Generate a Minecraft Bedrock server.properties

Bedrock's config is also called server.properties and looks just like Java's, which is exactly what causes trouble: many of the keys are different, and a Java file copied over is mostly ignored.

Visual Settings

key value Format

Identity

server-name

The name players see for the server. Bedrock has no separate MOTD line.

server-port

The IPv4 port, over UDP. Change it only when running several servers on one machine.

server-portv6

The IPv6 port, over UDP. Must differ from server-port.

Gameplay

gamemode

The mode new players start in.

force-gamemode

On: players are put into the server gamemode every time they join, instead of the mode saved for them.

difficulty

Peaceful removes hostile mobs. Bedrock servers start on easy, not normal like Java.

allow-cheats

Lets operators use cheat commands such as /give and /gamemode. Turning it on disables achievements for the world.

World

level-name

The world folder inside worlds/. A name with no matching folder makes the server generate a new world.

level-seed

Only used when a new world is generated.

Players & Access

max-players

Players allowed online at once. The practical limit is your CPU and upload, not this number.

online-mode

Requires every player to be signed in to a Microsoft/Xbox account. Off lets anyone connect unauthenticated - only safe on a private LAN.

allow-list

Only players in allowlist.json can join. Older server versions called this white-list.

default-player-permission-level

What a player who joins for the first time may do. Visitors can only look around; members can build and fight.

player-idle-timeout

Minutes a player can stand idle before being kicked. 0 turns the kick off.

texturepack-required

Makes players accept the world's resource packs to join.

Performance

view-distance

The furthest a player can see, in chunks. Memory and bandwidth grow with the square of this.

tick-distance

How far around each player, in chunks, the world is simulated - mobs, crops, redstone. The biggest single lever on CPU.

max-threads

The most threads the server will use. 0 lets it use as many as it wants.

Network

enable-lan-visibility

Lets players on the same local network see the server in their Friends tab without typing an address.

server.properties

server-name=Dedicated Server
server-port=19132
server-portv6=19133
gamemode=survival
force-gamemode=false
difficulty=easy
allow-cheats=false
level-name=Bedrock level
level-seed=
max-players=10
online-mode=true
allow-list=false
default-player-permission-level=member
player-idle-timeout=30
texturepack-required=false
view-distance=32
tick-distance=4
max-threads=8
enable-lan-visibility=true

The server.properties format

One key=value per line, with no quotes and no spaces around the equals sign. Booleans are true and false. The world is chosen by level-name, which names a folder inside worlds/. The server reads the file once at startup, so every change needs a restart.

The mistake that wastes an evening

Keys that only exist on Java — motd, pvp, spawn-protection, enable-rcon — do nothing here, and nothing warns you. The whitelist setting is allow-list, backed by allowlist.json (older versions used white-list). And turning allow-cheats on disables achievements for everyone on that world.

How much RAM a Minecraft Bedrock server needs Check a Minecraft Bedrock server’s status Minecraft Bedrock server hosting All games

Visual Settings

server.properties

The server.properties format

The mistake that wastes an evening

Rather not run the server yourself?