1What the server did
On 29 Sep we started Minecraft 1.21.1's server jar in an empty folder. It logged two lines and stopped:
The log
[ServerMain/WARN]: Failed to load eula.txt
[ServerMain/INFO]: You need to agree to the EULA in order to run the server. Go to eula.txt for more info.
It also wrote the file it asks about, in the folder it was started from:
eula.txt
#By changing the setting below to TRUE you are indicating your agreement to our EULA (https://aka.ms/MinecraftEULA).
#Tue Sep 29 12:15:42 UTC 2026
eula=false
Nothing is broken. Every server needs someone to accept Minecraft's End User License Agreement before it runs.
2Accept it
Read the EULA
The link in the file, aka.ms/MinecraftEULA, opens Minecraft's End User License Agreement.
Change the line
In
eula.txt, next to the server, changeeula=falsetoeula=trueand save.Start the server again
It gets past the EULA and goes on to make the world.
On Linux, sed -i 's/^eula=false$/eula=true/' eula.txt changes the line in one go.
3When it still says no
We tried the line a few ways on the same server:
| The line in eula.txt | What happened |
|---|---|
eula=TRUE | Started |
eula = true | Started |
eula=true with a space after it | Stopped: You need to agree to the EULA |
- A space after true makes the value something other than true. Delete everything after the e.
- The server reads eula.txt from the folder it starts in, not the jar's folder. Started from somewhere else, it writes and reads another eula.txt there;
cdinto the server's folder first. - On Windows, check the name is eula.txt, not eula.txt.txt: File Explorer hides known extensions unless you turn them on.
4On a Playkeeper server
- New server asks you to accept the EULA before it creates a server, links it, and records who accepted it and when.
- It writes eula.txt for the server, so the first start goes straight on to the world.
- A server that stops for want of it shows The Minecraft EULA hasn't been accepted on its Overview, with a button to read and accept it.
Questions
How do I accept the Minecraft server EULA?
Open eula.txt in the server's folder, change eula=false to eula=true, save, and start the server again.
Why does my server still say I need to agree to the EULA?
Look for a space after true, a file named eula.txt.txt, or a server started in another folder, where it reads a different eula.txt.
Where is eula.txt?
In the folder the server starts in. It writes the file there on its first start.
