Each Time You Start Your Server

This post may be outdated as it is more than a year old. Setting up a Minecraft server on your home Windows computer is fairly easy. You can play with your friends over a local network (LAN) or on the Internet within minutes if you have basic knowledge of computers.

Note: This guide applies to the Java version only. The original Minecraft version is available for PC. Minecraft Java Edition must be purchased by each player who wishes to connect. The Java version is not compatible for mobile and console versions.

Computer Performance Requirements Make sure your computer has at least a 2 GHz dual-core processor, 2 GB of memory (RAM), and a good Internet connection. To reduce latency, I suggest a wired network. You might need more power depending upon how many players you have on your server. It is also a good idea to stop running background programs and other running programs.

If you plan to play Minecraft on the computer that hosts the server, I recommend 4GB of RAM minimum and a new processor or graphics card.

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Step 1 - Download the Latest Java Version

Java.com/en/download is where you can download the latest version.

Step 2: Download the Minecraft Server

Download the latest version from the official download page. It will contain a server.jar file. Online games Put that downloaded file in a folder where you'd like to run the Minecraft server.

Step 3: Start the Server

Open a Windows command prompt in the folder where you put the server jar file. You can do this by holding down shift and right-clicking in an empty space within the folder.

Once in the command prompt, run this command to start the server:

java –Xmx1024M.Xms1024M.jar server.jarnogui You can paste the command in the command prompt by right-clicking, and choosing paste (ctrl+v doesn't work in command prompts).

Using PowerShell Instead of Command Prompt If the command prompt didn't work or you would prefer to use PowerShell, you can and it works similarly. PowerShell should be open in directory where server.jar is. This can be done differently for different Windows versions. Search online if you're unsure how. Once you're in the correct directory, you can run the same command as above. Note: To paste into PowerShell, you just need to right-click within the window.

Once ran, the Minecraft server will create some files in the folder it resides in and you should receive an error message about the EULA:

You will need the generated eula.txt to be opened and set:

After you have done that, run the command again. Once you have created a new world, your server should now be running.

Step 4 - Server Commands

Server commands are used to control the server. These commands can be entered in the command prompt. You can view the basic commands for server here to get familiar with them. You should at least know how to use stop. This safely closes down the server, and saves the entire world.

Step 5: Connect with Your Server

Open the Minecraft game and click Multiplayer. Then click Direct Connect. Based on your current location relative to the server, you'll enter an IP address.

On the same computer If you're playing Minecraft on the same computer as the Minecraft server, enter 127.0.0.1:

On another computer in a network If you are on another computer within the network (connected to a router), enter the local address of the computer running the server. To find the IP address, go to your server's computer and enter ipconfig into the command prompt. The IP address should look something like 192.168.1.1. However, the last two numbers may be different.

(The IP address given above is an example only.

Over the Internet To connect to the Minecraft server over the Internet, you'll need to know the external IP address of the computer the Minecraft server is on. You can find it by browsing to whatismyip.com while on the Minecraft server PC. It will be four sets of numbers separated each by periods. It may look something like 65.214.224.57 but each set of numbers will be different.

If the computer that the Minecraft server is on is connected via a router to the Internet modem, which it should be for security reasons, then you'll have to make sure the router is properly port forwarding Minecraft Internet traffic to the computer that has the Minecraft server on it (even if you only have the one computer).

Port forwarding allows your router to send the right traffic to the right computers. Minecraft uses port 25565, so the router needs to be setup to send any traffic on port 25565 to the computer that has the Minecraft server.

Portforward.com: Scroll down to select your router model. The model number can be found on the front or back side of your router.

Next, select the game you want to port forward for, which is "Minecraft Server" in this case. This may indicate that you need a static address. It is referring to your internal IP address. Each time a computer connects to your router or is turned on, it assigns it an IP address. It will usually remain the same, but it is possible to change. So you may have to update the settings if you were to disconnect the computer from the router or shut it down. If you run Minecraft server a lot and shut down your computer often, you may want to look into giving your computers static local IP addresses.

Once you've forwarded port 25565 to the correct computer, you can test it at www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports. Be sure to check for port 25565 (80 is the default port for website traffic). For additional troubleshooting, see the Minecraft server install wiki.

Remember that your local and external IP addresses can change when your computer is turned off or your modem resets. When you start your server, make sure you double-check both your local and external IP addresses, and update settings accordingly.