If you banned a player in Minecraft and want to let them back in, the command you need is pardon. Minecraft separates name bans from IP bans, so unbanning cleanly means knowing which one was applied and using the matching command. This guide shows how to unban someone in Minecraft three ways — from the Loafhosts LPV5 console, in-game as an operator, and by editing the ban files directly — plus the unban command for IP addresses and a quick reference on how to ban in the first place. Everything here works on any vanilla, Paper, Purpur, or Spigot server.
How Banning and Unbanning Work
Minecraft keeps two ban lists. Name bans are stored in banned-players.json and are added with the ban command and removed with pardon. IP bans are stored in banned-ips.json and are added with ban-ip and removed with pardon-ip. The important detail is that pardon only clears a name ban — if a player was IP banned, you must also pardon their IP or they will still be blocked. You can run these commands from the server console, from in-game as an operator, or you can edit the JSON files directly. The banlist command shows everyone currently banned so you can confirm which list an entry is on.
Note: Name bans live in banned-players.json; IP bans live in banned-ips.json
Note: pardon clears a name ban; pardon-ip clears an IP ban — a player hit by both needs both
Unban a Player with the Pardon Command
The standard way to unban someone is the pardon command followed by their username. Run it from the server console without a leading slash, or in-game with a leading slash as an operator. Minecraft resolves the username to the player’s account, so you do not need their UUID for a normal name ban. After it runs, the player is removed from banned-players.json immediately and can rejoin without a restart.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
pardon Notch | Removes a name ban for the player Notch. Drop the leading slash in the console; add a slash in-game. | Console output: Unbanned player Notch |
- Open the server console (on Loafhosts, the Console tab in the LPV5 panel)
- Type pardon followed by the player’s username
- Press Enter and confirm the unbanned message appears
- Ask the player to reconnect — no restart is needed
Tip: From the console, omit the leading slash; in-game as an operator, include it
Tip: A normal name ban does not need a UUID — the username is enough
Unban an IP Address
If you used ban-ip, the block is on the address, not the name, so pardon alone will not let the player in. Use pardon-ip with the exact IP address that was banned. You can find banned addresses with banlist ips or by opening banned-ips.json. This is also how you clear an IP ban that accidentally caught a whole household or a shared connection.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
pardon-ip 203.0.113.5 | Removes an IP ban for the given address. | Console output: Unbanned IP address 203.0.113.5 |
banlist ips | Lists every currently IP-banned address so you can confirm the exact value to pardon. |
Warning: A player hit by both a name ban and an IP ban must be cleared with pardon and pardon-ip
Unban from the Loafhosts LPV5 Console
On Loafhosts you do not need to be in-game or an operator to unban — the LPV5 console runs as the server itself. Open your server in the panel, go to the Console tab, and type the pardon command without a slash. The Player Manager also lists known players and their ban state, giving you a click-driven way to ban and unban without remembering the exact command. Because the console has full server authority, this is the most reliable place to lift a ban, especially if no operator is online.
- Open your server in the LPV5 panel at hub.loafhosts.com
- Open the Console tab
- Type pardon and the username (or pardon-ip and the address) and press Enter
- Confirm the unbanned message, or use the Player Manager to unban from a list
Tip: The LPV5 console acts as the server, so you can unban even with no operator online
Tip: The Player Manager offers click-to-unban if you would rather not type the command
Unban In-Game as an Operator
If you are an operator on the server you can unban from the chat box. Type the pardon command with a leading slash and the username. You must already have operator status — a banned player obviously cannot run it, and a normal player without op will be told they lack permission. For IP bans, the in-game pardon-ip command works the same way. If you are not an operator and cannot become one, use the console method above instead.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/pardon PlayerName | In-game operator command to lift a name ban. |
/pardon-ip 203.0.113.5 | In-game operator command to lift an IP ban. |
Edit banned-players.json Directly
When a name is misspelled, an account renamed, or the server will not start to run a command, you can edit the ban files by hand. Open the File Manager in the LPV5 panel, open banned-players.json (or banned-ips.json for IP bans), remove the JSON object for the player you want to unban, and save. Each entry is an object with the player’s UUID, name, and ban details. Because the file is read into memory, run pardon afterward or restart the server so the change takes effect rather than being overwritten.
- Open the File Manager in the LPV5 panel and find banned-players.json in the server root
- Locate the entry for the player and delete that whole object, keeping the JSON valid
- Save the file
- Restart the server (or run pardon) so the in-memory ban list matches the file
Warning: Keep the JSON valid when you delete an entry — a broken file can clear or corrupt the whole ban list
Warning: The server holds the ban list in memory; restart or run pardon so your edit is not overwritten
How to Ban a Player (for Reference)
For completeness, the commands you are reversing are ban and ban-ip. The ban command takes a username and an optional reason that the player sees when they try to join. The ban-ip command takes a username or a literal IP address. Use banlist at any time to review who is currently banned. Keeping bans by name rather than by IP is usually cleaner, since IP bans can catch innocent players who share a connection.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ban Griefer123 Repeated griefing | Bans a player by name with a reason shown on their next join attempt. |
ban-ip Griefer123 | Bans the IP address currently associated with that player. |
banlist | Shows all currently banned players; add ips to show banned addresses. |
Tip: Prefer name bans over IP bans to avoid blocking innocent players on a shared connection
Troubleshooting: Pardon Not Working
If pardon does nothing, check three things. First, permission: in-game you must be an operator, or run it from the console instead. Second, the ban type: if the player was IP banned, pardon by name will not help — use pardon-ip. Third, spelling: the username must match the banned entry, and for offline or renamed accounts you may need to clear the entry from banned-players.json by UUID instead. Run banlist to see exactly what is banned and on which list before trying again.
Tip: Run banlist (and banlist ips) to confirm the exact entry before retrying
Tip: If a name no longer resolves, remove its entry from banned-players.json by UUID
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the command to unban someone in Minecraft?
Use pardon followed by the player’s username. From the server console type it without a leading slash, for example pardon Notch; in-game as an operator type /pardon Notch. The player can rejoin immediately, with no restart required.
How do I unban an IP address in Minecraft?
Use pardon-ip followed by the exact address, for example pardon-ip 203.0.113.5. A player who was both name banned and IP banned must be cleared with both pardon and pardon-ip. Run banlist ips to see which addresses are banned.
How do I unban a player from the Loafhosts console?
Open your server in the LPV5 panel, go to the Console tab, and type pardon and the username without a slash. The console runs as the server, so you can unban even when no operator is online — or use the Player Manager to unban from a list.
Why won’t my pardon command work?
Usually one of three reasons: you are not an operator (run it from the console instead), the player was IP banned so you need pardon-ip, or the username does not match the banned entry. Run banlist to confirm exactly what is banned before trying again.
How do I see who is banned on my server?
Run banlist to list banned players and banlist ips to list banned addresses. You can also open banned-players.json and banned-ips.json in the LPV5 File Manager to see every entry directly.