How to Set Max Players on Your Minecraft Server
Learn how to change the maximum number of players that can join your Minecraft server at once. Includes recommended values and performance tips.
The max-players setting controls how many players can be connected to your Minecraft server at the same time. The default is 20, but you can set it anywhere from 1 to as high as your server can handle. Getting this right balances accessibility with server performance.
Setting Max Players
Stop your server
Access the XGamingServer panel and stop your Minecraft server.
Open server.properties
Go to Files. Open server.properties.
Change max-players
Change max-players= to your desired number.
Recommended Values
The right max player count depends on your server plan, server type, and what you're running:
| Server Type | Recommended Max Players | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla Survival | 10–20 | Vanilla is unoptimized — keep it modest |
| Paper/Spigot (plugins) | 20–50 | Paper handles more players efficiently |
| Modded (Forge/Fabric) | 5–20 | Mods add significant per-player resource overhead |
| Large Modpacks (100+ mods) | 5–10 | Heavy modpacks need most resources for the mods themselves |
Performance Impact
Every connected player adds load to your server. Each player generates chunk loading, entity processing, inventory tracking, and network traffic. Signs that your max players is set too high:
- Low TPS (Ticks Per Second) — Check TPS by typing
/tpsin theConsoleon Paper/Spigot servers. Healthy TPS is 19.5-20. - Lag spikes when players explore new areas — Each player loading new chunks multiplies the generation workload
- High RAM usage visible in
Activityon the XGamingServer panel
If you're hitting performance limits, consider lowering max players and reviewing our Performance Guide for optimization settings like view distance and chunk pregeneration.
💡 Tip: Use a whitelist to control access rather than relying on a player cap alone. A whitelist ensures only approved players can join, even if you set max players higher than expected.
If you get stuck at any time, you can join our Discord.
How is this guide?
How to Install and Manage Datapacks on Your Minecraft Server
Learn how to install and manage datapacks for custom recipes, loot tables, and world generation on your server.
How to Monetize Your Minecraft Server
Learn legitimate ways to earn revenue from your Minecraft server while staying EULA-compliant.