🎉 Save 25% on your first month with code: DOOM25

How to Change Player Count for Minecraft Servers

Learn how to modify the maximum player count on your Minecraft server using server.properties. Step-by-step guide to increase or decrease player limits on your server.

Andreas
16 min read
Jun 6, 2025
Last updated: Jun 6, 2025

How to Change Player Count for Minecraft Server

Minecraft is a sandbox game that allows players to explore and build in a block-based world. One of the key features of Minecraft is the ability to play with others on multiplayer servers. The server.properties file allows server administrators to configure their Minecraft servers. One of the settings in this file is the player count, which determines how many players can join the server at one time. Here's how to change the player count in server.properties for Minecraft.

Step 1: Access server.properties

The server.properties file is located in the main directory of your Minecraft server. To access it, you'll need to have access to the server files, which you can access using our custom panel or FTP client. DoomHosting allows you to edit server.properties directly through the panel.

Step 2: Change the player count setting

Once you have access to server.properties, you'll need to locate the setting for player count. Look for the line that reads "max-players=". The number after the equals sign is the current player count setting. Change this number to the desired number of players you want to allow on the server.

For example, if the line reads "max-players=20", and you want to increase the player count to 30, change the line to "max-players=30".

Step 3: Save the changes

Once you've made the changes to the player count setting, save the server.properties file. If you're using a text editor to make the changes, simply save the file and close the editor. If you're using a control panel or file manager, there should be an option to save the changes.

Step 4: Restart the server

After saving the changes to server.properties, you'll need to restart your Minecraft server for the changes to take effect. Players will not be able to join the server until it has been restarted.

To restart the server, you can use the stop and start commands in the server console. Type "stop" in the console to stop the server, then type "start" to start it again. Alternatively, you can restart the server through DoomHosting's control panel.

Important Considerations

Changing the player count in server.properties for Minecraft is a simple process. By following these steps, you can easily adjust the number of players allowed on your server to meet your needs. It's important to note that increasing the player count may require more resources from your server, so be sure to monitor performance and adjust settings as necessary.

Higher player counts require more RAM and processing power, so ensure your hosting plan can handle the increased load before making significant changes to the maximum player limit.

Need help adjusting your Minecraft server's player count? Contact our support team for assistance.