How to allowlist a Minecraft Bedrock server?

Lock your Bedrock server so only trusted players can join. Turn on the allowlist (formerly whitelist) and keep griefers out in minutes. Upgrade your experience on our premium Minecraft hosting.

Prerequisites

• Access to your Oxygenserv panel (login and password)
• A running Minecraft Bedrock server
• Console access or in-game OP permissions
• Players’ exact Xbox Live Gamertags (keep spaces and case)
• Server stopped before editing files

Step-by-step

1. Log in and stop the server
   Sign in to the Oxygenserv panel and open your Bedrock service. On the dashboard, click the red “Stop” button to safely freeze files. Wait until status shows “Offline” in the console. If it won’t stop, check if a task is currently running and cancel it first.
2. Enable allowlist in server.properties
   Go to “Files” and open server.properties in the editor. Find allow-list=false and change it to allow-list=true (exact spelling with the hyphen). If it’s missing, add the line allow-list=true at the end. Click “Save” and confirm you see the success message.
3. Prepare the allowlist.json file
   Still in “Files”, open allowlist.json at the server root. If it’s empty or missing, create it with a JSON array of players. Minimal example: [{"ignoresPlayerLimit":false,"name":"PlayerOne"}]. For multiple players: [{"ignoresPlayerLimit":false,"name":"PlayerOne"},{"ignoresPlayerLimit":false,"name":"Player Two"}]. Save the file.
4. Start and verify in console
   Go back to the dashboard and click “Start” (or green “Restart”). Open the “Console” tab to watch logs until the server is Online. If you see a JSON parse error, fix allowlist.json (commas, quotes, brackets) and restart. No errors? You’re good.
5. Add players via commands
   From the Console or in-game (as OP), add a player with /allowlist add Gamertag. If the Gamertag has spaces, use quotes: /allowlist add "Player Two". Remove a player with /allowlist remove Gamertag. Check entries anytime with /allowlist list. If you get “Unknown command”, confirm you’re on Bedrock and the server is updated.
6. Toggle the allowlist enforcement
   Make sure enforcement is on: run /allowlist on. You should see a confirmation message. To temporarily open access, run /allowlist off. If strangers still join, either the file wasn’t saved or enforcement wasn’t toggled on.
7. Advanced: bypass player limit for staff
   You can let staff join even when full by setting ignoresPlayerLimit to true for their entries, e.g. {"ignoresPlayerLimit":true,"name":"AdminName"}. Save and restart to apply. Keep this limited to a couple of accounts.
8. Connectivity check if friends can’t join
   Share the correct Bedrock port 19132 (UDP) with your IP. On Oxygenserv the default port is open, but if you use a custom port, share it as IP:PORT. If they see “not on allowlist”, re-check the exact Gamertag and ensure /allowlist on is active.

Tips & optimization

Keep a quick backup of allowlist.json after changes. Pair allow-list=true with a sensible max-players (e.g., 10–20) for stability. Memorize /allowlist list, /allowlist on, and /allowlist off for fast admin work. Batch edits via commands, then restart once to apply everything cleanly.

FAQ

Allowlist is enabled but random players still join. What did I miss?

Verify all three: 1) allow-list=true is saved in server.properties; 2) you ran /allowlist on; 3) you restarted after file edits. Check console for JSON errors that would prevent loading the allowlist.

Player is on the list but can’t join (“not on allowlist”). Fix?

Confirm the exact Gamertag, including spaces. Re-add with quotes: /allowlist add "Player Two". Ensure they log in with the same Xbox Live account. If you mis-typed, remove and add again.

Where is allowlist.json and how do I avoid resets?

It’s at the server root: allowlist.json. Always stop the server before editing, save, then restart. Look for the save confirmation to be sure changes persist.

Can I open the server for an event without deleting entries?

Yes. Use /allowlist off during the event, then /allowlist on afterwards. Your entries remain intact.

Nice work! With a clean allowlist, your Bedrock server stays safe and smooth. Need more power? The Oxygenserv panel and these commands have you covered.

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