How to change the difficulty on a Minecraft Bedrock server?

Want your world chill or deadly? On Bedrock, switching difficulty takes seconds—command or file, your choice. With our dedicated Minecraft server, enjoy exceptional performance.

Prerequisites

• Access to the Oxygenserv panel (your login and password)
• Minecraft Bedrock server installed (online for command method, stopped for file edit)
• Access to the server Console or in-game operator permissions
• Exact difficulty values: peaceful, easy, normal, hard
• Optional: a quick backup before editing

Detailed steps

1. Change difficulty with a command (in-game or Console)
   Log in to the Oxygenserv panel and open the “Console” tab (you’ll see an input box to type commands). Type exactly difficulty hard to set Hard, then press Enter. In-game, use the slash version: /difficulty hard. The change is instant and doesn’t require a restart. If you get “You do not have permission”, run the command from the Console (no operator needed there) or have an admin grant you operator in-game.
2. Edit the server.properties file
   Stop the server from the panel first (red “Stop” button). Go to “Files” > “Config Files” (or “Configuration Editor”) and open server.properties. Find the line starting with difficulty= and set the exact value, for example difficulty=normal. Click “Save” (green button at the top right). This method requires a restart to take effect.
3. Restart cleanly to apply file changes
   Return to the “Console” tab and click the green “Restart” button. Watch the logs: you’ll see “Server started” when it’s done. If you get an error about server.properties, ensure there are no extra spaces (e.g., difficulty = hard is invalid) and the value is lowercase. Start the server again.
4. Confirm the difficulty
   From the Console, run the same command again (e.g., difficulty normal)—you’ll get a confirmation message. In-game, /difficulty normal will also confirm in chat. Quick test: mob behavior and hunger change per difficulty (e.g., no hostile mobs on peaceful). If nothing changes, restart your game client and make sure you’re on the right server (correct IP/port) and not a cached instance.

Tips & optimization

– Fast recommendations: peaceful for building/new players, easy for relaxed play, normal for standard survival, hard for max challenge.
– Fine-tune challenge with gamerules: e.g., /gamerule keepinventory true or /gamerule mobgriefing false to balance difficulty without downgrading it.
– Always back up before editing server.properties—a simple copy is enough.
– In Console, don’t use a slash (use difficulty hard); the slash is only for in-game chat.

FAQ

/difficulty doesn’t work in-game. What now?

If you see “You do not have permission”, you’re not an operator. Run difficulty <value> from the Console (works without operator) or ask an admin to promote you. If it says “Unknown command”, check spelling (difficulty), that you’re on Bedrock, and remove the slash when using the Console.

I edited server.properties but nothing changed

You must restart after saving the file. Reopen server.properties and ensure there’s only one difficulty=... line and it’s lowercase (e.g., difficulty=hard). Also confirm you edited the correct server if you host multiple instances.

Can I change difficulty without restarting?

Yes with commands (/difficulty ... in-game or difficulty ... in Console), it’s instant. The file method (server.properties) needs a restart.

You’re set to control challenge on your Bedrock server. Need rock-solid uptime and no lag? Level up your setup and play without limits.

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