A whitelist restricts your server to only approved players, perfect for private servers or communities that want to control who can join. This guide covers setting up and managing your Minecraft server whitelist.
Enabling the Whitelist
You can enable the whitelist through commands or by editing server.properties.
/whitelist onEnable the whitelist - only whitelisted players can join
Example: Run from console or as op
/whitelist offDisable the whitelist - anyone can join (subject to bans)
Example: Use for public events
Tip
- You can also set white-list=true in server.properties
- Set enforce-whitelist=true to kick non-whitelisted players when whitelist is enabled
Managing Whitelisted Players
Add and remove players from your whitelist with these commands.
/whitelist add <player>Add a player to the whitelist
Example: /whitelist add Steve
/whitelist remove <player>Remove a player from the whitelist
Example: /whitelist remove Steve
/whitelist listShow all whitelisted players
Example: Displays names only
/whitelist reloadReload the whitelist from file
Example: Use after manual edits
Understanding whitelist.json
The whitelist is stored in whitelist.json in your server folder. You can edit this file directly while the server is stopped.
- 1Each entry contains a uuid and name field
- 2UUIDs ensure the whitelist works even if players change names
- 3Format: {"uuid": "xxxxx", "name": "PlayerName"}
- 4Use /whitelist reload after manual edits if the server is running
Whitelist Best Practices
Tips for managing a whitelisted server effectively.
Tip
- Create an application process for new players to join
- Use a Discord bot or website to automate whitelist applications
- Keep a backup of your whitelist.json file
- Consider using a plugin for temporary whitelist access
- Set enforce-whitelist=true to immediately kick removed players
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