections Valid range is 1–65535.
server-portv6 19133 IPv6 Bedrock connections Valid range is 1–65535.
enable-lan-visibility true LAN discovery and local binding Can bind the default ports even when custom ports are configured.
view-distance 32 chunks How far terrain is sent to clients Minimum is 5; larger values require more work.
tick-distance 4 chunks Radius in which game simulation runs Allowed range is 4–12; larger values increase CPU load.
player-idle-timeout 30 minutes Idle-player disconnect timer 0 allows indefinite idling.
max-threads 8 Worker-thread limit 0, or omission, means use as many threads as possible.
level-name Bedrock level World folder selected or created Must be a valid host filename matching a directory under worlds/.
level-seed empty Seed for a newly generated world Empty produces a random seed; a string fixes generation for a new world.
default-player-permission-level member Permission granted to ordinary players Allowed values: visitor, member, operator.
texturepack-required false Whether the world’s required packs must be accepted true forces clients to use required texture packs.
content-log-file-enabled false Content-error logging Enable when diagnosing behavior-pack, resource-pack or content errors.

Access, authentication and permissions

online-mode: authenticate players

With online-mode=true, joining clients must authenticate through Xbox Live. Microsoft recommends keeping this enabled when the server accepts Internet connections; disabling it removes that identity check and should be treated as an exceptional, controlled setup rather than a convenience toggle.

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allow-list: restrict membership

allow-list=false permits any otherwise authenticated player to attempt to join. Set it to true for a private community, family server or event. The server then checks allowlist.json, so changing the property alone is not enough: add each permitted player to that file using the server’s allowlist management commands or your hosting control panel.

Cheats and default permission

allow-cheats=true permits cheat commands. Keep it false when you want a conventional survival environment, because command access can bypass normal progression. default-player-permission-level determines the baseline role for players who are not separately promoted. Use visitor for the most restrictive entry role, member for normal play, and reserve operator for trusted administrators. Do not combine public access, cheats and an operator default unless you deliberately accept the resulting risk.

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Gameplay rules

Gamemode and force-gamemode

gamemode=survival is the default for new players. You can choose creative or adventure instead. The setting does not automatically rewrite every existing player’s saved mode. When force-gamemode=false, the mode stored by the world and player data remains authoritative. Set it to true when every connection should be sent the configured mode, even if the world was previously saved with a different mode.

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Difficulty

difficulty=easy selects the default difficulty. The accepted values are peaceful, easy, normal and hard. Change the word only; do not add quotation marks or comments on the same line. Difficulty is a world rule, so test it with a non-critical copy if you are changing an established community world.

Ports and LAN discovery

IPv4 and IPv6 ports

Bedrock’s default IPv4 port is server-port=19132; the default IPv6 port is server-portv6=19133. Both accept numbers from 1 through 65535. If you choose a custom port, update the host firewall, router port-forwarding rule and the address players enter. Forwarding only one protocol leaves players on the other protocol unable to connect.

enable-lan-visibility

With enable-lan-visibility=true, the server advertises itself for local-network discovery. The setting can also bind the default ports even when you specify custom port values, which can explain an apparently unexpected listener or a port collision with another Bedrock instance. Disable LAN visibility when you want a server reachable only through an explicitly configured address and forwarding rule.

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Selecting and creating a world

level-name

The value identifies a folder below worlds/. For example, if the copied world directory is Survival2026, set level-name=Survival2026 with matching capitalization and no extra spaces. Microsoft’s setup guidance specifically requires the property to match the copied folder name. If no matching directory exists, the server can generate a new world using that name. The value must be valid as a host filename, so avoid path separators and characters your operating system rejects.

level-seed

Leave level-seed empty for random generation. Enter a seed string when creating a new world that must be reproducible. Changing the seed does not transform an existing world selected by level-name; it matters when terrain is generated. Back up the world before changing either property.

Performance settings and lag diagnosis

View distance versus tick distance

view-distance=32 controls how many chunks around a player can be sent for rendering, with a minimum of 5. tick-distance=4 controls the radius in which simulation continues, and the valid range is 4–12. Increasing view distance primarily raises chunk-generation, loading and network work; increasing tick distance makes more blocks, entities and redstone systems run every tick. Microsoft warns that higher values increase performance impact. If players report delayed interactions or a falling tick rate, reduce tick-distance first, then lower view-distance in measured steps. Do not jump directly to the maximum values while also raising the player cap.

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Player count and threads

max-players=10 is the documented default. Raising it does not guarantee that the machine, storage or network can sustain the new population. There is no universal player-to-hardware ratio: world complexity, entity count, simulation settings and client activity all matter. max-threads=8 limits worker threads. Setting it to 0, or leaving it out, allows the server to use as many threads as possible; that is not automatically faster on a constrained host shared with other services. Change one resource setting at a time and watch the server console after a restart.

Idle players

player-idle-timeout=30 disconnects an inactive player after 30 minutes. Set it to 0 for indefinite idling, useful for AFK farms or events but potentially wasteful when the server has a tight player cap.

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Texture packs and content logs

texturepack-required=false lets clients join without forcing the world’s required texture packs. Set it to true when consistent visuals or custom content are part of the experience; players must then accept and use the required packs. content-log-file-enabled=false disables content-error logging by default. Enable it while diagnosing malformed behavior packs, resource packs or other content errors, reproduce the problem, then inspect the generated log for the failing asset or message.

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Anti-cheat configuration

Mojang’s Bedrock Protocol documentation states that anti-cheat is enabled when the server instructs the client through the StartGamePacket (ID 11). Anti-cheat-related properties can change with protocol and experimental server builds, so do not copy an undocumented key from an older guide into a current installation. Check the properties shipped with your exact Bedrock Dedicated Server build and verify the startup log after any anti-cheat change.

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A safe editing and verification procedure

  1. Stop the Bedrock Dedicated Server cleanly. Editing while it is running can be overwritten when the process exits.
  2. Copy the original server.properties and the active world folder to a dated backup location.
  3. Choose one logical group—access, network, world, gameplay or performance—and edit only those lines. Preserve lowercase keys, the equals sign and the documented value spelling.
  4. For a world change, confirm that level-name exactly matches the intended directory directly beneath worlds/. Check that the seed change is intended for a newly generated world.
  5. Save the file as plain text, restart the server and read the console for parsing errors, port-binding failures or world-load messages.
  6. Connect from the intended path: a LAN client for local discovery, or an external connection for a public server. Test authentication, whitelist behavior, permissions, gameplay mode and chunk loading rather than assuming a successful process start proves everything works.
  7. If the result is wrong, stop the server, restore the backup or revert only the last logical group, then restart and test again.

Common failures and fixes

Players cannot connect after a port change

  • Confirm the client is using the new IPv4 or IPv6 port and that the matching protocol is forwarded.
  • Check the host firewall and router rule for the same port number.
  • Inspect whether LAN visibility is still binding 19132 or 19133, creating a collision with another instance.

The wrong world loads or a fresh world appears

  • Compare level-name character-for-character with the folder under worlds/.
  • Remove trailing spaces and avoid a full path; the property expects a world-folder name.
  • Restore the backup if the intended folder was renamed or overwritten.

Server lag increased after editing distances

  • Lower tick-distance toward its default of 4 before changing other settings.
  • Reduce view-distance from 32 in small steps.
  • Return max-players to 10 or below the previous known-good value and check entity-heavy areas.
  • Keep a single change per restart so the console symptoms identify the responsible setting.

Everyone is rejected by a private server

  • When allow-list=true, verify every player’s identity is present in allowlist.json.
  • Leave online-mode=true for normal Xbox Live authentication; do not treat disabling it as a whitelist fix.

Players report missing textures or content errors

  • Check whether texturepack-required=true is intentionally forcing a pack that a client cannot accept.
  • Temporarily enable content-log-file-enabled, reproduce the issue and inspect the content log for the specific pack or asset error.

Choosing sensible values

Start with the documented defaults, then adjust for a measured reason. A private friends’ world usually benefits from online-mode=true, allow-list=true, a non-operator default permission and conservative distance settings. A public world needs the same authentication discipline plus firewall and port-forwarding checks. Creative building servers may choose gamemode=creative and force-gamemode=true, while a survival community generally keeps cheats disabled and grants operator only to named administrators. For any managed host, confirm Bedrock support, the supported server version, world import and restore tools, backup policy, custom-port handling and allowlist controls before moving an existing world.

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