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Server List

How to join a Minecraft server on Java and Bedrock

Copy the address, add it in Multiplayer, and fix the three errors that stop most players from connecting.

GuideUpdated 4 min read

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Every listing on this site shows the server’s address with a copy button. Where you paste it depends on your edition: Java Edition runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and Bedrock Edition runs on phones, tablets, consoles and Windows.

Before you paste anything, check two things on the listing: the edition (Java, Bedrock, or Java + Bedrock) and the version. A range like 1.8 – 26.3 means the server lets in any game version between the two. A single number means you need that version.

Join on Java Edition

  1. Copy the address from the server’s listing.
  2. Start Minecraft and select Multiplayer. The first time, a warning about playing online appears; select Proceed.
  3. Select Add Server. Type any name you like as the Server Name and paste the address into Server Address.
  4. Select Done. The server now sits in your list with its player count and message of the day.
  5. Select it and choose Join Server, or double-click it.

Direct Connection on the same screen joins without saving the server, which is handy for a quick look.

If an address ends in a colon and a number, like play.example.net:25570, that number is the port. Paste the whole thing exactly as shown. Without a port, the game works it out for you, usually 25565.

Join on Bedrock: Windows, phones and tablets

  1. Start Minecraft and select Play.
  2. Open the Servers tab and select Add Server.
  3. Enter a Server Name, and paste the address into Server Address without the port.
  4. Enter the Port from the listing. The Bedrock default is 19132.
  5. Select Add and play to join now, or Add server to save it for later.

On Java + Bedrock servers, use the Bedrock address and port from the server’s page. They’re often different from the Java ones.

Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch

On consoles, the Servers tab only offers Minecraft’s featured servers. Mojang’s help center confirms that console versions can’t add a server by address, so most servers on this list can’t be joined from a console directly.

Players have found two workarounds. Neither is made or supported by Mojang, and either can stop working after a game update:

  • BedrockConnect is a free, open-source tool. You change your console’s DNS settings so that joining certain featured servers opens a server list where you can type any address instead. Your console’s DNS lookups then go through a third party’s server, so read the project’s own instructions before you decide.
  • Friend broadcasting: some Java + Bedrock servers run an Xbox account you can add as a friend. The server then appears in your Friends tab as a game you can join. If a server offers this, its website or Discord will name the account.

If the Servers tab won’t let you join anything at all, Mojang suggests checking your account’s multiplayer permission and your console’s online subscription first.

“Outdated client” or “Outdated server”

Your game version doesn’t match what the server accepts. Current versions of Java Edition show this as Incompatible client! Please use …; older ones say Outdated client! or Outdated server! Either way, the message names the version the server expects.

  • Java: in the Minecraft Launcher, open Installations, select New, choose the version from the list and select Create. Then pick that installation next to the Play button. Back up your worlds first: opening a world in an older version can damage it for good.
  • Bedrock: update the game from your device’s store. Bedrock servers usually support only recent versions, and right after a game update a server can take a little while to catch up.

If you’re inside the range shown on the listing and still get this message, the server may be halfway through an update. Try again later.

“Connection refused” or “Connection timed out”

Java shows these under Failed to connect to the server, and they mean different things:

  • Connection refused: the address answered, but nothing is listening on that port. The server is offline or restarting, or the port is wrong.
  • Connection timed out: nothing answered at all. The address is wrong, the server is down, or a firewall or VPN is in the way.

To fix either one:

  1. Check the status on the server’s listing. If it shows offline, wait a few minutes and try again.
  2. Copy the address again, including any :port at the end. On Bedrock, check the Port field too.
  3. Turn off your VPN, and make sure your firewall or antivirus isn’t blocking Minecraft.
  4. Restart the game. If other servers work but this one never does, the problem is on the server’s side; let its staff know.

“Failed to verify username!”

The server couldn’t confirm your account with Minecraft’s login service. On your side, it’s usually a stale sign-in:

  1. Close Minecraft and the launcher completely, then open them again.
  2. Sign out of your Microsoft account in the launcher and sign back in.
  3. Make sure you aren’t playing on the same account on another computer at the same time.

If only one server shows this and others let you in, that server is having trouble reaching the login service. Tell its staff and try again later; the website or Discord linked from its listing is usually the quickest place to ask.

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