How to Change the Time of Day Permanently on Your Minecraft Server

Setting a fixed time of day in Minecraft can help you control the server atmosphere and enhance gameplay. This is especially useful for adventure maps, horror scenarios, or modern city servers that look better under consistent lighting.

By default, Minecraft’s day-night cycle runs continuously, with about 10 minutes of day and 7 minutes of night. But you can override that entirely with a couple of quick commands. You can run the commands we cover in this guide from in-game chat (if you're an OP) or directly through your hosting console.

Step 1: Log in 

Head to your Nexus Hosting Account and log in. 

Step 2: Select the Server

Once on the dashboard, find and select your intended Minecraft server. 

Step 3: Set the Time

Navigate to the Terminal tab (you’d be there by default, unless you’ve left the page). Then, pick the time of day you want to stick with and enter the command into the console:

• Daylight: time set day
• Night: time set night

Or you can use exact values to fine-tune the position of the sun and lighting:

• Sunrise: time set 0
• Noon: time set 6000
• Sunset: time set 12000
• Midnight: time set 18000

Step 4: Lock the Time

Once the time’s set, you need to stop it from changing with this command:

gamerule doDaylightCycle false

You can re-enable time progression at anytime with:

gamerule doDaylightCycle true

Updated on: 27/05/2025