Minecraft

How to Remove OP (Deop) From a Player

The command takes seconds. Here is how to use it, how to lower a level instead, and what else to check so the player cannot give themselves OP again.

TheGameHosting Team 5 min read
Remove OP in Minecraft
Background: Minecraft © Mojang Studios

To remove OP from a player on a Minecraft Java server, type deop PlayerName in the server console, or /deop PlayerName in chat if you are a level 3 operator. Many people search for how to unop Minecraft server staff, but there is no unop command: deop is the one. It deletes the player from ops.json, they stay on the server as a regular player, and it works even if they are offline.

Removing OP is quick. Making sure that person has no other way back in is the part most guides skip, so this page covers both. To give OP in the first place, see how to OP someone on your Minecraft server.

How to unop Minecraft server players with deop, step by step

  1. Open the Console in the TheGameHosting panel. You can also do it in game, but /deop needs permission level 3, according to the Minecraft Wiki.
  2. Run the command with the exact name and no slash: deop PlayerName. The console confirms the player is no longer a server operator.
  3. Check ops.json. Open Files → ops.json and confirm the entry is gone.
  4. Look for other operators they created. A level 3 or 4 operator can OP other players. Read every name in ops.json and deop anyone you did not approve.
  5. Remove their panel access. If you invited them through Users, remove them there too. Anyone with the Console can OP themselves again.
  6. Decide if they can stay. Deop does not kick or ban. If they should leave, use kick, take them off the whitelist or ban them.
Code
deop PlayerName

On Java, deop takes a player name, so the target does not need to be online. In online mode the name should be a real account.

Lower a level instead of removing OP

Sometimes a helper only needs less power, not none. A level 3 admin who should stop banning people can become a level 2 gamemaster:

  1. Stop the server from the panel.
  2. Open Files → ops.json and change that player’s "level": 3 to "level": 2.
  3. Save and start the server. The Minecraft Wiki notes that players whose entry is edited by hand must rejoin for it to apply.
Code
{
  "uuid": "player-uuid",
  "name": "Helper",
  "level": 2,
  "bypassesPlayerLimit": false
}

Level 2 keeps commands such as gamemode, tp and give; kick, ban, whitelist, op and deop need level 3.

Remove OP from everyone at once

After a falling-out, or when you take over a server someone else set up, it is faster to clear the whole list:

  1. Create a copy first in Backups → Create backup, in case you need the old list.
  2. Stop the server.
  3. Open Files → ops.json, replace everything with an empty list and save.
  4. Start the server and OP yourself again from the Console with op YourName.
Code
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Remove OP from yourself

deop YourName works on your own name too. Server owners do it to play like everyone else and avoid running a command by accident. Getting it back is easy, because the Console never loses its rights: type op YourName there, as explained in how to OP yourself on a Minecraft server.

When deop is not enough

  • Permission plugins. If you gave the player a rank in a permissions plugin, that rank is separate from OP. Removing OP does not remove the group; change it in the plugin as well.
  • Panel or sFTP access. Check Users in the panel. Someone who can edit files could put themselves back in ops.json.
  • Damage already done. If they griefed the world before you noticed, roll back with how to restore a Minecraft server world.
  • Whitelist. On Java, operators can join while the whitelist is on even if they are not listed. Once they lose OP, they need a whitelist entry to get in, so remove it if they should not return. See how to whitelist someone.
  • Bedrock is different. A Bedrock Dedicated Server uses permissions.json and only deops online players: see how to OP someone on a Bedrock server.

Keep control of your server on TheGameHosting

With TheGameHosting you are the account owner, so the Console and Files are always yours: you can deop anyone, edit ops.json or restore a copy from Backups in a few clicks, even from your phone. Co-admins get access through Users, and you can take it away the same day.

Your Minecraft Java server is ready about 60 seconds after payment and stays online 24/7 in Dallas or Amsterdam with DDoS protection. See the Minecraft server hosting page, compare sizes on plans and pricing (from $1.90 USD/month) and use FULL2026 for 15% off for life.

FAQ

How do you unop someone in Minecraft?

There is no unop command. Type deop PlayerName in the server console, or /deop PlayerName in chat if you are a level 3 operator.

Does deop kick or ban the player?

No. They stay on the server as a normal player. Use kick, the whitelist or ban if they should leave.

Can I deop a player who is offline?

Yes, on Java Edition the command takes a player name, so the player does not need to be online. You can also stop the server and delete their entry from ops.json.

How do I get OP back after deopping myself?

Type op YourName in the server console. The console always has full rights, so it works even when nobody on the server is an operator.

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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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