This wikiHow teaches you how to create and host your own Minecrafts server on a Windows or Mac computer. If you want to create a server in Minecraft PE, you will need to subscribe to the Minecraft Realms service.
Step
Part 1 of 5: Preparing the Router
Step 1. Open the router's web page
In order to be able to assign a static (unchanged) IP address to your computer and forward the port used for the Minecraft server, you will need to use your router's page. You can access it by entering the router's address into your browser.
Since all router models have different pages, check your router's manual or online documentation for specific instructions on address assignment and port forwarding
Step 2. Sign in to your router account when prompted
If you are prompted for a username and/or password, enter the appropriate information to access the router's page.
If you never set this information, but are prompted to enter it, check your router's manual for the device's default user name and password
Step 3. Assign a static IP address for the host computer
With a static IP address, the computer doesn't get a new address every time it starts up so you don't have to change server information or port forwarding going forward:
- Look for the list of devices connected to the router.
- Select your computer.
- Change the computer number if necessary.
Step 4. Save changes
Click the button " Save " or " Apply ”, then high until the router finishes restarting if necessary.
Since the router will assign a new address to the computer upon restart and restart once you have established port forwarding, assigning a static IP address is an important step
Step 5. Locate the “Port Forwarding” segment
Usually you can find this segment in the settings section of “ Advanced However, search the router's settings page if you don't find the segment.
Again, the router page will be different for each device so you may need to read the router documentation/manual instead of just scrolling through the router page until you find the "Port Forwarding" segment
Step 6. Create a new rule called “Minecraft”
On some routers, just type Minecraft into the description box. For some other routers, click “ New rules ” first (or a similar option) and type in the router information.
Step 7. Enter the computer's static IP address
Type the computer's static IP address (usually "192.168.2.number") into the "IP" or "Address" field in the rules segment.
Step 8. Select “TCP” and “UDP”
On the “TCP” or “UDP” drop-down menu in the rules segment, click “ TCP & UDP ”.
Step 9. Forward the Minecraft port
Type 25565 into both port fields.
Port 25565 is the primary port used by Minecraft servers
Step 10. Activate the rule
If the rule is not activated automatically, check the box or click the “ On ”.
Step 11. Save changes
Click the button " Save " or " Apply ”, then wait for the router to finish restarting if necessary. After that, you can install the Minecraft server on your Windows or Mac computer.
Part 2 of 5: Installing Minecraft Server on Windows Computer
Step 1. Make sure the computer is running the latest version of Java
Visit https://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp via Internet Explorer (other browsers cannot be used), then click “ Agree and Continue ” and follow the prompts shown on the screen.
If Java hasn't been updated, you could run into problems hosting the server
Step 2. Run the Java JDK if you haven't already
You need to install it on your computer before running any Java commands:
- Visit the JDK webpage
- Check the "Accept License Agreement" box under the "Java SE Development Kit 8u201" heading.
- Click the download link " jdk-8u201-windows-x64.exe ” to the right of the "Windows x64" heading.
- Double-click the installation file, then follow the on-screen prompts.
Step 3. Download the server file
Visit https://minecraft.net/en-us/download/server via a computer web browser, then click the link “ minecraft_server.1.13.2.jar ” in the middle of the page.
Step 4. Create a new folder
Right-click on the desktop, select " New ", click " Folders ”, and type Minecraft Server before pressing Enter.
Step 5. Move the server files to the " Minecraft Server " folder
Click and drag the downloaded JAR file to the " Minecraft Server " folder, then drop it.
You can also click on the server file to select it, press the Ctrl+C keyboard shortcut, open the " Minecraft Server " folder, and press the Ctrl+V shortcut to paste the file
Step 6. Run the file server
Double click the Java file " server ” which is stored in the "Minecraft Server" folder. You can see several files and folders displayed in the main folder.
Step 7. Accept the terms of use
Once you see the " eula " text file in the " Minecraft Server " folder, follow these steps:
- Double click the " eula " file.
- Replace the text line "eula=false" with "eula=true".
- Press Ctrl+S to save changes.
- Close the text file.
Step 8. Double-click the server file again
The file will be restarted in the pop-up window and other files will be added to the " Minecraft Server " folder.
Step 9. Close the server when it's done running
When you see the message " Done! " at the bottom of the main server window, click the text field in the lower left corner of the window, then type stop and press Enter.
Step 10. Locate the “server.properties” file
This file is in the " Minecraft Server " folder.
Step 11. Rename the file
Right click the file " server.properties ", click " Rename ”, remove the period from the name, then press Enter. The file will be converted into a regular file named " serverproperties " and can be opened.
Step 12. Open the "serverproperties" file
Double click the file, then double click Notepad ” in the pop-up menu that appears.
Step 13. Add the computer status IP address to the file
Look for the "server-ip=" line of text, then type in the static IP of the computer you previously assigned next to the "=" sign.
For example, if your computer's status IP address is "192.168.2.30", type server-ip=192.168.2.30
Step 14. Save the file
Press Ctrl+S, then close the Notepad window.
Step 15. Create a launcher file (launcher)
You can indeed start the server by double-clicking the file “ server ”, but the server will run with limited computer memory. Fortunately, you can work around this problem by creating a launcher file in the " Minecraft Server " folder:
-
Open Notepad (you may need to click on the Start ”
and typing notepad to find the program).
- Type java -Xmx3G -Xms1G -jar server.jar into the Notepad text field.
- Click the menu " File, then select " Save As… ” in the drop-down menu.
- Type run.bat into the "File name" field.
- Click the "Save as type" drop-down menu, then click " All Files ”.
- Select "Minecraft Server" as the location to save the file.
- Click " Save ”.
Part 3 of 5: Installing Minecraft Server on Mac Computer
Step 1. Make sure your computer is running the latest version of Java
Visit https://java.com/en/download/, click “ Free Java Download ”, open the installation file, and follow the installation instructions that appear.
If Java hasn't been updated, you could run into problems hosting the server
Step 2. Run the Java JDK if you haven't already
You need to install it on your computer before running any Java commands:
- Visit the JDK webpage
- Check the "Accept License Agreement" box under the "Java SE Development Kit 8u201" heading.
- Click the download link " jdk-8u201-macosx-x64.dmg ” to the right of the "Mac OS X x64" heading.
- Double-click the DMG file, then drag the Java icon to the " Applications " folder.
- Follow the instructions shown on the screen.
Step 3. Download the server file
Visit https://minecraft.net/en-us/download/server via a computer web browser, then click the link “ minecraft_server.1.13.2.jar ” in the middle of the page.
Step 4. Create a new folder
Click the desktop, then select " File ", click " New Folder ”, type Minecraft Server, and press Return.
Step 5. Move the server files to the " Minecraft Server " folder
Click and drag the downloaded JAR file to the " Minecraft Server " folder, then drop it.
You can also click on the server file to select it, press the shortcut Command+C, open the " Minecraft Server " folder, and press Command+V to paste the file
Step 6. Run the file server
Double click the Java file " server ” in the "Minecraft Servers" folder. You will see some new files and folders in the main folder after that.
Step 7. Accept the terms of use
Once you see the " eula " text file in the " Minecraft Server " folder, follow these steps:
- Double click the " eula " file.
- Replace the text line "eula=false" with "eula=true".
- Press Command+S to save changes.
- Close the text file.
Step 8. Double-click the server file again
The file will be restarted in the pop-up window and other files will be added to the " Minecraft Server " folder.
Step 9. Close the server when it's done running
When you see the message " Done! " at the bottom of the main server window, click the text field in the lower left corner of the window, then type stop and press Enter.
Step 10. Locate the “server.properties” file
This file is in the " Minecraft Server " folder.
Step 11. Open the file
Click the file " server.properties ", click the menu “ File ", choose " Open With, and click " TextEdit ” to open it.
If you can't open the file, click the file, select the menu “ File ", click " Rename ”, remove the period between the words "server" and "properties" (you may need to click the down arrow to the right of the "Name" box and uncheck "Hide Extensions" first), and click " Save ”.
Step 12. Add the computer status IP address to the file
Look for the "server-ip=" line of text, then type in the static IP of the computer you previously assigned next to the "=" sign.
For example, if your computer's status IP address is "192.168.2.30", type server-ip=192.168.2.30
Step 13. Save the file
Press the shortcut Command+S, then close the TextEdit window by clicking the red circle in the upper-left corner of the window.
Step 14. Create a launcher file (launcher)
You can indeed start the server by double-clicking the file “ server ”, but the server will run with limited computer memory. Fortunately, you can work around this problem by creating a launcher file in the " Minecraft Server " folder:
-
open the window Spotlight
type textedit, double click " TextEdit, and select " New Document ”.
- Type java -Xmx3G -Xms1G -jar server.jar into the TextEdit window.
- Click " Format ", choose " Make Plain Text, and click " OK ”.
- Click " File, then select " Save ” in the drop-down menu.
- Type run into the " Name " field, then click the down arrow next to the " Name " box.
- Uncheck the "Hide Extension" box, then replace the ".txt" extension in the "Name" column with.command.
- Select the “Minecraft Server” folder as the storage location, click “ Save, and select " Use.command ” when prompted.
Part 4 of 5: Installing Minecraft Server on Linux Computer
Step 1. Download the server file from
Step 2. Create a new folder called Minecraft Server
Step 3. Move the server files to that folder
Step 4. Open the folder via Terminal and run the following command:
- chmod +x *
- sudo java -jar *
Step 5. Accept eula
Click the “eula.txt” file and change the false entry to true.
Step 6. Rerun the following command:
sudo java -jar *.jar.
Step 7. Wait until the message " Done " is displayed
After that, type stop.
Step 8. Click minecraft.properties and change the following settings:
- If you want the server to be accessible to the offline (hacked) version, change the value for the online mode entry to false.
- You can also change the game mode and several other aspects.
Step 9. Add the local computer IP address to the file
In the server-ip line, add your computer's IP address, such as 192.168.1.16.
Step 10. Save the file and close the window
Step 11. Run the server
Just run the following command:
sudo java -jar *.jar
Part 5 of 5: Connecting the Computer to the Server
Step 1. Find the computer's public IP address
This address is the address you need to give to friends who want to join the server. Keep in mind that anyone with this address can join your game.
If your friends are on the same network as you, they just need the host computer's static IP address
Step 2. Start the server using the launcher file or " run"
Close the server once it's running, double-click the launcher file previously created in the " Minecraft Server " folder, then wait for the server to finish loading before moving on to the next step.
The server window should always be open when you are hosting the server
Step 3. Open Minecraft
Double-click the Minecraft icon which looks like a patch of grass, then select “ PLAY ” at the bottom of the launcher window.
You may be asked to sign in with your Minecraft account email address and password if you haven't opened the game in a while
Step 4. Click Multiplayer
This option is in the Minecraft menu.
Step 5. Click Add Server
It's in the lower-right corner of the window.
Step 6. Enter the server name
In the "Server Name" field at the top of the window, type any name for your Minecraft server.
Step 7. Enter the computer address
In the "Server Address" field, type the computer's static IP address.
If you change the port, add a colon (:), followed by the port number (eg 50.32.56.8:5555). However, if the port used is "25565", you do not need to add the symbol
Step 8. Click Done
It's at the bottom of the window. The server will be created after that.
Step 9. Select a server
Click the server name at the top of the window.
Step 10. Click Join Server
It's at the bottom of the window. The server world will be unlocked afterwards.
Step 11. Invite friends to join
You can invite friends by sending a public IP address to (maximum) 19 friends and asking them to do the following steps:
- Open Minecraft and click “ Multiplayer ”.
- Click " Direct Connect ”.
- Enter your computer's public IP address (not the local IP address entered for hosting the server, unless your friends are using your WiFi network).
- Click " Join Server ”.
Step 12. Disable firewall or firewall if necessary
If your friends can't join the game, you may need to disable your computer's firewall. Keep in mind that disabling firewalls makes your computer vulnerable to intruder attacks. Therefore, turn off the fire wall only if you are playing with trustworthy people.
Tips
- The faster the computer's performance, the more players you can "accommodate" on the server, without experiencing interruptions (in total, each server can accommodate a maximum of 20 players).
- Hosting over an ethernet connection is considered to be more secure and faster than hosting using a wireless network.
Warning
- If the computer shuts down or is not responding, your server will also shut down.
- Opening ports through your router increases the possibility or risk of others accessing your network.
