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To set up a whitelist on your FREAKHOSTING Minecraft server, open Players > Whitelisted in the Game Panel and add yourself and your friends. Then open Server Properties, switch on Whitelist and click Save and restart. From then on only players on the list can join. Switch on Enforce whitelist immediately to kick online players who aren’t listed.

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What is a Minecraft whitelist?

A whitelist is a list of players who are allowed to join your server. When it is on, everyone else sees a message that they are not whitelisted. The list is stored in whitelist.json in your server’s main folder. It is the simplest way to make a private server for friends.

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How to set up a whitelist in the Game Panel

1

Add yourself first

Open your server in the Game Panel, click Players and open the Whitelisted tab. Click the + tile and add your own Minecraft username.
2

Add your players

Add everyone else who should be able to join, one name at a time. If whitelist.json doesn’t exist yet, the first entry creates it.
3

Turn the whitelist on

Click Server Properties in the sidebar. Under Who can join, switch on Whitelist.
4

Kick unlisted players now (optional)

Switch on Enforce whitelist immediately so players who are online but not on the list are kicked straight away.
5

Save

Click Save and restart. Or click Save, and the change applies at the next start.
Minecraft Server Properties page with the intro text, Server settings and the sticky bar with Discard, Save and Save and restart buttons

Server Properties page

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How to manage the whitelist with commands

Type these in the console without a /. In game, operators type them with a /. Commands take effect at once, without a restart.

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How to remove someone from the whitelist

Remove them on the Whitelisted tab, or type whitelist remove <player>. If they are online and Enforce whitelist immediately is on, they are kicked.

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Frequently asked questions

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Do operators need to be on the whitelist?

Operators can join even when they are not on the whitelist. Adding yourself anyway means you can still join if you remove your op later.

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Does the whitelist work on a cracked server?

Yes, and you should use it when Allow cracked players is on, because anyone can then join with any name. Combine it with a login plugin. See how to allow non-premium players.

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What’s the difference between the whitelist and a ban?

The whitelist allows only listed players. A ban blocks one player while everyone else can still join. See how to ban players.

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A friend still can’t join after I added them. Why?

Check the spelling of their username. It must be their current Java Edition name. Then check they use the same Minecraft version as the server.

Minecraft server guide

Every Minecraft guide in one place.

Give and remove op

Give admin rights to trusted players.

Ban players

Keep troublemakers out.

Non-premium players

Offline mode and its risks.

server.properties explained

Every setting in one table.
Tested by the FREAKHOSTING team on our Game Panel on 29 October 2026 (Minecraft 26.1, Paper and Fabric). Steps may differ slightly if the game or its plugins change.

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Last Updated: October 2026