How to enable Command Blocks on a Minecraft Server

This Minecraft tutorial explains how to enable command blocks on a Minecraft server with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

By default when you start a new Minecraft server, command blocks will be disabled even for players with operator status.

command blocks disabled

This means that players can not program or run command blocks on the multiplayer server. You can enable command blocks by changing a setting in the server.properties file.

Let's explore how to allow command blocks on a Minecraft server.

Supported Platforms

Allowing command blocks on a server is available in the following versions of Minecraft:

PlatformSupported (Version*)
Java Edition (PC/Mac) Java Edition (PC/Mac)Yes
Pocket Edition (PE) Pocket Edition (PE)No
Xbox 360 Xbox 360No
Xbox One Xbox OneNo
PS3 PS3No
PS4 PS4No
Wii U Wii UNo
Nintendo Switch Nintendo SwitchNo
Windows 10 Edition Windows 10 EditionNo
Education Edition Education EditionNo

* The version that it was added or removed, if applicable.
NOTE: Pocket Edition (PE), Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows 10 Edition are now called Bedrock Edition. We will continue to show them individually for version history.

Requirements

You have to first create a multiplayer server in Minecraft and have privileges to update the server.properties file.

What is the server.properties File?

The server.properties file contains all of the customizable settings for a multiplayer Minecraft server.

Here is what the server.properties file looks like:

#Minecraft server properties
#Mon Oct 24 09:22:22 MDT 2016
spawn-protection=16
max-tick-time=60000
generator-settings=
force-gamemode=false
allow-nether=true
gamemode=0
broadcast-console-to-ops=true
enable-query=false
player-idle-timeout=0
difficulty=1
spawn-monsters=true
op-permission-level=4
announce-player-achievements=true
pvp=true
snooper-enabled=true
level-type=DEFAULT
hardcore=false
enable-command-block=false
max-players=20
network-compression-threshold=256
resource-pack-sha1=
max-world-size=29999984
server-port=25565
server-ip=
spawn-npcs=true
allow-flight=false
level-name=world
view-distance=10
resource-pack=10
spawn-animals=true
online-mode=true
max-build-height=256
level-seed=
use-native-transport=true
enable-rcon=false
motd=A Minecraft Server

Each property is stored on its own line in the server.properties file and contains the custom settings for the Minecraft server. The value before the equal sign is the property name and the value after the equal sign is the setting for the property.

In this example, the enable-command-block property is set to false so players can not program or run command blocks on the server. To enable command blocks, you must change the enable-command-block property to true in the server.properties file:

enable-command-block=true

Steps to Enable Command Blocks on a Server

Let's go through the steps to enable command blocks on a Minecraft server.

1. Stop the Minecraft Server

Before you edit the server.properties file, you should first shutdown the server. If you don't shutdown the server, any settings you change may be overwritten when the server shutdowns next.

To shutdown the server, type the /stop command:

/stop

To enter the /stop command in Minecraft, you must enter it as a server command (see below):

stop command

You should see the message "Stopping the server" appear in the server console. Once the command has been entered, the server will stop and all server data will be saved to disk.

2. Edit the server.properties file

Now that you have shutdown the server, you can edit the server.properties file without any worries that your changes will be overwritten. To enable command blocks, change the enable-command-block property in the server.properties file to true:

enable-command-block=true

3. Restart the Minecraft Server

Finally, restart the Minecraft server so that the changes to the server.properties file can take affect. Once the server is running again, players (who have operator status) will be able to program and run command blocks.

Congratulations, you just learned how to enable command blocks on a Minecraft server!

Other Server Commands

Here are some other server commands you can use in Minecraft: