How to OP Someone on a Minecraft Bedrock Server

To OP Bedrock server players, open the server console and type op "Gamertag" while that player is online. Bedrock Dedicated Server saves the change in permissions.json, where you can also add an operator by XUID and run permission reload. Players can then use commands such as /gamemode or /tp once allow-cheats=true.

Bedrock does not use Java’s ops.json or levels 1 to 4. It gives each player a role (visitor, member or operator), and the server console is the reliable place to hand it out. If you run Java, read how to OP someone on your Minecraft server instead.

Bedrock roles: visitor, member and operator

These are the player permissions described on the Minecraft Wiki’s permission level page:

The Wiki also explains a detail that confuses many owners: on a dedicated server, operator status gives command permission level 1, while /op and /deop need level 2. That is why an operator may not be able to OP friends from chat, and why the steps below use the console.

How to OP Bedrock server players from the Console

1. Get the player online. On Bedrock, op only accepts players who are connected. If your allowlist is on, add them first, as shown in how to whitelist a Bedrock server.
2. Open the Console in the TheGameHosting panel.
3. Run the command without a slash: op "Gamertag". Quotes are required for gamertags with spaces and harmless otherwise.
4. Check the list with permission list, which prints the current operators.
5. Turn on cheats if they need commands. In Files, edit server.properties, set allow-cheats=true, save and restart. The Wiki describes it as “If true then cheats like commands can be used”.
6. Ask them to test it with /gamemode creative in chat.

op "Gamertag"
permission list

Give OP with permissions.json (player offline)

When the player is not online, write the role into permissions.json in the server folder. It uses the player’s XUID, their Xbox account number, not the gamertag. The format, from the how-to file that ships with Bedrock Dedicated Server, is a list of permission and xuid pairs:

[
  { "permission": "operator", "xuid": "2535400000000001" },
  { "permission": "member", "xuid": "2535400000000002" },
  { "permission": "visitor", "xuid": "2535400000000003" }
]

1. Find the XUID. Each time a player joins, the server console logs their gamertag with their XUID. Search the Console output for the name.
2. Open Files → permissions.json, add an entry with "permission": "operator" and their XUID, and keep the JSON valid (commas between entries, none after the last one).
3. Save and type permission reload in the Console so the server reads the file.

Heads-up: the XUIDs above are placeholders. A wrong number gives OP to nobody, or to a stranger, so copy it from your own console.

default-player-permission-level: the role for new players

server.properties has default-player-permission-level, which sets the role a player gets the first time they join. It accepts visitor, member or operator, and the default is member.

• Keep member for a normal survival server.
• Use visitor for a world people should only look at, and promote builders one by one.
• Never set operator on a server others can reach: every new player would get OP.

Remove OP on Bedrock

Type deop "Gamertag" in the Console while the player is online; the Wiki notes it fails for offline players. For someone who is not connected, change their entry in permissions.json to "member" and run permission reload. The Java side of this is in how to remove OP from a player.

If it does not work

1. The console says no player matched. The player is offline or the gamertag is misspelled. Use quotes and the exact name, or use permissions.json.
2. They are OP but commands fail. allow-cheats is still false. Turn it on and restart.
3. You edited the file and nothing changed. Run permission reload.
4. You run PocketMine-MP or Nukkit. Those server programs manage operators their own way; follow that software’s documentation.

Run your Bedrock server on TheGameHosting

On TheGameHosting the official Bedrock Dedicated Server is ready about 60 seconds after payment, with a public IP and port already assigned, so friends on phones, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and Windows join without you opening ports. Console runs op and permission reload, Files edits permissions.json and server.properties in the browser, and Users lets a co-admin help without your password. If you are just starting, see how to make a Minecraft Bedrock server.

Plans start at $1.90 USD/month on our Minecraft Bedrock server hosting page, online 24/7 in Dallas or Amsterdam with DDoS protection. Compare sizes on plans and pricing and use FULL2026 for 15% off for life.

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