Whole minutes only, from 0 up to 2147483647. The command takes no player argument; one value applies to everyone on the server.
Kicks any player who sends no input for 10 minutes. Dedicated servers only: run it from the server console or as a level 3 operator.
What a 10 minutes timeout does/setidletimeout is registered only on dedicated servers. It does not exist in singleplayer or on LAN-opened worlds, where there is no idle timeout to configure. It also needs permission level 3 (admins), one level above most commands. Default ops have level 4 and can run it; the server console always can.
/setidletimeout sets how many minutes a player can stay idle on a Java Edition dedicated server before being kicked. A value of 0 disables the timeout, which is the default. The command exists only on dedicated servers and needs permission level 3: the console or an operator.
The server tracks the last moment each player sent any input. Moving, turning the camera, chatting, swinging an arm or clicking in an inventory all reset that clock; a player who sends nothing for longer than the timeout is disconnected with the message You have been idle for too long! The kick is a normal disconnect, not a ban: the player can rejoin immediately.
The change takes effect instantly for everyone online, and the server also writes the new value back to the player-idle-timeout key in server.properties, so it persists across restarts. That makes the command the live equivalent of editing the properties file, minus the downtime.
One value applies to the whole server. There is no per-player timeout and no vanilla exemption, so operators get kicked too when they idle past the limit. Servers that want exemptions handle them with plugins or mods.
The syntax tree has exactly one form: the command name followed by a whole number of minutes. Running it bare, with a decimal, or with anything after the number is a syntax error.
On success, chat replies with The player idle timeout is now X minute(s). Bedrock dedicated servers have the same player-idle-timeout key in their server.properties file but no in-game command for it; /setidletimeout is Java-only.
An idle player still costs the server: their slot stays occupied, the chunks around them stay loaded and ticking, and every mob farm or redstone clock in that area keeps running. On a busy public server, a timeout of 10 to 15 minutes clears those sessions automatically, which is why it is the most common range. Lobbies and minigame networks go tighter, around 5 minutes, because one idle player can block a whole queue.
Survival servers face a trade-off: AFK farming is a feature on many SMPs. Iron farms, mob grinders and crop farms only work while a player keeps the chunks loaded, so players deliberately idle overnight. Kicking them breaks the farms, which is exactly why the vanilla default is 0 and why many private servers leave it there. If you want both, a long timeout like 1440 (one day) clears truly abandoned sessions while leaving overnight AFKers alone.
Be aware that the timeout only measures incoming input. An AFK pool that pushes the player in a circle of water generates constant movement packets, so those players never register as idle no matter how low you set the value. The command is a housekeeping tool, not an anti-AFK enforcement system.
Copy any of these into the server console (without the leading slash) or into chat as an operator:
/setidletimeout 10
The most common public-server value: anyone who sends no input for 10 minutes is kicked, freeing the slot and unloading their chunks.
/setidletimeout 30
A relaxed setting for community SMPs: players can step away for dinner without losing their spot, but overnight AFKers still get cleared.
/setidletimeout 5
Strict, for lobbies and minigame servers where an idle player blocks a queue or a team slot.
/setidletimeout 0
Disables the idle timeout entirely. This is the vanilla default and the right choice when players rely on AFK farms that need them online.
/setidletimeout 1440
Kicks only after a full day of inactivity. Useful as a safety net that clears forgotten sessions without ever bothering active players.
Run /setidletimeout followed by a number of minutes on your dedicated server, for example /setidletimeout 15. From then on, any player who sends no input for that long is kicked with the message You have been idle for too long! The command needs permission level 3, so run it from the server console or as an operator.
It turns the idle timeout off completely, so players are never kicked for being AFK. Zero is also the vanilla default: a fresh server ships with player-idle-timeout=0 in server.properties, which means no idle kicking happens until you raise the value.
The command is registered only on dedicated servers, so singleplayer worlds and LAN games treat it as an unknown command. There is no idle timeout to configure when you are hosting the world yourself; the setting only exists where the server runs separately from the players.
The server tracks the last time each player sent any input. Moving, turning the camera, chatting, swinging an arm or clicking in a menu all reset the timer; standing perfectly still sends nothing and counts as idle. That is why AFK pools that push the player around in water defeat the timeout: the forced movement keeps resetting it.
Yes. Vanilla Java Edition applies the timeout to every connected player and has no exemption for operators or the server owner. If you want certain players exempt, you need a plugin or mod; the vanilla command offers no per-player control.
Yes. When the command runs on a dedicated server it also updates the player-idle-timeout key in server.properties, so the value survives restarts. Editing that key by hand and restarting does the same thing; the command is simply the way to change it live with no downtime.
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