How to become a server operator in Minecraft

Becoming an operator (OP) on a given Minecraft server or realm allows for an expanded capability compared to normal players that is intended to assist the server's administrator.

Regardless of their stated purpose, operator privileges can be used for multiple reasons and can change many aspects of how a Minecraft server operates.

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Minecraft: Giving yourself or other players operator status on a server/realm

Minecraft Realms has its own method of making players operators that doesn't require a command (Image via Mojang).

Making a player an operator on a Minecraft server doesn't take much, though the process may be slightly different depending on what service the server is hosted on. The process also depends on whether it is hosted via Minecraft's server creation Java executable.

Methods for making a player an operator can be found below, including a couple of the most popular web-based hosting tactics:

Becoming an OP on Apex Hosting

1. Navigate to the server panel and click the console tab.
2. In the command line provided on the tab, type "op (Username)" without quotations, where the username is the desired player.
3. This can also be done within Minecraft by an OP or administrator by typing "/op <username>" without quotations in their chat console.

Becoming an OP on Shockbyte

1. Log in to the Multicraft control panel and head to the server console.
2. Inside the console's chat input, type "op <username>" without quotations.
3. Press enter or press the send button on the console window.
4. Like the Apex Hosting option, this can also be done in-game by logging into the Minecraft server as an OP or admin and typing "/op <username>" for he necessary player.

Becoming an OP with ops.json or ops.txt

1. Players who have created a Minecraft server will have access to an ops.json and ops.txt file that allows them to designate operators.
2. In ops.txt, simply open the file with a text editor and enter the usernames of players to give OP status to, one per line, and then restart the server to confirm changes.
3. In ops.json, there should be fields requiring UUIDs as well as a player name and a level. UUIDs can be looked up on myriad Minecraft community sites, player name pertains to username like previous steps, and level decides the operator ranking of the player. These ranks vary from level 1-4, with level 4 providing the most control.

Becoming an OP in Minecraft Realms

1. Log into Minecraft Realms from the main menu, select the button that says either "configure" or "configure realm" with the desired realm highlighted.
2. On the next screen, press the players button.
3. This will show a list of players permitted to play on the realm. On the far right of their name listings is an icon. Click on the player's name or icon, then select the operator button.
4. There should be no resetting needed, but players may want to log out and back into the realm just to be sure their new status is confirmed.

Players can employ these methods to gain operator privileges, given that all prerequisite criteria have been fulfilled.