Reduce player IP exposure in Minecraft server logs

Minecraft logs can contain player network addresses. You can reduce this exposure in the native Java server log, but a single server setting cannot control every plugin, proxy, panel or network log. Start by deciding which records staff need for troubleshooting and who should be able to read them.

Check the scope of the change

Record the exact server build and inspect the generated server.properties file. Paper documents log-ips for native IP logging. Confirm that the option exists in the reference for your installed release before adding it to an older configuration. Do not assume every option from current 26.x documentation exists in 1.21.11 or another historical build.

List the other software on the connection path: for example, a proxy, an authentication plugin or an administration tool. Those systems may write their own connection records. Reducing native logging does not remove a player's IP from the network stack, change their account identity or prevent authorised infrastructure monitoring.

Change the native setting

Save a private copy of server.properties. Announce a short restart, stop the server cleanly, and change the existing line to:

log-ips=false

If your supported release generates this option, edit that generated entry rather than adding a duplicate. Save the file, start the server and check for normal startup. Keep authentication and proxy forwarding settings unchanged. Turning off account verification is not a privacy measure and can introduce identity problems.

Ask a staff member to connect for a supervised test, then inspect the new log interval. Check what the server actually recorded instead of assuming the setting covers all messages. Do not publish the test log unredacted just to demonstrate that the change worked. If a plugin still writes addresses, review its documented logging controls separately.

Handle existing logs safely

The setting affects future output; it does not rewrite old logs or copies in backups. Restrict access to historical logs using the permissions available to your panel account. Decide a retention period that fits your operational and legal needs, and document it for staff. This guide is technical configuration guidance, not a universal retention rule.

When asking for support, preserve useful timestamps, exception messages and server versions. Redact player addresses, session tokens, database passwords and other unrelated secrets. Keep an unmodified private copy if you need to correlate an incident later. A screenshot can expose the same information as a text attachment, so inspect both.

Recover and verify the wider result

To reverse the change, restore the previous log-ips value during another clean stop and restart. If staff need an address for a specific investigation, use an authorised record source rather than permanently broadening log access for everyone.

Review proxy and plugin logging independently and check a fresh connection after each adjustment. Record exactly which component changed and which records remain. That produces a defensible result: native IP logging was reduced and verified, while other systems are tracked explicitly rather than assumed to be covered.

Reference

Paper server.properties reference: log-ips.