How do I change view-distance / simulation-distance?
view-distance and simulation-distance are two of the biggest levers you have for server performance. Lowering them is often the fastest way to smooth out a laggy server.
What these settings do
- view-distance controls how many chunks are sent to players — how far they can see.
- simulation-distance controls how far out the server actively ticks entities, redstone, and mobs.
Higher values look and feel nicer, but they cost more CPU and RAM. Lower values reduce load significantly.
Step-by-step
- Open the Files tab and edit
server.properties. - Lower
view-distance— for a busy server, try 6–8. - Lower
simulation-distanceto a similar value. - Save and restart.
Tip: These two settings are among the biggest performance levers available. If your server lags with several players online, drop them before doing anything more drastic.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good value? For busy servers, 6–8 is a solid balance. Very small friend servers can go higher; large public servers usually go lower.
Will lowering these hurt gameplay? Players will see a bit less terrain at a distance, but the smoother TPS is almost always worth it on a busy server.
Still lagging after lowering these? Then look at RAM, heavy plugins/mods, and pre-generating your world. Our lag-focused guides cover the next steps, and support can help via ticket.