Fix Connection Timed Out When Joining a Minecraft Server

Two Minecraft errors look alike and have a lot of causes in common:

• Connection timed out: no further information means the game never got an answer from the server. Either nothing is listening at that address, or something between the player and the server is blocking the traffic.
• An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host means a connection was opened and then cut off. That points at a crash or restart on the server, a network device dropping the connection, or security software on the player's PC.

Work through the checks below in order. The first two solve most cases and take a minute.

First: is it everyone, or one player?

This question saves the most time. If nobody can join, the cause is almost always on the server side: it is not running, it is still starting, or the address is wrong. If one player cannot join while others play normally, the server is fine and the cause is on that player's side: their address, their version, their PC or their network.

Step 1: check that the server is actually running

1. Open the game panel and select your server
2. Check the status on the Overview tab. It should say Running, not Offline or Starting...
3. Open the Console tab and look for a line that starts with Done, for example Done (12.345s)! For help, type "help"

Until that Done line appears, the server is still loading the world and mods, and anyone who tries to join gets a timeout. Large modpacks can take a few minutes.

If the server keeps restarting or stops by itself, anyone connected at that moment sees forcibly closed. Scroll up in the console to the error just before it went down. It usually names the plugin or mod responsible. Our help center has a guide to finding and reading the server logs.

Step 2: use the exact address from the panel

On the server's Overview tab, the Connection address card shows the address players should use, with a copy button next to it. Copy it from there instead of typing it, and paste it in Minecraft under Multiplayer, Add Server.

The port matters. If the address ends in a colon and a number, such as :25565 or another port, that part has to be included. Leave it out and Minecraft tries its default port, where your server is not listening.

Also check the saved server entry in the player's server list. An address that worked last month can be out of date, for example after the server was moved to another location or the primary port was changed on the Network tab. Delete the old entry and add the server again with the current address.

Step 3: Java and Bedrock are different doors

The Connection address is for Java Edition. Bedrock players (Minecraft for Windows, phones and consoles) usually cannot use it, and trying ends in a timeout.

Bedrock players can only join if the server has crossplay enabled. When Bedrock has its own port, the Overview shows a separate Bedrock Edition block with its own Server Address and Port, and Bedrock players must enter those two values in their separate fields. If no port was free when crossplay was turned on, Bedrock shares the Java port for now and there is no separate block: Bedrock players then enter the same address and port as Java players, with the port in its own field.

Step 4: match the version

Vanilla Minecraft normally tells a player plainly when versions differ, with a message about an outdated client or server. Modded servers are less polite: a mismatch in the mod loader, a mod, or a mod version often ends with the connection being dropped during login instead.

• Check the server's version on the Version tab and make sure players use the same Minecraft version in their launcher
• On a modded server, players need the same modpack version as the server, with the same mods. The simplest way is to install exactly the same modpack version in the launcher.
• After updating the server, remind players to update too

Step 5: the player's PC

When only one player is affected, these are the usual suspects:

• Firewall. Windows Firewall may be blocking Java. Search for "Allow an app through Windows Firewall", find the Java entries (often called Java(TM) Platform SE binary, one per Java version) and allow them. The Minecraft launcher ships its own Java, so there may be several entries.
• Antivirus. Security suites with their own firewall or "web protection" can cut game connections. Temporarily disable the network protection and try again. If that works, add an exception for Minecraft and Java.
• VPN or proxy. Turn it off and try again. Some VPNs block the ports Minecraft servers use.
• Router. Restarting the router fixes more than you would expect. Some router features, such as NAT acceleration, can drop long-lived game connections. If the problem only happens on one home network, try another network, for example a phone hotspot. If it works there, the router is the cause.

Step 6: DNS and IPv6

If the address is a domain name and not an IP address, the player's PC first has to look the name up.

• On Windows, run ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt and try again. This clears an old lookup that points to the wrong place.
• If the name does not resolve at all, set the network adapter to a well-known public DNS server instead of the one the internet provider hands out, and try again.
• Some networks give Java an IPv6 route that does not work. Adding -Djava.net.preferIPv4Stack=true to the JVM arguments of the installation in the Minecraft launcher forces IPv4.

Step 7: a server that cannot keep up

A heavily loaded server can let players connect and then drop them. Look in the Console for Can't keep up!. That warning means the server is falling behind. Common causes are too many plugins or mods for the memory, huge unexplored areas being generated, or a farm that loads too many entities. Reduce view-distance in server.properties, pre-generate the world, or move to a plan with more memory.

Checking the logs

The console shows the server's side of the story live. For older sessions, the files are under logs in the Files tab, with latest.log being the current one. The step-by-step guide to finding them is in our help center.

When a player cannot connect, look for their name in the log around the time they tried. If their name does not appear at all, the connection never reached the server, which points at the address, a firewall or the network. If their name appears followed by a disconnect reason, that reason tells you what to fix.

Still no luck

Open a ticket from the support page with your server name, the exact error message, the time the player tried to join, and whether it affects everyone or one player. We will look at the server's logs with you.