Maintaining a healthy server community sometimes requires removing problematic players. This guide covers all methods for banning and unbanning players on your Minecraft server, including username bans, IP bans, and temporary bans with plugins.
Basic Ban Commands
/ban <player> [reason]Permanently ban a player by their username. The ban persists even if they change their name.
Example: /ban Steve Griefing spawn area
/ban-ip <IP|player> [reason]Ban an IP address. You can specify an IP directly or a player's name to ban their current IP.
Example: /ban-ip 192.168.1.100 Alt account abuse
Tip
- Always include a reason for the ban - it helps with record-keeping
- Bans are stored in banned-players.json and banned-ips.json in your server folder
- The server automatically converts usernames to UUIDs internally, so bans persist through name changes
Unbanning Players
/pardon <player>Remove a player from the banned players list
Example: /pardon Steve
/pardon-ip <IP>Remove an IP address from the banned IPs list
Example: /pardon-ip 192.168.1.100
Understanding Ban Files
- 1banned-players.json - Contains banned player names, UUIDs, ban dates, and reasons
- 2banned-ips.json - Contains banned IP addresses with dates and reasons
- 3You can manually edit these files while the server is stopped
- 4Each entry includes: uuid, name, created date, source, expires (forever for permanent), and reason
Temporary Bans with Plugins
/tempban <player> <duration> [reason]EssentialsX: Temporarily ban a player
Example: /tempban Steve 7d Spamming chat
/tempban <player> <duration> [reason]LiteBans: Ban with advanced features like silent bans and appeals
Example: /tempban Steve 3h Toxic behavior
Tip
- Duration formats: s (seconds), m (minutes), h (hours), d (days), w (weeks)
- LiteBans offers a web interface for managing bans
- Consider using a ban management plugin for larger servers
Best Practices for Banning
Tip
- Always document the reason for bans - you'll thank yourself later
- Consider warnings before permanent bans for minor offenses
- Use IP bans sparingly - they can affect innocent players on shared networks
- Keep a log of ban appeals and decisions
- Train your moderators on consistent enforcement of rules
- Consider using a plugin like CoreProtect to gather evidence before banning for griefing
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