Minecraft API Rate Limits Explained (Mojang Caps)
Minecraft API rate limits are enforced per account AND per IP at the same time. Availability checks run about 2-3 per 30 seconds (and roughly 40 per 24 hours per IP), normal name changes are 3 per account per minute and 2 per IP per minute, and gift-card claims get more room at 6 per account and 60 per IP per minute. Because the limits hit each account too, scaling up needs many accounts, not just proxies.
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Minecraft API rate limits are enforced per account AND per IP at the same time. Availability checks run about 2-3 per 30 seconds (and roughly 40 per 24 hours per IP). Normal name changes are 3 per account per minute and 2 per IP per minute. Gift-card claims get more room: 6 per account and 60 per IP per minute. Because the limits hit each account too, scaling up needs many accounts, not just proxies.
What are Mojang's rate limits?
A rate limit is just a cap on how many times you can hit Mojang's servers in a set window. Here's the part most people miss: Mojang counts both your account and your IP address.
So you can't spam requests faster by hopping networks. Even on a fresh IP, each account still has its own ceiling.
Picture two locks on one door. You have to clear both. That one design choice shapes the whole name market, and it's why "just use a proxy" was never the real answer.
Want to know what a name is worth before you worry about any of this? You can look up an estimate instead of poking the API yourself.
How many times can you check a name?
Checking if a name is taken is the lightest action, and it's still capped. You can run roughly 2-3 availability checks per 30 seconds, with a longer ceiling of about 40 checks per 24 hours per IP. There's also a tighter window of around 20 requests per 5 minutes per account.
That sounds like plenty until you see how a drop actually plays out. Hundreds of people can be watching one name the second it frees up.
Here's the math side by side:
| Check window | Limit |
|---|---|
| Per 30 seconds | ~2-3 checks |
| Per 5 minutes (account) | ~20 requests |
| Per 24 hours (IP) | ~40 checks |
If you just want to know whether a name is free, our guide on how to check if a Minecraft name is available walks through the safe way without burning your limits.
What's the name-change limit (account vs IP)?
Changing a name is stricter than checking one. For a normal account, the cap is 3 name changes per account per minute and 2 per IP per minute. The per-IP number is the tighter wall.
Why does the IP cap bite harder? Stack several accounts behind one connection and that connection still only gets 2 successful changes a minute.
Quick comparison:
| Action type | Per account / min | Per IP / min |
|---|---|---|
| Normal name change | 3 | 2 |
| Gift-card (GC) claim | 6 | 60 |
That gap between the two rows is the whole story. The next section explains it.
Why do gift-card claims allow more?
Gift-card claims get a much bigger budget than normal changes: 6 per account per minute and 60 per IP per minute. A "GC" account, short for gift card, is one set up to claim a name in the small window after a real account redeems a Minecraft code.
So why the extra room? The claim path is tied to redeeming a product, so Mojang's servers handle it differently from a routine rename.
The effect is huge. That 60-per-IP ceiling on claims dwarfs the 2-per-IP ceiling on normal changes. People chasing rare drops figured this out fast, which is part of why GC setups exist at all.
New to the term? Read what a prename / gift-card account is for the plain-English version.
Why do snipers need so many accounts?
This is the part most people get wrong. Because the limits hit your account too, you can't out-snipe everyone with one account and a pile of proxies. Top names reportedly need thousands of accounts to have a real shot.
A couple of other facts shape this. The general profile API allows about 200 requests per 2 minutes per IP, and bearer tokens (your login pass) last roughly 24 hours before they need refreshing.
So scaling sniping turns into an account problem, not a speed problem. Every account is one more bucket of limits, one more token to babysit, and one more thing that can fail.
And it still mostly doesn't work by hand. Exact drop times are fuzzy now, hours to days, not seconds. We cover the reality in can you still snipe Minecraft names in 2026 and the basics in what Minecraft name sniping is.
One honesty note: selling or trading names breaks Mojang and Microsoft rules, and buyers can get clawed back. This article explains how limits work so you understand the market, not so anyone builds a sniper.
Do these limits affect normal players?
For a regular player, none of this should ever bite you. The everyday cap that matters is simple: you can change your name 3 times per minute, which is far more than anyone needs.
You'll only see a rate-limit error if you spam checks or changes back to back. Slow down for 30 seconds and it clears.
The honest takeaway: these limits are a wall against bots, not against you. Chasing a hyped drop by hand is a losing game, but knowing a name's value is easy.
Curious what a clean or short name actually trades for? Browse the public price index to see real ranges. Remember the honesty rule: most public prices are asking prices, not confirmed sales.
Frequently asked questions
How many times can you check a Minecraft name?
About 2-3 availability checks per 30 seconds, roughly 20 requests per 5 minutes per account, and up to ~40 checks per 24 hours per IP. Mojang counts both your account and your IP, so switching networks alone won't unlock more checks.
What's the Minecraft name-change limit?
A normal account can change its name 3 times per account per minute and 2 times per IP per minute. The per-IP cap is the tighter one. For everyday players that's way more than you'll ever need.
Why do GC claims allow more requests?
Gift-card (GC) claims get 6 per account per minute and 60 per IP per minute, far more than the 2-per-IP cap on normal changes. The claim path is tied to redeeming a Minecraft code, so Mojang's servers treat it differently from a routine rename.
Are Mojang rate limits per IP or per account?
Both. Mojang enforces rate limits per account AND per IP at the same time, so you have to clear two ceilings, not one. That's why proxies alone don't scale, and why heavy users add more accounts rather than just more IP addresses.
Why do snipers need so many accounts?
Because the limits cap each account too, one account plus proxies can't out-spam the field. Top names reportedly need thousands of accounts for a real shot. Even then, drop times are fuzzy (hours to days), and selling names breaks Mojang and Microsoft rules and risks a ban.