# How to Change the Max Players on a Minecraft Server

> Change how many players can be online at once.

Source: https://www.beaconhosting.org/knowledgebase/how-to-change-the-max-players-on-a-minecraft-server
Category: Minecraft
Last updated: 2026-11-05

## Change it

1. Open your server and go to **Files**.
2. Click **`server.properties`**. It opens in the **Minecraft Server Properties** editor.
3. Use **Search for property name...** to find the setting.
4. Set **`max-players`** to the number you want.
5. Save and restart the server from **Console**.

## How many can my server handle?

`max-players` is only a limit. How many players your server handles well depends on its memory and CPU, the plugins or mods, and what players do (big farms cost more than exploring). See [How Many Players Can a Minecraft Server Handle?](/knowledgebase/how-many-players-can-a-minecraft-server-handle).

> [!NOTE]
> Operators can join even when the server is full if you set `bypassesPlayerLimit` for them in `ops.json`.

## On a Velocity network

The limit players see is the **proxy's**: set `show-max-players` in `velocity.toml`. Each backend's `max-players` still applies on that server.