Add an Admin (OP) to Your Minecraft Server

There are two ways to give a player operator (admin) rights: the quick Web Console command, or by editing the ops.json file when the console won't load. Try Method 1 first, and fall back to Method 2 if needed.

Before you begin: you'll need access to your server in the Game Control Panel, and the player's exact in-game username.

Method 1 — Using the op command (recommended)

1. Log in to the Game Control Panel and open your server.

2. Open Web Console from the side menu.

3. In the command field, type op username (replace username with the player's exact in-game name) and press Enter.

Tip: to remove operator rights later, type deop username. That player is now an admin.

Method 2 — Editing ops.json (if the console won't load)

When to use this: some Minecraft versions, mods, or plugins stop the Web Console from loading — often a Java version mismatch. We recommend checking the Java version your mod or plugin requires (on the author's page) and selecting it under Select Java Version in the panel, rather than relying on “Auto”.

1. Log in to the Game Control Panel and open your server.

2. Open File Manager from the side menu.

3. Double-click ops.json.

4. Add an entry for each admin, following this format:

[
  {
    "uuid": "UUID-goes-here",
    "name": "xadmin",
    "level": 4
  }
]

5. Save & Exit. If the change doesn't take effect, restart the server.

Customizing admin permissions: all operators get the same level of access. To set different access levels per admin, install a permissions plugin such as GroupManager or PermissionsEX.

Useful admin commands