Short answer
Use /ban PlayerName for someone who needs to stay out permanently, /kick PlayerName for someone who only needs to leave now, and /mute PlayerName to keep them online without speaking. Give every ban a reason: it is shown to the player and stored with the ban.
The four commands that remove a player from a conversation look interchangeable and are not. A kick is a disconnect. A ban is a refusal at the handshake that lasts as long as the entry exists. A mute is not a removal at all, and an IP ban blocks an address rather than a person.
This guide picks the right one, shows what the player sees, and explains the case that catches people out: a name ban does not stop somebody who changes their username.
Before you start
- Operator rights, or access to the server console
- The player's exact username
- A reason you are willing to write down
1. Choose the smallest action that solves the problem
Most moderation needs one of three things: stop them talking, make them leave, or keep them out. Each has its own command, and using a ban where a mute would do is how a group of friends loses a member over a heated argument.
Read the four below and pick before you type.
/mute PlayerName: they stay online and cannot use chat. Right for spam and slurs./kick PlayerName: they are disconnected and can immediately rejoin. Right for a bad session./ban PlayerName: they cannot join while the entry exists. Right for repeat offences./ban-ip 1.2.3.4: the address is refused. Right for an unregistered account, with the caveat below.
2. Ban with a reason, and know what the player sees
/ban takes the player name and an optional reason, which is stored with the ban and shown on their screen when they try to join. A reason is how you avoid the same argument again in a month.
The reason is visible to the banned player, so write it for them: what they did and what would need to change. "Griefing spawn, repeated after warning" is useful to both of you.
/ban SomePlayer Griefing spawn after warnings
/kick SomePlayer Please read the rules
/mute SomePlayer Spamming chat
/unmute SomePlayer
/ban-ip 203.0.113.7 Alternate account3. Understand what a name ban does and does not stop
A name ban refuses one username. The server identifies players by account UUID, so if a banned player owns another account or changes their username, they are a different identity to the server and the ban does not apply.
An IP ban blocks an address, which stops unregistered accounts from that address. It does nothing against a player on a home network, because one household shares one address and so do a lot of students behind one campus network.
/banlist
/banlist ips
/pardon SomePlayer
/pardon-ip 203.0.113.74. Keep the list, and review it
Bans are stored in banned-players.json and banned-ips.json in the server folder, so they survive restarts and travel with your backup. Purging them is a normal maintenance job, not an emergency one.
Review the list occasionally and pardon the entries that no longer make sense. A ban left for a year is a player who cannot rejoin a server they have long since made peace with.
/banlist
/pardon SomePlayer5. Ban behaviour, not people, wherever you can
The durable response to a problem player is a rule everyone follows, not an expanding ban list. A server with three clear rules and a whitelist handles more trouble than one with thirty bans and no rules.
When you do ban someone, tell the group why in the same channel the rules live. Moderation that happens quietly reads as arbitrary, and arbitrary moderation is what makes people leave a server.
Good to know
- Minecraft supports profile bans through Mojang, which affect the account everywhere. That is a different system from a server ban, and it is the right tool for serious cases where a server ban can be circumvented.
- A mute does not stop other chat: commands, signs and plugin chat still work. Plugins exist for a firmer chat moderation if a mute is not enough.
- Whitelisting is the preventive half: most problems never happen because strangers never get in.
- Managing players covers the day-one setup that decides how much moderation you need at all.
Common questions
What is the difference between a kick and a ban?
A kick disconnects a player for that session and they can rejoin immediately. A ban is a refusal at the handshake that lasts as long as the entry exists, and the reason you gave is shown when they try.
Can a banned player rejoin with a new account?
On a server with online-mode=true, which is the default, the server identifies players by their account, so a new account is a new identity and the name ban does not apply. An IP ban covers the address instead, and a platform ban covers the account everywhere.
How do I unban someone?
/pardon TheirName removes a name ban and /pardon-ip <address> removes an IP ban. /banlist shows both lists, and it is worth checking which entry exists before assuming a ban is active.
Does a mute remove someone from the server?
No. A mute keeps them online and stops them using chat. It is the right response to spam or abuse in chat, and it does not stop them placing blocks, so it is not a response to griefing.
Will bans survive a restart?
Yes. They are stored in banned-players.json and banned-ips.json in the server folder, and they are part of your backup if you include those files.
Sources
Official documentation this guide was checked against.
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