How To Edit Config Files on a Minecraft Server

Config files are how you can make changes to the mods and plugins on your Minecraft server. For example, with config files, you can custom text in plugins, change spawn rates of mobs on your server, and even change the message your server shows on the multiplayer screen in Minecraft. 

Thus, we want to give you a complete guide on how to edit your server’s config files. 

Types of Server Config Files & Where They Are Located

There are three types of config files for Minecraft servers - server software files, plugin config files, and mod config files. All of these are located in different places, so it’s important to know what you are looking for when going to edit config files.

Server Software Files

Server software config files edit different things about your entire server. Every Minecraft server will have a 'server.properties' file. You can find all of the vanilla Minecraft server config settings here.

Paper, which is based on Bukkit and Spigot, will have config files for all of these server types. These will be .yml files. An example would be the file paper.yml. This contains all of the config files that are related specifically to Paper servers. 

Locating Server Config Files

Server config files can be found in the main directory of your server. This includes the server.properties file but also the paper.yml, purpur.yml, bukkit.yml, spigot.yml, and other general server configuration files.

Plugin Config Files

Plugin config files are what you will use to make changes and interact with your plugins. With these, you can change different aspects of plugins. 

Exactly what can be changed depends on the plugin, but it could include everything from what features of the plugin are used, where the plugin stores data, and even what text the plugin displays to players in-game. 

Locating Plugin Config Files

Plugin config files will be found within your "Plugins" folder. Then, each plugin you have on your server will have a folder within the Plugins folder. You can open the folder for the plugin whose config files you want to edit in order to locate them.

Mod Config Files

Similar to plugins, Minecraft mods also have config files. These will also allow you to change and customize different aspects of your Minecraft mods. 

Locating Mod Config Files

The config files can be found in two potential locations. 

The first is within the "config" folder on your server. Opening this will reveal files and folders related to configuring the mods on your server. 

👉 It is not uncommon for Minecraft mod config files to be the .toml file type, so don't be alarmed by this. 

The second location mod config files could be is within a folder in the main server directory. This will usually be a folder with the mod's name or abbreviation. When you open this, the config files should be in the folder. There may be additional folders to navigate. 

Note: In some cases, config files for mods need to be mirrored locally in the .minecraft folder in addition to the server. Thus, it is important to change these locally for you and all your players if you make changes on the server. This is a common issue on modded servers, including those running modpacks.

Editing Config Files

Now that you know the different config files for your Minecraft server and how to locate them, let's move on to how you can edit config files on your server. There are two ways to edit the server config files on your SimpleGameHosting server.

Via The File Manager

Using this method, you can edit your server's config files without having to download anything. 

1. Login to SimpleGameHosting Control Panel
2. Select the server whose config files you want to edit. 
3. Click the "File Manager" tab in the menu bar. All of the folders and files you have on your server will appear. 
4. Navigate to and click on the file you want to edit. When you do, the file will open. You will see all of the servers, and you can edit the config file right in the Files menu. 
5. When you are finished changing the config file, click "Save Content" in the top right. 
6. Restart your server in order for the changes to take effect.

It's that easy to edit config files in the SimpleGameHosting control panel. 

Via SFTP & a Text Editor

If you prefer to use SFTP to download your config files locally and edit them with a text editor, you can. 

1. First, log in to your server via SFTP. We have a complete guide on using SFTP if you haven't logged in to your server yet.
2. Download the config files using your FTP client. 
3. Open the config files using a text editor like VSCode. 
4. Edit the config files and save them. 
5. Upload the config files to your server via the FTP client. Make sure to overwrite the old config file. 
6. Restart your server for your changes to take effect on the server.