Minecraft server guides: set up, run and fix your Minecraft server
Practical help for running your own Minecraft server, from the first start to the problems that come later. Each guide explains the why in a few lines and then gives the steps, for Java, Bedrock and crossplay servers, plugins, mods and modpacks.
Getting started with a Minecraft server
- Java and Bedrock crossplay on one Minecraft serverHow Geyser and Floodgate join the two Minecraft editions, how Bedrock players get in, and what not to touch.
- How much RAM does a Minecraft server need?The sum we use ourselves: a base amount for the server, then a share per player, then view distance.
- How to make a Minecraft serverFrom nothing to a world your friends can join, in the order that saves you the most trouble.
- Java or Bedrock: which Minecraft server do you need?Which Minecraft edition your players have, what that means for plugins and mods, and when to pick crossplay.
- How to join your Minecraft serverWhere your server address is, and the exact buttons to press on Java and on Bedrock.
- Move your Minecraft world or server to a new hostUpload a singleplayer Minecraft world, or move a whole server from another host with one download link.
- Create an account for Minecraft hosting, sign in and reset your passwordMake your Minecraft hosting account, activate it, sign in, and get back in when you forgot your password.
- Billing, invoices and renewals for your Minecraft serverMinecraft server invoices, payment methods, business details, renewals, failed payments and cancelling, all in one place.
- Minecraft hosting account settings: email, password and two-factor loginChange your email or password, protect your Minecraft hosting account with a code from your phone, or delete it.
- Your Minecraft server control panel: a quick tourWhere everything is in the client area and the control panel, with a screenshot of each part.
- How to change or update your Minecraft server versionMove your server to a newer or older Minecraft version safely, and fix the Incompatible client error.
- How to change the seed of your Minecraft serverGive your server a new world from a seed you pick, with the old world saved in a backup.
- How to set up a Minecraft SMP serverEverything a survival multiplayer server needs in its first hour, in the order to do it.
- How to make a hardcore Minecraft serverOne life per player on a shared server: the switch, what death means, and how to run it fairly.
- Minecraft server.properties explained, setting by settingThe server settings in plain words: what each one does, the Minecraft default, and when to change it.
- How to change your Minecraft server addressAdd a new play address to your server, with the naming rules the panel checks and how to move players over.
- Set up your Minecraft server with AISix questions in the AI Copilot set up plugins and server settings, with a backup first and Undo for each settings and plugin change.
- How to edit Minecraft server files in the control panelOpen and save config files, upload, zip, extract, rename, download and delete files in the Files tab.
- How to change max players on a Minecraft serverSet how many people can be online at once, restart, and let staff in when the server is full.
- How to change the game mode and difficulty on a Minecraft serverDefault game mode, forced game mode and difficulty on a Minecraft server, in the panel and with commands.
- Download your Minecraft server world and play it in single playerGet a copy of your server world on your own computer, as a keepsake or to play it in single player.
Minecraft plugins, mods and server software
- Fabric, Forge or NeoForge: which Minecraft mod loader?Let the mods you want decide. What each loader is good at, and which Minecraft versions it lives on.
- How to install a Minecraft modpack on your serverSearch CurseForge and FTB from the panel, install the server version of a Minecraft pack, then match it on your players' side.
- How to install plugins on a Minecraft serverInstall Minecraft plugins from the catalog in two clicks, or upload a .jar yourself, and keep plugins working after updates.
- How to join a modded Minecraft serverThe player's side of a modded Minecraft server: same pack, same version, enough memory, and the errors in plain words.
- Paper, Purpur or Spigot: which Minecraft plugin server?What Paper and Purpur add on top of Spigot for a Minecraft server, when that matters, and how to switch safely.
- How to install datapacks on a Minecraft serverAdd Minecraft datapacks from the World tab or by upload, check that they loaded, and know which ones need new land.
- How to add a resource pack to your Minecraft serverHave the server hand out your resource pack on join, with the link, checksum and settings explained.
- How to install mods on a Minecraft serverSingle mods on a Fabric, Forge or NeoForge server: install, dependencies, client or server side, and updates.
- How to change your Minecraft server type without losing the worldMove a Minecraft server from Paper to Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Purpur or Vanilla and back, with a backup first.
- How to enable command blocks on a Minecraft serverSwitch command blocks on for your Minecraft version, give yourself one and fix the not enabled message.
- Set up EssentialsX on your Minecraft server: homes, warps, kits and /tpaInstall EssentialsX, pick the modules you need and set up homes, warps, kits and teleport requests for your players.
- Run multiple worlds on one Minecraft server with MultiverseCreate a creative world, a resource world or a lobby next to your survival world, on the same server.
- Set up an economy and shops on your Minecraft serverMoney, player shops and a server shop on Paper, and the rules that keep the economy from inflating.
- Make a Skyblock or OneBlock Minecraft server with BentoBoxRun Skyblock or OneBlock islands on Paper with BentoBox, or play the Better OneBlock modpack on Fabric.
- Play a custom adventure, parkour or puzzle map on your Minecraft serverUpload a downloaded Minecraft map and set the server up the way the map maker intended.
Minecraft players and community
- Link your Minecraft chat to DiscordA two way Minecraft chat bridge with DiscordSRV, the mod version for modpacks, and the panel's own Discord alerts.
- Set up Minecraft server permissions with LuckPermsGroups instead of op for everyone on your Minecraft server: a member, a moderator and an admin rank in about ten commands.
- How to stop griefing on your Minecraft serverKeep strangers out of your Minecraft server, let players protect their builds, and roll back damage block by block when it happens.
- Minecraft whitelist and operator levels explainedDecide who may join, and who may run which admin commands, with the tools built into Minecraft.
- Minecraft server commands every admin needsThe commands for running a server day to day, grouped by job, with the exact syntax and an example of each.
- How to change your Minecraft server icon and MOTDYour own picture and message in the multiplayer list, with colours and two lines.
- How to turn on keep inventory and other game rules on a Minecraft serverKeep inventory, mob griefing, PvP and the rest of the Minecraft game rules as switches, with the right command names for your version.
- How to give someone access to your Minecraft server panelMinecraft server staff accounts with their own login and only the rights you pick, from console access to read only.
- How to put your Minecraft server in maintenance modeClose the server for everyone but your team, show a message in the server list, and open it again in one click.
- See when your Minecraft players are online and who plays mostThe busiest hours of your Minecraft server per weekday, and a top 10 of players by playtime.
- Search the chat history of your Minecraft serverFind what a player said or did on your Minecraft server in the last 14 days, by name or word.
- Get Minecraft server alerts in Discord with a webhookA Discord webhook that posts starts, stops, crashes, backups and console words from your Minecraft server.
- Add a Discord bot to your Minecraft serverServer status, online players, the address, a week of stats and restarts in your own Discord with the panel's bot.
- How to turn PvP on or off on a Minecraft serverSwitch PvP for the whole server, one world, one area or one team, with the right setting for your Minecraft version.
- How to set the spawn point and spawn protection on a Minecraft serverMove the world spawn, give players a spawn point of their own and choose how large the protected area around spawn is.
- Set up a safe Minecraft server for kidsThe settings a parent needs for a private Minecraft server where children play only with friends they know.
- Set a world border on your Minecraft serverLimit how far players can travel, so the map stays a size your server and your backups can handle.
Fixing Minecraft server problems
- Can't connect to your Minecraft server? Check these in orderEvery common Minecraft connection message with its cause and fix, starting with the ones that happen most.
- Which Java version does your Minecraft server need?The table from Java 8 to Java 25, how the panel sets it, and how to read a class version error.
- How to back up and restore your Minecraft serverMake a Minecraft server backup before a big change, keep a copy on your computer, and put the server back when something goes wrong.
- Minecraft server won't start: how to find the cause and fix itFind the one line in the log that says why the server stops at startup, and the fix for each common cause.
- Minecraft server keeps crashing: find the cause and stop itWhat to check when a running server crashes or freezes over and over: the log, memory, TPS and your plugins.
- See what changed on your Minecraft server and undo itOne list of what happened on your Minecraft server, with Undo for changes made by the AI Copilot.
- How to read Minecraft server logs and find the first errorWhere Minecraft keeps its logs, how to open them, and how to read a log line, an error and a stack trace.
- Auto restart your Minecraft server after a crashHow crash watch brings a crashed Minecraft server back, when it stops trying and how to switch it off.
- Fix "Flying is not enabled on this server" in MinecraftStop the flying kick: what triggers it, how allow-flight works and when to keep it off.
- Fix "Outdated server" and "Outdated client" on a Minecraft serverGet players with a different Minecraft version onto your server: match versions, update the server or bridge the gap.
- Fix "Failed to verify username" on a Minecraft serverThe causes of the Failed to verify username kick, from an expired session to a network proxy, and the fixes in order.
- Fix "java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space" on a Minecraft serverWhy a Minecraft server runs out of Java heap, how to find what fills it, and the fixes that work.
- Fix "Can't keep up! Is the server overloaded?" on a Minecraft serverRead the Can't keep up warning the right way: harmless once, a problem when it repeats, and how to find what causes it.
- How to secure your Minecraft server: a checklist for ownersTen checks that keep strangers, stolen accounts and bad plugins away from your Minecraft server.
- Is my Minecraft server down? How to check in two minutesFind out in a few steps whether the server, the connection, the login service or one player's game is the problem.
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