How to Disable or Limit Mob Spawning on Your Minecraft Server
Mobs are a core part of Minecraft survival play. That includes everything from passive animals like cows and sheep, to hostile threats like zombies, skeletons, and creepers, as well as neutral mobs like endermen or piglins. But depending on your server’s goals, you may not want them around. Are your players tired of creepers sneaking up on them and destroying their base? Or being interrupted by zombies and skeletons when building at night? Then it might be time to take control of mob spawns.
Too many mobs can also bog down your server. Every creature takes up memory and processing power. This is magnified on larger maps and when more players are online. Limiting mob spawns can improve performance and keep your server running smoothly.
You’ll need OP privileges to make these changes in-game (using the same command), but for this guide, we’ll walk you through how to do it from your server’s control panel instead.
Head to your __Nexus Hosting Account__ and log in.
Once on the dashboard, find and select your intended Minecraft server.
If you’d like to turn off all mob spawning (passive and hostile), enter the following command in the console from the Terminal page:
gamerule doMobSpawning false
This command only affects natural mob spawning. It won’t prevent mobs that spawn from spawners, commands, or mob eggs. You can turn mob spawning back on at any time, with:
gamerule doMobSpawning true
If you'd prefer a little more control on which type of mobs can spawn, click the More tab (three ellipses) in the sidebar. Then scroll down to the Spawn toggles for animals, NPCs, and monsters. Adjust to your preferences and then scroll back to the top and click Save.
If you want to have more control, like disabling only hostile mob or changing spawn limits, you’ll need a plugin (for Paper/Spigot servers) or a datapack.
Popular options include:
Cauthon Mob Spawn Disabling
Let Me Despawn
No Mob Griefing (not maintained)
In Control!
Mobs Manager
Many of these plugins can be installed directly from your Nexus Hosting portal. Please see our article on How to Install Plugins if you need help.
If you're disabling mobs to improve lag, consider also reducing view distance or using a plugin like LagGoggles or Spark to track spawn-related load.
Too many mobs can also bog down your server. Every creature takes up memory and processing power. This is magnified on larger maps and when more players are online. Limiting mob spawns can improve performance and keep your server running smoothly.
You’ll need OP privileges to make these changes in-game (using the same command), but for this guide, we’ll walk you through how to do it from your server’s control panel instead.
**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: Use Gamerules to Disable Spawning**
If you’d like to turn off all mob spawning (passive and hostile), enter the following command in the console from the Terminal page:
gamerule doMobSpawning false
This command only affects natural mob spawning. It won’t prevent mobs that spawn from spawners, commands, or mob eggs. You can turn mob spawning back on at any time, with:
gamerule doMobSpawning true
**Step 4: Visit Configs (Alternative)**
If you'd prefer a little more control on which type of mobs can spawn, click the More tab (three ellipses) in the sidebar. Then scroll down to the Spawn toggles for animals, NPCs, and monsters. Adjust to your preferences and then scroll back to the top and click Save.
**Step 4: Use Plugins for More Control (Optional)**
If you want to have more control, like disabling only hostile mob or changing spawn limits, you’ll need a plugin (for Paper/Spigot servers) or a datapack.
Popular options include:
Cauthon Mob Spawn Disabling
Let Me Despawn
No Mob Griefing (not maintained)
In Control!
Mobs Manager
Many of these plugins can be installed directly from your Nexus Hosting portal. Please see our article on How to Install Plugins if you need help.
If you're disabling mobs to improve lag, consider also reducing view distance or using a plugin like LagGoggles or Spark to track spawn-related load.
Updated on: 27/05/2025
Thank you!