How to start, stop, restart and force-stop your server

The power controls are in the header of every server page, next to the server name. They work the same way for every game.

Start your server

1. Open your server in the panel. The status badge near the name says Offline.
2. Click Start.

3. The badge changes to Starting while the game loads. Open the Console tab to follow progress. Large games and modded servers can take a few minutes the first time.
4. When the badge says Online and the console shows the game is ready, players can join. See How to join your server.

Stop your server

Stopping asks the game to shut down cleanly, which gives it time to save the world.

1. Warn your players first.
2. Click Stop. The badge changes to Stopping.
3. Wait until it says Offline. Do not click again while it is stopping.

Restart your server

Use Restart after changing settings, installing mods or plugins, or when the game misbehaves. It stops the server cleanly and starts it again. It is only available while the server is running.

Kill, as a last resort

Kill ends the game process at once, with no chance to save. Use it only when a server is stuck on Stopping or does not respond to Stop. Because nothing is saved, you can lose recent changes to the world.

1. Open the server's power controls and choose Kill.
2. Confirm in the Kill Server window.

If a server keeps needing Kill, look at the console for the cause. See How to fix a server that will not start.

What the status badge means

Start, stop and restart on a schedule

You can have the server restart itself every day, or run any other task on a timer. See How to schedule tasks and automatic backups.

Good to know

• A change to Settings is only applied when the server starts, so restart after saving.
• On a phone, the power controls sit in a bar at the bottom of the screen so they are within thumb reach.
• People you invite can only use the power controls if their role allows it. See How to invite friends and give them access.