Players, whitelist, and bans
The Players tab gives you the common access controls for a Minecraft server: who can join, who can moderate, and who is blocked.
Whitelist
Use it when your server should be invite-only.
Operators
Use ops for trusted players who can run powerful commands.
Bans
Use bans when kick is not enough and a player should stay out.
What loads while the server is stopped
Player lists are read from the server files, so whitelist entries, operators, player bans, and IP bans can display even when the server is stopped. Actions such as kick, op, deop, ban, pardon, and whitelist changes send commands to the server and need it to be running.
Add a player to the whitelist
- Start the server if it is stopped.
- Open Players, then find the whitelist section.
- Enter the exact Minecraft username and add it.
- Ask the player to reconnect if they were already on the join screen.
Operators are effectively admins in-game.
Only op players you trust. Operators can change game rules, whitelist players, ban players, and run commands that affect the whole world.
Kick, ban, and pardon
Kick removes a player from the current session. Ban blocks the account from joining again. Pardon removes a player ban. Use the lightest action that solves the problem, especially on private friend servers where mistakes are common.
IP bans
Banned IP addresses are shown on Players for visibility. To add or lift an IP ban, use the Console commands ban-ip and pardon-ip.