How To Set the Spawn Point on Your Minecraft Server

Setting the spawn on your Minecraft server is probably one of the first things you will want to do once you get it up and running. 

Now, every Minecraft world has a default spawn point. It will always be at this location if you never set or change your server’s spawn point.

However, you can easily change this if you want to make players spawn in a new location. Not only can you change the spawn point for new players, you can change the spawn point on a player-by-player basis.

📝 It is worth noting as well that depending on the type of Minecraft server you are running, you will have more options for setting your spawn point. All servers can use the vanilla spawn point option, though, unless there is a mod or plugin overriding it. 

Additionally, you will need operator permissions on your server to run these spawn commands unless you are using a plugin in which you will then need operator or have the appropriate permissions assigned.

⚒️ Vanilla Servers

The most common way to set spawn on Minecraft servers is using the vanilla commands. 

These are actually pretty powerful, and not only do they allow you to change your server’s general spawn location, they also let you set spawns for individual players. Here are the commands to set the spawn on a vanilla server. 

Command: /setworldspawn

• This will make the world spawn where you are standing when you set the command. This command can only be used in-game and with OP permissions. 
• You can also add coordinates after this command in a X Y Z format. For example, /setworldspawn 123 65 -412 will step the world spawn to the X123 Y65 Z-412 coordinates. This command can be run from the server console in addition to in-game. 

Command: /spawnpoint

• When running this command, you will be able to set the spawn point of individual players. 
• If no player is specified, it will set the spawn point of the player running the command. 
• By using this command with a player name, /spawnpoint {Username}, it will set the target player’s spawn point to where the player that ran the command is standing. 
• This can also be used with X Y Z coordinates, /spawnpoint {Username} 346 65 -974, to specify a point that is different from where the player is standing. You can also use the command with coordinates via the server’s console. 
• This spawn will be overridden by a bed spawn. When the bed is broken, the player’s spawn will revert back to the world spawn. 

📃 Paper Servers (Plugins)

For Paper, PurPur, and other servers that support plugins, we recommend using a plugin to set your spawn instead of the vanilla commands. 

EssentialsX is a common plugin used for control your world's spawn. Now, it is worth mentioning that EssentialsX will add a lot more commands and features to your Minecraft server than just the ability to set your spawn. However, it is a plugin that most servers should install right away, and it has incredible spawn management. 

You will need to install the EssentialsX Spawn add-on in addition to the base EssentialsX plugin to manage your server spawn with this plugin.

If you need help adding EssentialsX to your server, be sure to check out our plugin installation guide. 

🔍 Now, let’s look at the spawn commands you need to know when setting spawn points with EssentialsX

Command: /setspawn

• Running this command will make EssentialsX set your world’s spawn point at the location you are standing in-game when you run the command.

Command: /spawn

• Players can access and teleport to the spawn point by using this command. 

🕹️ Forge & Fabric Servers (Mods)

With a modded Minecraft server, you will need to use a mod to get the most out of your server’s spawn. Luckily, there is a mod called Set World Spawn Point that works on both Forge and Fabric modded Minecraft servers. 

You can download the mod here. Just make sure you download the correct version for your server. You will also need the Collective library mod for Set World Spawn Point to work.  

Then, add the mod to your server’s mods folder as well as to your local mods folder. Your friends will also need to add the mod to their mods folder as well. 

Need help adding mods? Check out our complete guide on adding mods to your server!

From there, you will be able to set your modded server’s spawn point. 

This is done a bit differently, as you don’t use commands to do this. Instead, you will access your server’s directory. Then, open the "config" folder/directory there. 

Next, find the config file associated with the Set World Spawn Point mod. This is usually "setworldspawnpoint.json5". Open this file with a text editor like VSCode. 

In the config file, you will have a few options. 

• _forceExactSpawn (default = true): This causes places to spawn at the exact location listed below if set to true. Otherwise, players will spawn around the location.
• xCoordSpawnPoint (default = 0, min -100000, max 100000): The X coordinate of the spawn point you want touse.
• yCoordSpawnPoint (default = -1, min -1, max 256): The Y coordinate of the spawn point you want to use. By default -1, which means it'll be the first solid block descending from y=256.
• zCoordSpawnPoint (default = 0, min -100000, max 100000): The Z coordinate of the spawn point you want to use.