How to Enable or Disable PvP on Your Minecraft Server

Turn player-vs-player combat on or off on your Minecraft Java server, including per-region PvP control with WorldGuard.

The pvp setting in server.properties controls whether players can damage each other. Disabling it is useful for build servers, family-friendly survival, and creative communities.

Toggle PvP

Stop the server

In the XGamingServer Panel, open Console and stop your server.

Edit server.properties

Click Files in the sidebar and open server.properties. Find the pvp line:

pvp=false

Value	Effect
`true`	Players can damage each other (default)
`false`	Players cannot damage each other

Click Save Content.

Start the server

Start from Console. The change takes effect immediately on next join.

What `pvp=false` Does and Doesn't Block

Action	Blocked by `pvp=false`?
Direct melee/bow damage between players	✅ Yes
TNT/creeper damage from one player to another	❌ No (still applies)
Lava/fire indirectly placed by another player	❌ No
Bed explosions in the Nether/End	❌ No
Pet wolves/cats attacking	❌ No (vanilla)
Knockback from arrows	❌ No (knockback still applies, just no damage)

For complete PvP protection, combine pvp=false with a plugin like WorldGuard or GriefPrevention.

Per-Region PvP Control

To allow PvP only in arenas, KitPvP zones, or specific worlds, leave pvp=true and use WorldGuard:

/rg flag <region> pvp deny
/rg flag __global__ pvp deny
/rg flag arena pvp allow

This gives you fine-grained per-region control instead of a global on/off.

Common Issues

Problem	Fix
Players still take damage from each other	They might be in a region with `pvp` flag override, or damage is from TNT/fire/etc.
Can't damage other players after restart	Working as intended — `pvp=false` is enabled
Plugins ignore the setting	Some PvP plugins (Factions, mcMMO) have their own PvP toggles that override server.properties

How to Enable or Disable PvP on Your Minecraft Server

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