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On a Minecraft Java Edition server, set enforce-secure-profile=false in server.properties, save the file, and restart the server. This stops the server from requiring Mojang-signed player keys, so accounts without a verified key can connect. Because chat reporting relies on those keys, reporting behavior changes as well.
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This guide covers Java Edition servers that use server.properties. Bedrock Edition uses a different configuration system and is not covered here.
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What disabling secure profiles actually changes
enforce-secure-profile controls whether every connecting player must present a Mojang-signed public key. The default value is true.
When the value is true
The server requires a verified profile key. A client without a key cannot join, and keys that are invalid, expired, or incorrectly signed are rejected. Chat reporting is available only for messages from players whose keys are verified.
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When the value is false
The server no longer enforces that key requirement. Players who do not have a Mojang-signed key can join, which is the practical reason administrators change the setting. Messages from those unverified players cannot be reported to Mojang.
Changing this option does not guarantee that a report button will disappear from every client. Whether the client-side control remains visible for signed players has not been established consistently, so treat the button’s appearance as separate from the server-side key requirement.
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- Stop the server completely. Use the hosting panel’s stop control or stop the Java process from the console. Editing while the server is running can be overwritten when it shuts down.
- Open
server.properties. This file is in the server’s main directory, alongside the world folder and the server’s other configuration files. Hosting dashboards may provide an editor or an equivalent profile-security switch instead of direct file access. - Find the setting. Locate the line
enforce-secure-profile=true. If the line is absent, addenforce-secure-profile=falseon its own line. Use the exact lowercase key and value, with no quotation marks. - Save the file. Make sure the edit is applied to the server instance you intend to start. On a host with several instances, verify the server name or directory before saving.
- Start the server again. The change is read during startup, so a full restart is required; reconnecting players without restarting does not reload the property.
On a managed host, the same setting may be exposed as a checkbox or a text field. If the panel writes server.properties automatically, use the panel’s save action and then restart from that panel rather than editing a different local copy.
What players can expect after the restart
| Server setting | Join requirement | Players without verified keys | Reporting implication |
|---|---|---|---|
true |
A Mojang-signed public key is required. | They are disconnected or refused; missing, invalid, expired, and badly signed keys are rejected. | Only messages from players with verified keys can be reported. |
false |
The server does not enforce the signed-key requirement. | They can join the server. | Messages from unverified players cannot be reported to Mojang. |
The setting therefore changes both compatibility and trust boundaries. It is not merely a cosmetic switch for the chat screen: it determines whether clients that cannot supply a verified profile key are admitted.
Why an administrator might change it
Allowing clients that fail profile-key checks
A server may be used by players whose clients cannot provide a valid signed key. With enforcement enabled, the connection is rejected even if the player can otherwise authenticate and play. Disabling enforcement removes that specific admission barrier.
Avoiding key-validation disconnects
If a connection is refused because the profile key is missing, expired, invalid, or badly signed, enforce-secure-profile=false addresses the server’s requirement for that key. An error containing text such as Invalid signature for profile public key is related to this validation path, although the wording alone does not prove that changing this one property will fix every connection problem.
Understanding the cost
The principal security trade-off is that the server accepts unverified accounts. Those players’ messages cannot be submitted through Mojang’s chat-reporting system. Decide whether that loss of identity verification is acceptable for the people and moderation model of the server before changing the setting.
Unsigned messages from plugins and custom chat systems
Server software and chat plugins can send text through the System Chat Message packet. Such messages are unsigned, so they cannot be reported, regardless of whether the connecting player’s profile key is valid.
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This means a server can have two distinct kinds of chat text: player messages carrying a verified signature and system or plugin-generated messages that are unsigned. Disabling secure-profile enforcement affects who may join; it does not turn plugin-generated system messages into signed player messages.
Checking that the change took effect
- Stop the server and reopen
server.propertiesafter saving. Confirm that the effective line reads exactlyenforce-secure-profile=false, rather than a second duplicate line elsewhere in the file. - Start the server and wait for the normal ready state shown by your console or hosting panel.
- Have an affected client reconnect. The relevant test is whether a client that previously failed because it could not satisfy the signed-key requirement can now complete the connection.
- If the client still cannot join, separate profile-key errors from unrelated causes such as an incorrect address, a whitelist restriction, a ban, a version mismatch, or a mod or plugin failure. This property only controls the secure-profile requirement.
If a hosting panel changes the value back to true, the panel is likely regenerating the file from its own configuration. Make the change in the panel’s server-profile settings, save it there, and restart from the same interface.
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Default values and the 1.19.1 transition
Documentation about the default has a version-history conflict. An Aternos staff post says the property has defaulted to true from Minecraft 1.19.1 onward, while an analysis of the 1.19.1-pre1 pre-release reported false during that pre-release.
The most defensible interpretation is that the pre-release and the final 1.19.1 release differed: the pre-release used false, and the final release used true. Because those accounts are secondary and conflict about the transition, inspect the actual generated server.properties file instead of assuming a default from a version number. The file’s current value is what your server will enforce.
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Common pitfalls
Editing the wrong file
Large hosts and local setups often contain several server directories. Edit the file belonging to the instance that players actually join. A successful edit in another directory has no effect.
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The property is loaded at startup. Stop the process before editing, then perform a full stop-and-start cycle after saving.
Using the wrong syntax
The valid form is enforce-secure-profile=false. Do not use spaces around the equals sign, quotation marks, or a capitalized False. Preserve the hyphens in the property name.
Expecting every report control to vanish
The server setting changes key enforcement and the reportability of messages from unverified players. It does not establish a universal rule about how every client renders its report interface.
Assuming all chat text is reportable
Unsigned system messages produced through the System Chat Message packet cannot be reported. A plugin’s chat format or delivery method can therefore matter independently of enforce-secure-profile.
Alternative approaches
Using a client or server mod
A third-party Modrinth project named No Chat Reports exists. Its compatibility and exact behavior have not been verified here, so it should not be treated as a drop-in equivalent to the built-in property. Mods can also introduce version, loader, and client/server compatibility requirements that the single server.properties change does not.
Keeping enforcement enabled
If admitting unverified accounts is not acceptable, leave enforce-secure-profile=true. This preserves the signed-key admission check and avoids the specific compatibility trade-off created by setting it to false.
Quick Recap
Decision checklist
- Use
falsewhen allowing clients without Mojang-signed keys is more important than requiring that verification. - Keep
truewhen the server should reject missing, invalid, expired, or badly signed profile keys. - Remember that unverified players’ messages cannot be reported to Mojang.
- Remember that unsigned plugin or system messages cannot be reported either.
- Apply the edit while the server is stopped and restart before judging the result.
- For Bedrock Edition, do not apply this Java property; this procedure does not cover Bedrock’s configuration.
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