🎮 How to Change the Difficulty on Your Minecraft Server

🧠 Difficulty Options in Minecraft:

Difficulty	Number	Description
Peaceful	0	No hostile mobs, no hunger degeneration.
Easy	1	Hostile mobs spawn but don't give debuffs. Hunger will decrease.
Normal	2	Hostile mobs give debuffs. Hunger drops you to half a heart.
Hard	3	Hostile mobs are stronger, spawn more often, and hunger can kill you.

🛠️ How to Change Your Server Difficulty:

✅ Option 1 — Quick Console Command:

Once your server is online, open the Console and type:

difficulty hard

(Replace hard with peaceful, easy, normal, or hard.)


Note: In newer Minecraft versions (1.13+), it's better to use difficulty names (like normal) instead of numbers.

If the console method doesn't work, follow the full method below:

✅ Option 2 — Edit server.properties

Log into the Control Panel.

Click 'Manage' next to your server.

Navigate to your server files.


Find and open the server.properties file.

Locate the difficulty setting and update it.
You can set difficulty in two ways depending on your server version:
- Minecraft 1.12.2 and earlier:
Use a number:

difficulty=2

- Minecraft 1.13 and newer:
Use the difficulty name:

difficulty=normal

Press the 'Save File' button.

Restart your server for the changes to apply.
Need help? How do I restart my server?

🌎 Important Notes

- Restarting the server is required for the new difficulty setting to take effect.
- Always make a backup before editing important server files.
- Difficulty settings affect mob behavior, hunger, and player survival — choose carefully based on your gameplay style!

Updated on: 25/04/2025