⚙️ How to Change Mob Spawn Limits in Minecraft

Hosting a Minecraft server offers players the chance to create amazing builds, such as mob farms or grinders. These are excellent for gathering loot and experience orbs, but occasionally, they can run into issues. For instance, mobs may spawn in small numbers due to the server's spawn limit, reducing the efficiency of a farm. On the other hand, it can be frustrating not to encounter many passive or hostile mobs while exploring the world. These scenarios often lead server owners and players to seek solutions. Fortunately, our panel has built-in settings that allow you to easily change the spawn limits for all categories of mobs, from monsters to fish. Additionally, Forge and Fabric server owners can quickly install mods to control mob behavior in the game. Whether you're hosting a modded or plugin-based server, adjusting mob spawn limits is possible with our panel.

🛠️ Bukkit Servers

The most popular servers are Paper and Spigot, as they allow for extensive customization and possibilities. There's also a universal option in all game versions for changing mob spawn limits. However, only these types of servers can use this feature, which can sometimes be a bit tricky.

Fortunately, plugins like MobsManager are available to manage all your mobs. Installing this and possibly other plugins is easily done through our panel, simplifying the entire process. We'll also focus on the universal method for all Paper and Spigot servers, covered in the steps below.

Head to your PixelHost server panel, then click on File Manager near the top left corner.

Important: Ensure you’re using the correct server profile for this process.

Locate and select the Bukkit Config (bukkit.yml) option to reveal its content.

Inside the file, increase or decrease the values for the spawn-limits options.

Afterward, press Save at the top and proceed with Restart Now in the following prompt.

For Paper servers running version 1.19 and above, additional settings can be found in the paper-world-defaults.yml file, accessible through the config directory in your FTP File Access area on the panel. Similarly, Spigot has more options in the spigot.yml file, located in the main section of the FTP. If you want more control without using plugins, it’s recommended to check these out.

🔧 Modded Servers

Sometimes, modded servers can become chaotic with all the unique additions to the game. Whether it's dragons or other custom entities, they can become overwhelming due to their spawn rates. Ensuring your server doesn't lag or encounter issues is important, so limiting mob spawns is recommended. How you do this depends on the type of server you're hosting, with Forge and Fabric being the most popular. We'll cover each of these and their respective mods to help you resolve any mob spawning issues.

Forge

Customizing mob spawn settings in Forge involves using mods, as there are no universal options in the default files. This might be inconvenient for some owners, but finding mods will help you achieve your goals. One such useful mod is Bad Mobs on CurseForge, which allows you to add passive or hostile entities in its file to disable their spawning. This is easily done with our panel editor, simplifying the entire process for you. However, keep in mind that this mod is server-only and should not be installed in the launcher. If the Bad Mobs mod isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, exploring other options might be best for you.

Fabric

When it comes to Fabric servers, they are very similar to Forge variants. However, the differences lie in the types of mods you'll be able to use, as some are incompatible depending on the game version. Despite this, there’s a mod called Limit Mob Spawns that is compatible with both Fabric and Forge. This mod works by adding custom rules to the world, such as preventing specific mob spawning reasons or setting a finite number of them in a chunk. These operate similarly to Minecraft’s gamerules, meaning there are tons of potential settings to implement. In other words, using this on your server gives you more control over all aspects of passive or hostile entities, among other things. Installing the mod follows the same process as before, but all players must have it in the launcher as well.

🚨 Common Issues

Too Many Mobs

In cases where too many mobs are spawning, make sure you’ve properly configured the file or mod/plugin options. For instance, reducing the monster values in the bukkit.yml file will resolve issues where too many hostile mobs spawn. Otherwise, continue using your mod or plugin settings to address the issue. It all depends on the type of server and plugin you choose, but nonetheless, it can be resolved. However, if these changes weren’t applied and loaded correctly, it would result in the problem persisting. Ensuring all edits and configurations are saved is the way to reduce the number of mobs in the game.

No Mobs Spawning

Similarly to having too many mobs, ensure their spawn rates are increased in the file or plugin/mod. However, it’s possible your difficulty is set to peaceful, which prevents hostile mobs from spawning. Changing this requires the command /difficulty [mode], which should be set to easy or higher. Alternatively, the issue might be resolved by checking any external plugins. For example, some plugins can affect how mobs spawn and behave in the game. Reviewing and editing their respective settings is what you should do in this case.

Best Regards,

João @PixelHost.