Bedrock Server Difficulty: How to Change It (2026)

Q: Why does my Bedrock server go back to Easy after a restart?

Because the difficulty command only lasts until the server restarts, and on start the server reads difficulty= from server.properties, which defaults to easy. Set the value in that file and restart.

Q: Do players need cheats on to change the difficulty?

In the game chat, yes: the player must be an operator and allow-cheats must be true. From the server console you can change it without turning cheats on.

To change the bedrock server difficulty, type difficulty hard (or peaceful, easy, normal) in the server console, then set the same value in server.properties so it survives a restart. The command works instantly; the file is what the server reads every time it starts.

This guide is for Bedrock Dedicated Server, the official server software that phones, consoles, Windows and tablets connect to. If your friends on Bedrock join a Java server through Geyser, the difficulty belongs to the Java server instead, and the same command works there with full words only.

Two ways to change bedrock server difficulty

A Bedrock Dedicated Server has two places where difficulty lives, and mixing them up is the reason most people see their change “undo itself”:

The difficulty command changes the level of the running world immediately. According to the Minecraft Wiki, on a multiplayer server that change lasts only until the server restarts.
The difficulty= line in server.properties is loaded every time the server starts. Its default value is easy, and it accepts peaceful, easy, normal or hard.

So the reliable recipe is: use the command if you want the change right now, and edit the file so the change is still there tomorrow. If you only edit the file, nothing changes until the next restart.

How to change the difficulty, step by step

If you do not have a server yet, start with how to make a Minecraft Bedrock server and come back. With a server running, this takes about two minutes.

Open your server in the panel and go to Console. On TheGameHosting the console is the first tab you see; commands typed there run with full rights and do not need a slash.
Type difficulty normal (or the level you want) and press Enter. Players online feel the change at once.
Go to Files and open server.properties in the main server folder.
Find the line difficulty=easy and change it to the same value, for example difficulty=normal. Use the full word in this file.
Save the file.
Restart the server from the panel and check in game: zombies at night and how fast hunger hurts you are the quickest tells.

server.properties

difficulty=normal

Because the file is read on every start, keeping it in sync with the command means a crash, an update or a scheduled restart never sends your world back to Easy.

The difficulty command on Bedrock

Bedrock is more flexible than Java with this command. The Minecraft Wiki lists the full names plus single letters and numbers, all of which only work on Bedrock:

Level	Full word	Letter	Number
Peaceful	`difficulty peaceful`	`difficulty p`	`difficulty 0`
Easy	`difficulty easy`	`difficulty e`	`difficulty 1`
Normal	`difficulty normal`	`difficulty n`	`difficulty 2`
Hard	`difficulty hard`	`difficulty h`	`difficulty 3`

From the console you type it without a slash. In the game chat it is /difficulty hard, and two things have to be true: the player must be an operator, and cheats have to be allowed on the server with allow-cheats=true in server.properties (the default is false). If you would rather keep cheats off for everyone, change the difficulty from the console, which does not need them.

What each difficulty level changes

Picking a level is easier when you know what actually changes. These are the effects the Minecraft Wiki lists for both editions:

Difficulty	Hostile mobs	Starvation	Mob damage
Peaceful	Do not spawn (a few exceptions, none of which hurt you)	Hunger never drains; health regenerates quickly	None
Easy	Spawn	Stops at 5 hearts	About half of Normal
Normal	Spawn	Stops at half a heart	Standard
Hard	Spawn; zombies can break wooden doors	Can kill you	About 1.5 times Normal

A detail specific to Bedrock: on Peaceful you can still eat any food normally. That makes Peaceful a good choice for a building server or a world for young kids, while Normal is the usual pick for a survival group. Hard suits players who want real pressure at night, especially since a closed wooden door no longer keeps zombies out.

For a kids server, Peaceful pairs well with the other settings in our guide on making a safe Minecraft server for kids.

Bedrock server difficulty keeps resetting? Check this

You only used the command. The server reloads server.properties on every start, so the old value comes back. Edit the file too.
You edited the file while the server was running. The new value is read on the next start. Restart after saving.
Typo in the value. The file wants the full lowercase word: difficulty=hard, not difficulty=3 or Hard.
“Unknown command” in chat. The player is not an operator or allow-cheats is false. Run it from the console instead.
Players are on a Java server through Geyser. Change it on the Java server, where only full words work.

If you also want to add new content on top of the difficulty change, our guide on installing add-ons on a Bedrock server covers behavior and resource packs.

Run your Bedrock server on TheGameHosting

Everything in this guide happens in two tabs of our panel: Console for the command and Files for server.properties, edited right in your browser with no extra program. Your server is ready about 60 seconds after payment, stays online 24/7 without your PC turned on, and the panel gives you the address to share, so there are no ports to open on your router.

Servers run on AMD Ryzen 9950X and 7950X3D processors with DDR5 memory and NVMe storage, with DDoS protection included and locations in Dallas and Amsterdam. Plans start at $1.90 a month for 2 GB, with unlimited slots and no setup fee. Have a look at the Minecraft Bedrock server hosting page or go straight to plans and pricing, and use the code FULL2026 for 15% off for life.

FAQ

Why does my Bedrock server go back to Easy after a restart?

Because the difficulty command only lasts until the server restarts, and on start the server reads difficulty= from server.properties, which defaults to easy. Set the value in that file and restart.

Can I use difficulty 3 on a Bedrock server?

Yes. Bedrock accepts the numbers 0 to 3 and the letters p, e, n and h as well as the full words. Java Edition only accepts full words, so difficulty hard is the safe option if you switch editions.

Do players need cheats on to change the difficulty?

In the game chat, yes: the player must be an operator and allow-cheats must be true. From the server console you can change it without turning cheats on.

Does changing the difficulty delete anything in my world?

No. It only changes how mobs, damage and hunger behave from that moment. Builds, items and progress stay as they are. Switching to Peaceful does remove hostile mobs from the world.

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Written by TheGameHosting Team, the people who run our servers in Dallas and Amsterdam and answer your tickets.

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