Minecraft Bedrock Server Commands (BDS Console List, 2026)

Q: How do I give myself operator on my Bedrock server?

Join the server, then type op "YourGamertag" in the server console. It is saved to permissions.json, so you stay op after restarts.

Q: Can I run commands while nobody is online?

Yes. Console commands that do not target a player, like gamerule, time set or allowlist add, work with an empty server. op and kick need the player online.

Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS) commands are typed into the server console without a slash: allowlist add "Gamertag" lets someone in, op "Gamertag" makes them an operator, permission list shows who has what, and stop shuts the server down cleanly. Almost every in game command (gamerule, time, weather, tp, give) also works from the console. Below is the full list we actually use, grouped by job, with the BDS only commands called out.

How do you run commands on a Bedrock server?

There are two places to type commands:

The server console. This is where BDS reads input. No slash in front, and no cheats or op needed, because the console has full rights. On a self hosted server it is the terminal window running bedrock_server. On GamezServers it is the Console tab in the panel.
In game chat. Type / first. You need operator rights, and most commands also need cheats on for the world (allow-cheats=true in server.properties).

A few commands only exist in the console: allowlist reload, permission list, permission reload, changesetting, save hold/query/resume and stop. Type help in the console to see everything your version supports.

Names with spaces need quotes. op Steve Builder fails, op "Steve Builder" works. We quote every Gamertag out of habit.

Bedrock server only commands

These come with BDS and are not in normal single player worlds.

Command	What it does
`allowlist add "Name"`	Adds a Gamertag to `allowlist.json`
`allowlist remove "Name"`	Removes a Gamertag
`allowlist list`	Prints everyone on the allowlist
`allowlist reload`	Rereads `allowlist.json` after you edit the file by hand
`permission list`	Prints the operator list the server is using
`permission reload`	Rereads `permissions.json` after you edit it
`changesetting allow-cheats true`	Turns cheats on without a restart
`changesetting difficulty hard`	Changes difficulty without a restart (`peaceful`, `easy`, `normal`, `hard`)
`save hold`	Pauses saving so you can copy the world files safely
`save query`	Checks if the hold is ready and lists the files to copy
`save resume`	Lets the server save again after your copy
`stop`	Saves and shuts the server down

One catch with changesetting: it changes the running server only. It does not write to server.properties, so the old value comes back on the next restart. Change the file (or the panel setting) too if you want it to stick.

The allowlist only does anything when allow-list=true in server.properties. Full details in how to whitelist players on a Minecraft Bedrock server.

Operator and player commands

Command	What it does
`op "Name"`	Makes an online player an operator, saved to `permissions.json`
`deop "Name"`	Drops them back to member
`kick "Name" reason`	Kicks a player and shows them the reason
`list`	Shows who is online and the player count
`say message`	Broadcasts a message to everyone
`tell "Name" message`	Private message to one player
`tp "Name" x y z`	Teleports a player to coordinates
`tp "Name" "OtherName"`	Teleports one player to another
`gamemode creative "Name"`	Changes one player's game mode
`give "Name" diamond 64`	Gives items
`clear "Name"`	Empties a player's inventory
`kill "Name"`	Kills a player, handy when someone is stuck
`setmaxplayers 20`	Changes the player cap for this session

op only works on players who are online right now. To op someone who is offline, add their XUID to permissions.json by hand and run permission reload. The file looks like this:

[
  { "permission": "operator", "xuid": "2535400000000000" }
]

The valid levels are visitor, member and operator. New players get whatever default-player-permission-level says in server.properties, which is member by default. Leave it there. operator gives every stranger who joins full commands, and visitor means nobody can break or place blocks.

Bedrock has no ban command and no ban list. To keep someone out, turn the allowlist on and leave them off it, then kick them.

World commands

Command	What it does
`time set day`	Sets the time to morning (1000)
`time set night`	Sets night
`weather clear`	Stops rain and thunder
`difficulty normal`	Changes difficulty in game (same as `changesetting` but saved with the world)
`setworldspawn x y z`	Moves the world spawn point
`spawnpoint "Name" x y z`	Sets one player's respawn point
`gamerule`	Lists every gamerule and its value
`gamerule name value`	Changes a gamerule

Which gamerules are worth changing?

Bedrock gamerule names are all lowercase. These are the ones friend servers actually touch:

Gamerule	Default	What we would do
`keepinventory`	false	`true` for relaxed groups. Nobody quits over a lost inventory then.
`playerssleepingpercentage`	100	Set to `1` so one person sleeping skips the night. Saves a lot of "everyone get in bed" spam.
`showcoordinates`	world setting	`true`. Coordinates on screen make meeting up much easier.
`mobgriefing`	true	`false` stops creepers blowing holes and endermen stealing blocks. Also stops villagers farming, so think first.
`pvp`	true	`false` for co-op only servers.
`doinsomnia`	true	`false` removes phantoms.
`doimmediaterespawn`	false	`true` skips the death screen.
`dofiretick`	true	`false` stops fire spreading through wooden builds.
`tntexplodes`	true	`false` on public servers if you worry about griefers.
`spawnradius`	10	`0` puts everyone exactly on spawn, nice for a spawn hub.
`randomtickspeed`	1	Leave it. Higher grows crops faster but costs CPU.

Example:

gamerule keepinventory true
gamerule playerssleepingpercentage 1

Gamerules are saved inside the world, so they survive restarts. Bedrock turns achievements off for good in a world that has had cheats enabled, and many gamerule changes count as cheats. If your group cares about achievements, settle this before anyone starts hunting them.

How to back up a running Bedrock server with save hold

Copying the world folder while BDS is writing to it can give you a corrupt backup. The safe sequence is:

Run save hold.
Run save query until it replies that the data is ready, with a list of files and their sizes.
Copy the files from worlds/<level-name>/. For the files listed, copy only up to the length it reports.
Run save resume.

That is a lot of fiddling for a backup. On GamezServers the Backup button does it for you, and Update game takes a backup before every server update.

The panel buttons do the common ones

Typing Gamertags with quotes gets old. Our Bedrock panel has one click buttons that run the same commands in the console:

Allowlist player runs allowlist add "Gamertag"
Make operator runs op "Gamertag"
Kick player, Broadcast, Make it day, Clear weather and Keep inventory

You can add your own buttons for commands you use a lot, such as gamerule playerssleepingpercentage 1. The full console is always there for everything else. If you are still setting the server up, start with the Bedrock hosting quick start, and see Bedrock server properties explained for the settings that live in the file instead of a command.

FAQ

Why does my command say "Unknown command" in the console?

You probably typed a slash or a Java command. BDS console commands have no slash, and Java only commands like ban, whitelist on or save-all do not exist on Bedrock. Run help to see what your version supports.

Do I need cheats on to use commands on a Bedrock server?

Not from the console. In chat, operators need cheats on for most commands like gamemode, tp and give. Turn them on with allow-cheats=true in server.properties, or changesetting allow-cheats true until the next restart.

How do I give myself operator on my Bedrock server?

Join the server, then type op "YourGamertag" in the server console. It is saved to permissions.json, so you stay op after restarts.

How do I ban someone on a Bedrock server?

There is no ban command in BDS. Turn on the allowlist, make sure the player is not on it, and kick them. They cannot get back in while the allowlist is on.

Can I run commands while nobody is online?

Yes. Console commands that do not target a player, like gamerule, time set or allowlist add, work with an empty server. op and kick need the player online.