Joining your own Minecraft server takes about a minute once you know where the address lives. You copy it from the panel, add it in Minecraft's Multiplayer menu, and make sure your game runs the same version as the server. This guide covers Minecraft: Java Edition on PC, Mac and Linux. Playing on a phone, a console or the Windows Bedrock version? Follow our Bedrock join guide instead.
What you need before you start
- Minecraft: Java Edition, installed through the official Minecraft Launcher
- Your Minecraft server in the game panel, with the status showing Running
- The Minecraft version your server runs (step 3 below shows where to find it)
Step 1: copy the address from the panel
- Open the game panel and pick your Minecraft server
- On the Overview tab, find the Connection address card
- Click the copy button next to the address
The address is a hostname followed by a colon and a port, for example node1.example.com:25571. Copy all of it. The part after the colon is your server's port, and without it Minecraft tries the default port, which almost certainly belongs to someone else's server.
You can also press the Join button at the top of the server page. It opens the same address in a small popup, which is handy when you are on another tab.
Step 2: add the server in Minecraft
- Start Minecraft: Java Edition and click Multiplayer
- The first time, Minecraft shows a warning about playing online with third-party servers. Click Proceed
- Click Add Server
- Give it any name you like in Server Name. Only you see this name
- Paste the address into Server Address
- Click Done
The server now sits in your list. After a moment Minecraft pings it and shows the player count, the server's description and a signal icon. Select it and click Join Server, or just double-click it.
If your game is set to another language, the buttons carry translated names, but they sit in exactly the same places.
Just want to try once? Use Direct Connection
Direct Connection in the Multiplayer menu takes the same address and connects straight away without saving it. That is fine for a quick test, but you have to paste the address again next time, so Add Server is the better habit.
Step 3: match your game version to the server
A Java server only accepts clients on the same version. This is the single most common reason a correct address still does not work.
Find the server's version. While the server is running, the top of its page in the panel shows a small tag with the running version. You can also open the Version tab, which shows what the server is set to and lets you change it.
Set your game to the same version.
- Open the Minecraft Launcher and go to Installations
- Click New installation
- Choose the server's version in the Version list and click Create
- Go back to Play, pick that installation in the dropdown next to the Play button, and start the game
You can keep several installations side by side, so this does not touch your normal game.
When the versions do not match, the server list usually shows the server's version in red where the player count normally is, and trying to join ends with a message that your client is incompatible or outdated, naming the version the server expects.
Want to change the server's version instead? That happens in the Version tab. Take a backup first, because opening a world in an older version than it was last saved in can damage it.
Modded servers need the same mods
If your server runs Forge, NeoForge or Fabric mods, or a modpack from the Modpack tab, every player needs the same loader and the same mods on their own PC. A vanilla client cannot join a modded server. The simplest route is to install the same modpack in a launcher that supports modpacks and pick the same version the server runs.
Plugin servers (Paper, Spigot, Purpur) are different: plugins run only on the server, so players join with a normal client.
Troubleshooting
"Connection refused" or "Can't connect to server". Nothing answered on that address. Check that the server status in the panel says Running, and that you copied the port as well as the hostname.
"Connection timed out". Usually the server is still starting. Open the Console tab and wait for the line that starts with Done, then try again. Large modpacks can take a few minutes.
The server list shows a version number in red. Your game and the server run different versions. See step 3.
"You are not white-listed on this server!" The whitelist is on and your name is not on it. Add yourself from the Player Manager tab or with the console, or turn the whitelist off.
"You are banned from this server." Remove the ban in the Player Manager tab, or run pardon PlayerName in the Console tab.
"Failed to verify username" or "Invalid session". Minecraft could not confirm your account with Mojang's login servers. Close the game and the launcher completely, start them again and sign in once more.
Friends on the same address get a different result from you. Ask them for the exact error text. Almost every case is one of the above: version, whitelist or a mistyped port.
Still stuck? The Console tab shows every connection attempt with the reason the server gave, and our log guide explains how to find and share it.
Frequently asked questions
Do my friends need an account on the panel? No. Players only need the address. The panel is for whoever manages the server.
Can I remove the port from the address? Only if the server uses port 25565, which is Minecraft's default. Every other port has to be typed with the address.
Can Bedrock players join my Java server? Only with crossplay turned on. When Bedrock has its own port, the Connection address card shows a separate Bedrock address and port. If no port was free when crossplay was turned on, Bedrock shares the Java port for now: there is no separate Bedrock section, and Bedrock players use the same address and port as you. The Bedrock join guide explains the rest.
How do I make myself an operator? Our operator guide walks through it.
Need a server to join first? Take a look at our Minecraft server hosting plans.
