Basic Minecraft Server Commands

4 min read Updated Feb 15, 2026

This guide covers essential commands for managing your Minecraft server. These commands can be run from the server console in the Game Panel or in-game if you have operator permissions.

Using Commands

From the Game Panel:

  1. Log in to the Game Panel
  2. Select your server
  3. Use the Console tab to enter commands (without the / prefix)

In-Game:

  • Press T to open chat and type commands with the / prefix
  • You must be an operator to use most commands

Player Management

Operator Status

Operators have full access to server commands.

Command Description
op <player> Give a player operator status
deop <player> Remove operator status from a player

Example: op Steve - Gives Steve operator permissions

Kick and Ban

Command Description
kick <player> [reason] Disconnect a player from the server
ban <player> [reason] Permanently ban a player
ban-ip <ip> Ban an IP address
pardon <player> Remove a player from the ban list
pardon-ip <ip> Remove an IP from the ban list
banlist View all banned players

Example: kick Steve Breaking server rules - Kicks Steve with a reason shown to them

Whitelist

The whitelist restricts server access to approved players only.

Command Description
whitelist on Enable the whitelist
whitelist off Disable the whitelist
whitelist add <player> Add a player to the whitelist
whitelist remove <player> Remove a player from the whitelist
whitelist list View all whitelisted players

Gameplay Commands

Game Mode

Command Description
gamemode survival <player> Set player to Survival mode
gamemode creative <player> Set player to Creative mode
gamemode adventure <player> Set player to Adventure mode
gamemode spectator <player> Set player to Spectator mode

Example: gamemode creative Steve - Sets Steve to Creative mode

Teleportation

Command Description
tp <player> <target> Teleport a player to another player
tp <player> <x> <y> <z> Teleport a player to coordinates

Example: tp Steve Alex - Teleports Steve to Alex's location

Example: tp Steve 100 64 -200 - Teleports Steve to coordinates X:100, Y:64, Z:-200

Give Items

Command Description
give <player> <item> [amount] Give items to a player

Example: give Steve diamond 64 - Gives Steve 64 diamonds

Kill

Command Description
kill <player> Kill a player
kill @e[type=zombie] Kill all zombies
kill @e[type=!player] Kill all entities except players

World Settings

Time

Command Description
time set day Set time to day (1000 ticks)
time set noon Set time to noon (6000 ticks)
time set night Set time to night (13000 ticks)
time set midnight Set time to midnight (18000 ticks)
time set <ticks> Set time to specific tick value
time query daytime Display current time

Weather

Command Description
weather clear Set weather to clear
weather rain Set weather to rain
weather thunder Set weather to thunderstorm
weather clear <seconds> Set clear weather for a duration

Difficulty

Command Description
difficulty peaceful Set to Peaceful
difficulty easy Set to Easy
difficulty normal Set to Normal
difficulty hard Set to Hard

Game Rules

Game rules control various server behaviours.

Command Description
gamerule keepInventory true Players keep items on death
gamerule doDaylightCycle false Stop the day/night cycle
gamerule doMobSpawning false Disable mob spawning
gamerule doFireTick false Disable fire spread
gamerule mobGriefing false Disable mob destruction (creepers, endermen)
gamerule announceAdvancements false Disable advancement announcements
gamerule showDeathMessages false Disable death messages

Example: gamerule keepInventory true - Players will keep their inventory when they die

Server Management

Command Description
say <message> Broadcast a message to all players
seed Display the world seed
list Show all online players
stop Stop the server
save-all Force save the world
save-off Disable automatic saving
save-on Enable automatic saving

Note: When running commands from the Game Panel console, do not include the / prefix. When running commands in-game, you must include the / prefix.

Permission Levels

Minecraft uses a permission level system (0-4) that determines which commands operators can use. This is set in your server.properties file with the op-permission-level setting.

Level Description Example Commands
0 No operator permissions (regular player) Basic gameplay only
1 Can bypass spawn protection Building in spawn area
2 Can use cheat commands and command blocks /gamemode, /give, /tp, /time, /weather
3 Can use player management commands /kick, /ban, /op, /whitelist
4 Can use all commands (full access) /stop, /save-all, /save-off

By default, the op-permission-level is set to 4, meaning all operators have full access to every command. If you want to restrict what your operators can do, you can lower this value in server.properties.

Example: Setting op-permission-level=2 would allow operators to use gameplay commands like /gamemode and /tp, but they would not be able to kick, ban, or stop the server.

Plugins and Mods

The commands listed in this guide are vanilla Minecraft server commands. If you install plugins (Spigot/Paper servers) or mods (Forge/Fabric servers), additional commands will become available.

Common plugin command examples:

  • EssentialsX: /home, /warp, /tpa, /nick, /heal
  • WorldEdit: //wand, //set, //copy, //paste
  • LuckPerms: /lp user, /lp group

Check the documentation for any plugins or mods you install to learn their specific commands. Most plugins also include a help command, such as /<plugin name> help.

Need Help?

If you need assistance with server commands or configuration:

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