Minecraft OP Commands Guide (2026)
OP (operator) status gives players admin powers on a Minecraft server. There are four permission levels, each granting different commands.
How to OP a Player
From Console
op PlayerName
In-Game (as OP)
/op PlayerName
De-OP
/deop PlayerName
Permission Levels
| Level | Can Do | Example Role | |-------|--------|-------------| | 1 | Bypass spawn protection | Moderator (light) | | 2 | Use cheat commands (gamemode, give, tp) | Moderator | | 3 | Use server management (/ban, /kick, /op) | Admin | | 4 | Use /stop, /save-all, full access | Owner |
Set the default OP level in server.properties:
op-permission-level=4
Essential Admin Commands
Player Management
| Command | Level | Description | |---------|-------|-------------| | /kick Player reason | 3 | Kick a player | | /ban Player reason | 3 | Permanently ban | | /ban-ip IP | 3 | Ban by IP address | | /pardon Player | 3 | Unban a player | | /whitelist add Player | 3 | Add to whitelist | | /whitelist remove Player | 3 | Remove from whitelist |
Gameplay Commands
| Command | Level | Description | |---------|-------|-------------| | /gamemode survival Player | 2 | Change player gamemode | | /give Player item count | 2 | Give items | | /tp Player1 Player2 | 2 | Teleport players | | /time set day | 2 | Change time | | /weather clear | 2 | Change weather | | /gamerule keepInventory true | 2 | Change game rules | | /effect give Player effect | 2 | Apply potion effects | | /enchant Player enchantment level | 2 | Enchant held item |
Server Management
| Command | Level | Description | |---------|-------|-------------| | /stop | 4 | Shut down server | | /save-all | 4 | Force world save | | /save-off | 4 | Disable auto-save | | /save-on | 4 | Enable auto-save | | /reload | 3 | Reload data packs | | /seed | 2 | Show world seed |
ops.json
OP status is stored in ops.json in the server root:
[
{
"uuid": "player-uuid",
"name": "PlayerName",
"level": 4,
"bypassesPlayerLimit": false
}
]
You can edit this file directly to set specific permission levels per player.
Best Practices
- Give yourself level 4 (full access)
- Give trusted admins level 3
- Give moderators level 2
- Avoid giving OP to regular players
- Use a permissions plugin (LuckPerms) for fine-grained control instead of OP
- OP is all-or-nothing per level. Permissions plugins let you grant specific commands
Admin your server. View Minecraft Hosting Plans
