Minecraft server start.bat generator

Pick your server type and how much memory it gets. Download the file, put it next to the server jar and double-click it (or run it from a terminal on Linux and macOS).

Server System

Memory (GB) Jar file Java

Aikar's flags No server window (nogui) Start again when it stops Keep the window open when it stops

start.bat

How much memory to give it

Leave room for the system. PaperMC's advice: if your host gives you 8 GB, set about 6.5 GB here, because Java needs memory on top of this number.
Both numbers (-Xms and -Xmx) are set to the same value, as Aikar's flags expect.
On your own PC, keep at least 2 to 4 GB free for Windows and anything else you run.

Which Java

Minecraft version	Java it needs
up to 1.16.5	Java 8
1.17 to 1.17.1	Java 16 or newer
1.18 to 1.20.4	Java 17 or newer
1.20.5 to 1.21.11	Java 21 or newer
26.1 and newer	Java 25 or newer

If you have several Java versions installed, put the full path in the Java box, for example C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-21\bin\java.exe. The file puts it in quotes for you.

Forge and NeoForge

Since 1.17 their installer makes its own run.bat and run.sh, and reads the memory and flags from user_jvm_args.txt. Pick "Forge or NeoForge" above and you get that file instead. Replace the one the installer made, then start the server with run.bat as before. To hide the server window, add nogui to the run.bat line, just before %*.

Something wrong or missing here? Tell me, requests decide what I add next. More tools: all tools.