How to Set Player Idle Timeout on Your Minecraft Server
Learn how to automatically kick AFK players from your Minecraft server to free up slots and reduce resource usage.
Idle timeout (also known as AFK timeout) automatically kicks players who haven't moved or interacted with the server for a set number of minutes. This frees up player slots for active players, reduces server resource usage from idle connections, and keeps your server running smoothly.
Setting Idle Timeout
Open the panel and stop your server
Access the XGamingServer panel and stop your Minecraft server.
Open Files
Go to Files.
Edit server.properties
Open server.properties and set player-idle-timeout= to the number of minutes before a player is kicked.
Save and start your server
Click Save and start your server.
Recommended Values
| Value | Result | Best For |
|---|---|---|
0 | Disabled — players are never kicked for being idle | Small private servers with friends |
10 | Kicked after 10 minutes | Busy public servers that frequently hit capacity |
15 | Kicked after 15 minutes | Active community servers |
30 | Kicked after 30 minutes | Most servers — reasonable balance |
60 | Kicked after 1 hour | Relaxed servers where players may go AFK often |
Why Use Idle Timeout
AFK players consume server resources even when they're not playing:
- Player slots — An AFK player takes up a slot that an active player could use, especially frustrating when your server is near max players
- Chunk loading — The server still processes chunks around idle players, which uses CPU and RAM
- Entity processing — Mobs, redstone, and crops continue being processed near AFK players
- Phantom spawning — On newer versions, Phantoms spawn above players who haven't slept, which adds unnecessary mob processing
💡 Tip: A timeout of 15-30 minutes is reasonable for most servers. Set it lower if you have limited player slots and frequently hit capacity. Set it to
0if you run a small private server where AFK players aren't an issue.
📝 Note: On Paper/Spigot servers, you can install AFK management plugins through
Pluginsthat offer more features than the basic timeout — like displaying "[AFK]" in player names, moving AFK players to a dedicated area to reduce chunk loading, or exempting certain players from the timeout.
If you get stuck at any time, you can join our Discord.
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