Managing a Minecraft server requires knowledge of essential commands. Whether you're running a small private server or a large public community, these commands will help you maintain order, manage players, and customize your server experience.
Operator Management Commands
/op <player>Grant operator status to a player, giving them full admin permissions (level 4)
Example: /op Steve
/deop <player>Remove operator status from a player
Example: /deop Steve
Tip
- Run op commands from the server console for the most reliable results
- Operator levels range from 1-4, with 4 being full access
- Edit ops.json directly for more granular permission levels
Player Management Commands
/kick <player> [reason]Remove a player from the server temporarily
Example: /kick Steve Please read the rules
/ban <player> [reason]Permanently ban a player from the server
Example: /ban Steve Griefing spawn
/ban-ip <IP|player> [reason]Ban an IP address to prevent all connections from that address
Example: /ban-ip Steve Alt account abuse
/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
Teleportation Commands
/tp <player>Teleport yourself to another player
Example: /tp Steve
/tp <player> <destination>Teleport one player to another
Example: /tp Steve Alex
/tp <x> <y> <z>Teleport to specific coordinates
Example: /tp 100 64 -200
/tp <player> <x> <y> <z>Teleport a player to specific coordinates
Example: /tp Steve 0 64 0
World Management Commands
/time set <time>Set the world time (day=1000, noon=6000, night=13000, midnight=18000)
Example: /time set day
/weather <clear|rain|thunder> [duration]Set the weather conditions
Example: /weather clear
/gamerule <rule> <value>Modify game rules
Example: /gamerule keepInventory true
/difficulty <level>Set server difficulty (peaceful, easy, normal, hard)
Example: /difficulty hard
Tip
- Use /gamerule keepInventory true to let players keep items on death
- Set /gamerule mobGriefing false to prevent creeper and enderman damage
- Use /gamerule doDaylightCycle false to freeze time
Gamemode Commands
/gamemode <mode> [player]Set gamemode (survival, creative, adventure, spectator)
Example: /gamemode creative Steve
/defaultgamemode <mode>Set the default gamemode for new players
Example: /defaultgamemode survival
Item and Entity Commands
/give <player> <item> [amount]Give items to a player
Example: /give Steve diamond 64
/clear <player> [item]Clear items from a player's inventory
Example: /clear Steve
/kill <target>Kill entities or players
Example: /kill @e[type=zombie]
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