How to Op Yourself and Manage Admins on a Minecraft Server

Operators (ops) are the admins of a Minecraft server — they can run commands, kick players, change the world, and more. This guide shows how to op yourself, control what ops can do, and manage admins without handing out too much power.

Op yourself from the console

The cleanest way is from the server console (which always has full authority). Type:

op YourUsername

That grants operator status immediately. To remove it later:

deop SomeUsername

An existing op can also run these commands in-game. If you've locked the server with a whitelist, remember ops bypass it.

Where op data lives

Operators are stored in ops.json in the server root. Each entry records the player and their permission level:

[
  {
    "uuid": "069a79f4-44e9-4726-a5be-fca90e38aaf5",
    "name": "Steve",
    "level": 4,
    "bypassesPlayerLimit": false
  }
]

Op permission levels

There are four levels, set per-op in ops.json and capped by op-permission-level in server.properties:

• Level 1: bypass spawn protection.
• Level 2: use most single-player cheat commands (/gamemode, /give, command blocks).
• Level 3: player management (/kick, /ban, /op others).
• Level 4: full control, including /stop.

Give trusted admins level 4 only if they truly need it. A moderator might only need level 3.

The safer alternative: a permissions plugin

Op is all-or-nothing per level. For a real server, a permissions plugin like LuckPerms on a Paper server lets you grant *specific* commands to specific roles — a "helper" who can only kick and mute, for example — without full op. Install LuckPerms as a plugin and define groups:

/lp creategroup moderator
/lp group moderator permission set essentials.kick true
/lp user Alex parent add moderator

This pairs well with EssentialsX and is how most survival SMPs handle staff ranks — see the best survival plugins.

Keep admin access tight

Every op is a potential point of failure — a compromised or careless admin can wipe a world. Keep the op list short, use permission plugins for graded access, and always keep backups in case something goes wrong.

What each op level actually unlocks

The four levels are cumulative — level 4 includes everything below it. Knowing the boundaries helps you hand out the *right* amount of power:

• Level 2 is the big one: it unlocks cheat commands like /gamemode, /give, /tp, and /setblock, plus the use of command blocks. A map-maker needs this; a moderator usually doesn't.
• Level 3 adds player management — /kick, /ban, and /op//deop others. This is the moderator tier.
• Level 4 adds server control including /stop. Reserve it for owners.

Set a player's level directly in ops.json, and cap the maximum with op-permission-level in server.properties.

Command blocks and functions

Two related settings matter for map-makers and automation:

enable-command-block=true
function-permission-level=2

enable-command-block allows command blocks at all; function-permission-level controls what datapack functions are allowed to do. Leave these at their defaults on a survival server — only raise them if you're deliberately running command-block contraptions or custom datapacks, since they let players run powerful commands.

Audit who has access

On any server that's been running a while, periodically review who's an operator — old admins and one-off grants pile up, and every op is a risk to the world. Check the list:

cat ops.json

Remove anyone who no longer needs it with /deop. For a server with staff ranks, the cleaner long-term approach is a permissions plugin like LuckPerms on a Paper server, which gives graded, revocable access instead of blunt op levels — and pairs neatly with EssentialsX and the whitelist. Whatever your setup, keep backups in case an admin mistake needs undoing.

Delegating without giving away the server

The goal of good admin management is letting trusted people help *without* handing them the keys to everything. Vanilla op is blunt — even level 2 lets someone /give themselves anything and spawn in items, which undermines survival. That's why serious servers move to a permissions plugin. With LuckPerms on a Paper server, you build roles: a helper who can only mute and kick, a moderator who can also ban and teleport, and an admin with broad access — each granted exactly the commands they need and nothing more. Grants are revocable in one command if someone leaves, and every action can be logged. This graded model scales from a small friends' SMP to a busy community far better than passing out op. Whatever approach you use, keep backups so an admin mistake is always recoverable.

FAQ

How do I op myself in Minecraft?

Run op YourUsername in the server console, or have an existing operator run it in-game.

What are the op permission levels?

1 bypasses spawn protection, 2 allows cheat commands, 3 adds player management, 4 grants full control including /stop.

Where are operators stored?

In ops.json in the server root, with each op's UUID, name, and level.

How do I give someone limited admin powers?

Use a permissions plugin like LuckPerms to grant specific commands to a role, instead of full op. That's far safer than op level 4.

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