A whitelist lets only approved players join your Minecraft server — the simplest way to keep a private SMP free of random joiners and griefers. Here is how to enable it and manage who is allowed in.
Quick answer
To whitelist a Minecraft server, run whitelist on in the console (or /whitelist on in-game as an operator), then add players with whitelist add Name and remove them with whitelist remove Name. You can also set white-list=true in server.properties and restart. Operators can always join.
With the whitelist on, only players you have added can connect; everyone else is rejected. Operators (ops) can always join even if they are not whitelisted.
Enable the whitelist
The quickest way is from the server console, or in-game as an operator:
/whitelist onYou can also set white-list=true in server.properties and restart. On a control panel there is usually a whitelist toggle.
Add and remove players
/whitelist add PlayerName
/whitelist remove PlayerName
/whitelist listIf you edit the list outside the game, run /whitelist reload to apply the changes without a full restart.
The whitelist.json file
Whitelisted players are stored in whitelist.json in the server folder, each with a name and UUID. Adding players in-game or by console is safer than editing the file by hand, because the UUID has to match the account.
Online-mode vs offline-mode whitelists
In normal online-mode the whitelist uses each player's real UUID, so names are verified. On a cracked/offline server, UUIDs are generated from the name, so anyone using that exact name can get in — the whitelist is far weaker. Keep online-mode on where you can.
Whitelist not working?
- You added the player before enabling it — run
/whitelist reload. - A typo in the player's name.
- An offline-mode UUID mismatch on a cracked server.
- Ops bypass the whitelist by design, which can look like it "isn't working".
A whitelist is the one-command way to make a server invite-only. Turn it on, add your friends, and random joiners simply cannot get in.
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