Customizing Your Server Settings

Forget hunting through messy text files. In Fern's Mission Control, we've organized every essential Minecraft setting into simple, logical tabs. This ensures your configuration is always valid and takes effect immediately upon restart.

How to Edit Settings

Open your server in Mission Control.
Click the Settings tab.
Use the sub-tabs to find what you need:
- Game: Difficulty, Gamemode, PVP, Hardcore, and Command Blocks.
- World: Your Seed, Level Name, boundaries, and mob spawning.
- Server: Max Players, View Distance, and Simulation Distance.
- Properties: MOTD, Server Icon, and Resource Packs.

[!IMPORTANT] Restart Required: Most of these settings are loaded when the server starts. After clicking Save Configuration, give your server a quick reboot for the changes to apply.

Essential Settings Guide

Setting	tab	Why change it?
Difficulty	Game	Set to `Peaceful` for pure building or `Hard` for a challenge.
PvP	Game	Turn off to prevent players from fighting each other.
Command Blocks	Game	Must be enabled for custom maps or complex automation.
View Distance	Server	Lower to `8` to significantly boost performance on busy servers.
Resource Packs	Properties	Force a custom look for every player who joins.

Why can't I edit many settings in File Manager?

You might notice that server.properties in your File Manager is restricted. Think of server.properties as the manual for your world: a single file that controls everything from your server's name to whether players can punch each other. This is intentional! Because Fern manages your server infrastructure (like networking and hardware), we ensure that critical platform settings stay correct so your server remains reachable and stable.

Always use the Settings tab for gameplay configuration, as it's faster, safer, and prevents common typos that can crash a server.

Getting an error after changing a setting? Head over to our Console Guide to see where the server might be getting stuck.