Can't connect to your Minecraft server? Check these in order

Open the Console tab. If the server is stopped, start it. If it is starting, wait for the line with Done; a player who tries earlier gets Connection refused. Big modpacks can take several minutes to get there.

Did it stop by itself? The last lines of the console usually show why. If they mention a Java or class version, see which Java version your server needs.

• Copy the address from the Overview tab instead of typing it. A missing letter gives Can't resolve hostname or Unknown host.
• Java players type only the address. Bedrock players also fill in the port the panel shows, in the separate port field.
• No spaces before or after the address. Some phones add one when pasting.

Just added a new address in Settings? It can take a few minutes before every network knows it. Players on some networks may need to restart the game or their router once.

The player can pick the server's version in the Minecraft Launcher under Installations. Or you let several versions in with the ViaVersion plugin, which lets newer clients join an older Paper server.

Bedrock updates on its own, so a Bedrock player is always on the newest version. On a crossplay server, keep Geyser up to date to follow.

• You are not whitelisted on this server: add their exact username in the Players tab. For Bedrock players on crossplay, use fwhitelist add with their name.
• You are banned from this server: check the ban list in the Players tab and pardon them if it was a mistake.
• The server is full: raise max-players in server.properties, or wait for a slot.

The server checks with Mojang that the player really owns the account. This fails when:

• The player uses an unofficial launcher without a real Microsoft account. They need to buy and sign in to Minecraft.
• The player's session expired. Restarting the Minecraft Launcher and signing in again fixes it.
• Mojang's login servers have a hiccup. Wait a few minutes; it affects many servers at once when it happens.

Do not turn off online-mode to get around it. That setting is what stops a stranger from logging in as you or as one of your operators.

Connection timed out means no answer came in time. If only one player has it, the cause is on their side: a school or work network that blocks games, a VPN, or a firewall on their computer. Ask them to try on a phone hotspot to be sure.

If everyone has it, the server itself is overloaded or stuck. Check the console for lag warnings and see reduce lag on your server.

Messages about missing mods, a mismatched mod list or registry errors mean the player's mods differ from the server's. The fix is always the same: exactly the same pack at exactly the same version. Send them join a modded server.

On a crossplay server this is nearly always the Geyser port. It must match the Bedrock port the panel shows; if someone set it to 19132, Bedrock players get Unable to connect to world. Java and Bedrock crossplay explains the setting.

Java shows some errors in technical words. These are the long ones players copy into a search engine, with the step on this page that fixes them.

The message Multiplayer is disabled. Please check your Microsoft account settings has nothing to do with the server. The player's account is not allowed to play online, which is common on accounts of children and on new accounts.

1. Sign in to the Microsoft account of the player and open the Xbox privacy and online safety settings.
2. Set You can join multiplayer games to Allow and save.
3. On a child account, the parent changes this setting in Microsoft Family Safety.
4. Restart the Minecraft Launcher, sign in again and join.

The same setting blocks Realms and every other server, so a player who has this message cannot play online anywhere until it is changed.

On a network with Velocity in front of several servers, players connect to the proxy, and the proxy passes them on. Two messages point at the link between the two:

• If you wish to use IP forwarding, please enable it in your BungeeCord config as well! The server behind the proxy expects forwarding that the proxy does not send, or the other way round. Use the same forwarding mode and secret on both sides.
• This server requires you to connect with Velocity means a player tried to join the server behind the proxy directly. Players should only use the address of the proxy.

Build a Minecraft server network explains how the proxy and the servers behind it are set up.

If none of the steps solved it, our support team can look at the server with you, every day from 07:00 to 23:00 CET. Send these five things and we can usually answer in one go:

• The exact message on the player's screen, ideally a screenshot.
• The time it happened, so we can find the attempt in the console.
• Java or Bedrock, and the version of the player's game.
• Whether other players can join at the same time.
• The address the player typed.

Open a ticket from the support page, or from the client area if you are signed in.