Each Time You Start Your Server

This post is over one year old and may have outdated information. Setting up a Minecraft server on your home Windows computer is fairly easy. If you have a basic understanding of computers and networking, it is possible to play with friends over a local or international network (LAN), or the Internet in a matter of minutes.

Note: This guide applies to the Java version only. The original Minecraft version is available for PC. All players who wish to connect must have bought Minecraft Java Edition for their computer from minecraft.net. The Java version is not compatible with the console or mobile versions. For those, you will need to use Minecraft Realms.

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 recommend a wired network. You may need more power depending on how many players your server has. Stopping as many running and background programs as possible will also help.

I recommend that you have at least 4GB RAM and a new processor and graphics card if you intend to play Minecraft on the same computer as the server.

Amazon's top-rated gaming computers are available for purchase if your computer is not up to the task.

Step 1 - Download the Latest Java Version

Java.com/en/download to download the latest version.

Step 2: Download the Minecraft Server

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

Step 3: Start the Server

Open a Windows prompt in the folder that contains the server.jar file. To do this quickly, hold down shift and then right-click in an empty area within the folder.

To start the server from the command prompt, you can run the following command:

java Xmx1024M.Xms1024M.jar nogui. You can paste your command into the command prompt using right-clicking on the command prompt and choosing paste. (Ctrl+v will not 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. Minecraft Skygrid Servers PowerShell should be open in directory where server.jar is. This might be different for different Windows versions. Search online if you're unsure how. Once you are in the correct directory run the following command. Note: To paste into PowerShell you only need to right-click inside 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've done that, you can run the command again. After that, a new environment should be created. Your server should now be running.

Step 4: Server commands

Server commands can be used to control the server. View the basic server commands here and familiarize yourself with them. At the very least, know how to use stop, which safely closes down the server and saves the world.

Step 5: Connect to your Server

Open the Minecraft regular Minecraft game, then 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 this, go to the computer that's running the server and type ipconfig into a command prompt. Although the IP address should look like 192.168.1.1 it could be different.

(The above is an example IP Address 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 contain 4 sets of numbers separated with 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 can be done by your router to ensure that the right traffic is sent to the right computer. 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 is usually listed on the front or back of your router.

Next, select the game you want to port forward for, which is "Minecraft Server" in this case. It may tell you that you need a static IP address. It is referring to your internal IP address. Every time a computer is connected to your router, or turned on, the router assigns it a local IP address. It can sometimes change, but it usually stays the exact same. If you need to shut down your computer or disconnect it from the router, you might have to change the settings. 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.

Keep in mind that both your external and local IP addresses may change when you shut down your computer or reset your modem. Make sure you double-check your IP addresses before you start your server. Also, make sure to update your settings as needed.