Changing View and Simulation Distances on a Minecraft Server

View Distance and Simulation Distance are important configuration options for Minecraft servers. The server View Distance sets the number of chunks that are visible in all directions around a player. The Simulation Distance sets the number of chunks that will run in-game processes, even if they're not visible, like loading entities, growing crops, or processing redstone contraptions.

Although players can customize their client's render distance, the view distance and the simulation distance options on your server force a limit to the amount of world data that the server sends to every single computer/player connected to a Minecraft server. As a result, lowering your server's render distances can be a quick and effective way to reduce lag on your server.

#How to Change your View/Simulation Distance

To change your View and Simulation Distance, you will need to find and locate your server.properties file.

1. Open your server's Control Panel and navigate to the Files tab

2. Find the server.properties file, and click its name to edit it

3. Modify the view-distance field to your liking.

Find the view-distance field, and set the number after the = to your desired view distance. Valid options are any number between 1 - 32.

You should refrain from putting this much higher than 10 - 12, though, as higher view distances will drastically hinder server performance.

4. Modify the simulation-distance field to your liking.

Find the simulation-distance field, and set the number after the = to your desired simulation distance. Valid options are any number between 1 - 32.

5. Save the file, then Restart your server.

That's it! You have now learned how to change the view and simulation distance on your server.