Here's how to connect to your Minecraft server (Paper, Java Edition) and adjust the most important settings.

Connecting

Open the server page in the client area and click Start.
Wait until the status shows “running”. You can follow the progress in the Console tab.
Copy the address (IP:Port) at the top of the server page.
In Minecraft (Java Edition), choose Multiplayer → Add Server, enter the address and join.

Important settings

In the Startup variables tab:

Minecraft version (MINECRAFT_VERSION) – the version to load; latest for the newest.
Build number (BUILD_NUMBER) – Paper build; latest for the newest.
Server JAR file (SERVER_JARFILE) – name of the JAR file the server starts with.

You set the server name (MOTD), player count, game mode and other game rules in the file server.properties in the Files tab. Changes in the Startup variables tab take effect on the next restart.

The most important entries in server.properties

The server.properties file in the Files tab controls your server. Stop the server before editing it:

motd= – text below the server name in the server list
difficulty= – peaceful, easy, normal or hard
gamemode= – survival, creative, adventure or spectator for new players
pvp= – true or false
max-players= – maximum number of players
view-distance= and simulation-distance= – view distance and active area in chunks; smaller values noticeably reduce server load
spawn-protection= – radius around spawn where only operators can build (0 = off)

Operators and whitelist

In the Console tab, enter commands without a slash:

op playername – makes a player an operator
whitelist on and whitelist add playername – only listed players may join
save-all – saves the world immediately, useful before a restart

How much memory?

The base configuration is enough for vanilla with a few friends. The more players play at the same time and the more plugins or mods run, the more memory the server needs. Modpacks usually need 6 GB or more. You can upgrade at any time in the client area.

Good to know

You can install other versions, server software (e.g. Purpur, Fabric, Forge), plugins and modpacks with one click in the Installer tab – more on this in the article “Minecraft: install plugins, mods and modpacks”.
The Minecraft version in the game must match the server version.

Minecraft: connect to and set up your server