How to turn off PvP or make a peaceful Minecraft server
Disable player vs player combat, switch to peaceful difficulty, or stop hostile mobs on your Minecraft Java server.
Updated · 2 min read
To stop players hurting each other, turn PvP off with pvp=false in server.properties (or the pvp game rule on newer versions). To remove hostile mobs entirely, set the difficulty to peaceful. These are separate settings, so you can use either or both.
Turn off PvP
Using server.properties
- Stop the server.
- Edit
server.properties:
pvp=false
- Save and start the server.
On newer Minecraft versions
Recent versions moved PvP from server.properties into a game rule. If your server.properties has no pvp line, run this in the console instead:
gamerule pvp false
Use tab completion after /gamerule in-game to confirm the exact name for your version. Game rules apply per world, so on Paper set it for the Nether and End as well. See gamerules.
With PvP off, players cannot damage each other with melee or arrows. Indirect damage such as lava, TNT and fire can still hurt others, so griefing protection may still be needed.
Make the server peaceful
difficulty peaceful
And in server.properties so it survives restarts:
difficulty=peaceful
On peaceful:
- hostile mobs do not spawn, and existing ones disappear,
- health regenerates on its own,
- the hunger bar does not drain,
- some items that only come from hostile mobs become hard or impossible to get.
Keep difficulty but stop monster spawns
If you want normal hunger and difficulty but no monsters, older versions use spawn-monsters=false in server.properties. Newer versions handle this with a game rule; check tab completion after /gamerule. Another option is the doMobSpawning rule, which stops all natural spawning, including animals.
| Goal | Setting |
|---|---|
| No player vs player damage | pvp=false or gamerule pvp false |
| No hostile mobs, easy survival | difficulty=peaceful |
| No natural mob spawns at all | gamerule doMobSpawning false |
| Keep items on death | gamerule keepInventory true |
PvP only in some areas
Vanilla PvP is all or nothing. On Paper, plugins let you control it more precisely:
- WorldGuard can allow PvP in an arena region and block it everywhere else.
- PvP toggle plugins let each player opt in or out.
- Claim plugins often block PvP inside claims.
If you use a plugin to control PvP, leave the vanilla setting on and let the plugin decide, otherwise the vanilla setting blocks PvP everywhere, including arenas.
Still taking damage?
- Restart after editing
server.properties. - Check you set the game rule in every world on Paper.
- Look for plugins that handle combat, such as arena or combat-tag plugins.
Related: difficulty and game mode.