Ban, Kick and Unban Players on a Minecraft Server

Kick, ban or IP ban: which to use

A kick is a warning: it disconnects them and they can join again that very moment. It's for cutting off something that's happening right now, like someone who won't stop spamming the chat.

A ban puts them on the banned list by their Minecraft account: even if they change their name, they stay out, because the server stores their UUID. It's the normal choice for someone who has really misbehaved.

An IP ban (ban-ip) blocks their connection, not their account. Use it only if someone keeps coming back with new accounts. Watch out: in a household, a school or on mobile data many people share the same IP, and they all get caught; and many home IPs change by themselves, so after a few days it may block someone else and let in the person you wanted out.

The commands

In the server console they're typed without the slash; in the game chat, with the slash and as an admin (op). The reason is optional, and the player sees it when they try to join.

1. kick Name [reason]

   Removes them from the server. For example: kick Steve Stop spamming.

2. ban Name [reason]

   Removes them and won't let them back. It's saved in banned-players.json.

3. ban-ip Name or ban-ip 1.2.3.4

   Blocks the IP that player is connected with (or the IP you type). It's saved in banned-ips.json.

4. banlist players and banlist ips

   Show who is banned by name and which IPs are blocked. If someone says they can't join, check both.

5. pardon Name

   Lifts the name ban: they can come back straight away, no restart needed.

6. pardon-ip 1.2.3.4

   Lifts the block on an IP. It needs the exact IP, not the name: you get it from banlist ips.

Unbanning someone (or yourself)

pardon only lifts the name ban. If you also banned their IP, they still can't join until you run pardon-ip with their IP: it's the most common mistake behind “I unbanned them and they can't get in”.

If you've banned yourself, or a friend with op has banned you, you don't need to get into the game: the panel console can't be banned. Type pardon YourName there (and pardon-ip if you also did the IP). With the server stopped, you can also open banned-players.json in “Files” and remove your entry.

Before giving op to someone, bear in mind that an op can ban anyone, you included. For moderators who only kick or mute, a LuckPerms group with those permissions is better (the LuckPerms guide explains it).

Temporary bans and muting

Minecraft doesn't come with bans that have an end date: ban lasts until someone runs pardon. For “three days out” you need a plugin. The most common one is EssentialsX, which adds tempban Name 3d reason (also h for hours and m for minutes) and mute to silence someone in chat without kicking anyone. When the time is up, the ban lifts by itself.

For servers with lots of people there are punishment-only plugins (LiteBans, AdvancedBan) that keep each player's history, warnings and appeals. For a server among friends, EssentialsX is more than enough.

How it's done on NapNodes, without commands

In the panel, inside the server, “Settings” → “Players” has three tabs: “Whitelist”, “Operators” and “Banned”. In “Banned” you type the exact Minecraft name and “Add”; to pardon them, “Remove” next to their name.

With the server running, the panel sends the server ban or pardon, just as if you typed it in the “Console”, and kicks them right away. With the server stopped, it adds the player to banned-players.json with the account Mojang returns, and it counts from when you start it.

If your server accepts unofficial accounts (“Official Minecraft accounts only” turned off), ban with the server running: those accounts aren't Mojang's, and with the server stopped the panel would record a different one. The same goes for Bedrock players (Geyser): their name doesn't fit in the panel's box, so they're banned from the “Console” with ban and the name exactly as it appears when you type list, while they're connected.

IP bans and temporary bans don't have a button: they go through the “Console” (or through EssentialsX, which is installed from “Mods & plugins”).

1. Open “Settings”

   Inside your server, in the menu.

2. Go to “Players” → “Banned”

   In “Settings”, further down, the third tab of “Players”.

3. Type their name and “Add”

   The exact name, 3 to 16 letters, numbers or _. If they're playing, they're removed at that moment.

4. To pardon them, “Remove”

   They can join again straight away.

So you don't need to ban

On a server among friends, what works best is not letting in people you don't know: with the whitelist on, only the names you add can join, and there's nobody to ban (whitelist on and whitelist add Name, or the “Whitelist” tab on that same screen).

If the server is open, a land protection plugin (GriefPrevention, WorldGuard) and another that logs who broke what (CoreProtect) keep a ban from coming too late: whatever they wrecked is undone with one command. They're in the guide on protecting your server from griefers.

Frequently asked questions