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Minecraft server commands cheat sheet

The default Minecraft Java commands for players, bans, the whitelist, time and saving, with syntax and operator level, and how to send them from the Console.

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These are the commands that ship with the Minecraft Java server itself, as the Minecraft Wiki documents them for the vanilla server. Paper, Purpur and the other server types can add to them or change how some behave, so treat this as the vanilla baseline. Type them into the Console tab without the leading slash, or into game chat with the slash once you are an operator. Plugins and mods add their own commands on top of these.

Checked against the Minecraft Wiki's command pages, October 2026. Mojang changes commands between versions, so run help on your own server if one does not behave as shown.

How to send a command

  1. Open your server's Console tab.
  2. Click the Send a command box and type the command with no slash.
  3. Press Enter. The reply shows in the console.

Commands such as stop, op, ban and kick ask you to confirm first, with Run command. The list icon next to the box, Browse all commands, opens a searchable list of everything the box knows. How to use your server console has the rest.

Permission levels

Each command has an operator level from 0 to 4. Commands marked level 0 on the Minecraft Wiki, such as help, list and msg, need an operator level of 0, which is the level a player who is not an operator has. For the rest, you can run a command in game only if your level is high enough, and op gives new operators the level in op-permission-level in server.properties, which defaults to 4. The levels below matter most for people typing commands in game.

Information and chat

CommandWhat it doesLevel
helpShows command help0
listLists players online. list uuids adds their UUIDs0
say <message>Broadcasts a message to everyone2
msg <targets> <message>Sends a private message. tell and w do the same0
seedShows the world seed2 on a server

Players

CommandWhat it doesLevel
op <targets>Makes a player an operator3
deop <targets>Removes operator status3
gamemode <gamemode> [<target>]Sets survival, creative, adventure or spectator2
give <targets> <item> [<count>]Gives an item, with a count of 1 if you leave it out2
tp <targets> <destination>Teleports players to another player. tp <targets> <location> sends them to coordinates instead. teleport is the same command2
kick <targets> [<reason>]Disconnects a player, with an optional reason3

Whitelist and bans

CommandWhat it doesLevel
whitelist add <targets>Adds a player. They need not be online3
whitelist remove <targets>Removes a player3
whitelist on and whitelist offTurns the whitelist on or off3
whitelist listShows who is on it3
whitelist reloadRereads whitelist.json after you edit it by hand3
ban <targets> [<reason>]Bans a player3
ban-ip <target> [<reason>]Bans an IP address, or the address of an online player3
pardon <targets>Lifts a ban3
pardon-ip <target>Lifts an IP ban3
banlistShows the ban list. Add ips or players to show just one kind3

The Players tab does the same with buttons: Whitelist, Operators, Bans and Banned IPs. Minecraft whitelist: add players, set ops covers it.

World

CommandWhat it doesLevel
time set daySets the time of day. night, noon and midnight also work2
weather clearSets the weather. rain and thunder also work, with an optional duration2
difficulty <level>Sets peaceful, easy, normal or hard. Without a level it shows the current one2
setworldspawn [<pos>] [<angle>]Sets the world spawn, to the block where the command runs if you leave it out2

For rules such as keeping items on death, see Minecraft game rules.

Saving and stopping

CommandWhat it doesLevel
save-allSaves the server. Players save at once, and chunks are written gradually4
save-all flushSaves everything immediately and freezes the server briefly4
stopSaves, stops the server and disconnects everyone4

For a normal stop, use Stop on the Console tab instead of typing it.

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