How to OP yourself (server operators explained)

An operator ('OP') can run admin commands: changing the gamemode, teleporting, banning players, stopping the server. Your own player account doesn't start with these rights, you grant them through the server console.

Granting OP from the console

In your server's console, type (no slash needed in the console):

op YourUsername

Granting and removing OP in-game

Once you are OP yourself, you can manage others in-game:

/op FriendName
/deop FriendName

How it works under the hood

Operators are stored in the ops.json file in your server folder. The op-permission-level setting in server.properties (1–4) controls how much power OPs get, level 4, the default, includes everything up to /stop.

A warning from experience

OP is all-or-nothing. An OP'd player can ban people, delete builds with /fill, and generally end your server's day. For anyone who isn't a co-owner, use a permissions plugin like LuckPerms instead, it lets you grant exactly the commands you want (say, /tp and /kick) without handing over the keys.