# How to Change the Mob Spawn Rate on a Minecraft Server

> Spawn more or fewer mobs on your Minecraft server, with Paper's spawn limits or Minecraft's built-in settings.

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

How many mobs spawn depends on your server software. Paper gives you the most control.

## On Paper

Paper reads spawn limits from `bukkit.yml`.

1. Open **Files** and click **`bukkit.yml`**.
2. Find the `spawn-limits` section:

```yaml
spawn-limits:
  monsters: 70
  animals: 10
  water-animals: 5
  water-ambient: 20
  water-underground-creature: 5
  axolotls: 5
  ambient: 15
```

3. Raise a number for more of that mob type, or lower it for fewer.
4. Further down, `ticks-per` controls how often each type tries to spawn. Higher means less often.
5. Save (**Ctrl/Cmd + S**) and restart the server from **Console**.

Paper's `config/paper-world-defaults.yml` has finer settings, such as `despawn-ranges`.

## On Vanilla, Fabric, Forge or NeoForge

Vanilla has no spawn-limit file. You can:

- turn monsters off or on with `spawn-monsters` in `server.properties`;
- change the difficulty, which changes how many hostile mobs spawn;
- turn natural spawning off with the game rule `doMobSpawning`.

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 `spawn-monsters` to `true` or `false`, save, and restart.

To stop all natural spawning, run this in **Console**:

```
gamerule doMobSpawning false
```

> [!NOTE]
> Since Minecraft 1.21.11, game rule names are written in snake_case (`keepInventory` became `keep_inventory`). On those versions, type `gamerule ` in **Console** and press **Tab** to see the exact names.

On Fabric or Forge, mods such as **In Control!** add spawn limits like Paper's. Install them from **Package Manager**.

> [!TIP]
> Fewer mobs means less lag. If your server struggles with many players, lowering `monsters` in `bukkit.yml` is one of the quickest wins.