How To Create A Minecraft Server On Your PC
If you've ever wanted to create your very own always-online Minecraft world to share with friends, we've got everything you need to know about how to make a Minecraft server right here.
So why should servers be important to you? Ever wanted to run around a zombie infested island? How about a server full of mini-games? Or, you could create a huge player-versus-player hellscape without any rules. The sky is the limit!
You may want to just grab some friends and start building. With servers, they can continue their builds while you're away, providing your server's still up and running. Nothing beats returning to your server the next day and seeing all the new shacks, gizmos, and other creations of your friends. So read on to learn how to make your very own Minecraft server.
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1. Update to the latest Java
To get things started, we must ensure we are running the most recent Java version. Thankfully, this is really easy. Go to the Java website (opens new tab) and click on "verify Java version". That will check to see which version you're running and set you up with the latest should you be running an older version.
2. Dhakacourier Downloading the Minecraft server file
Make a folder on your desktop named 'Minecraft Server'. Next, go to the Minecraft website (opens in new tab) and click on the 'Minecraft_server.1.15.2.jar' link to download the server file.
Move this file to your Minecraft Server folder and double click on it to run it.
Note: If you're using Chrome browser, it may say that this is a virus. It is not a virus because it comes from the official Minecraft website. We are good.
3. How to create a batch file to start the server
Upon running the Java file, you should see loads of new files in your Minecraft Server folder. To make everything work, we must first agree to the EULA terms. Open Notepad to find the file EULA. Search for the line 'eula=false' and change it to 'eula=true' then hit save.
Now for the fun stuff. Open a new Notepad file. Copy the text from the below and paste it into a new Notepad folder:
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.1.15.2.jar nogui pause
Is that in bold? Next, you'll need change it to the filename of the Java download from the Minecraft website. In our case, it was "server.jar", so our text line would be:
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui pause
Save the Notepad file, then close it. Next, rename this Notepad file as 'ServerStart.bat’ (without the quotation marks).
If all went off without a hitch, double-clicking this file should launch your Minecraft server via a CMD window (also known as a command window). To terminate the server, open the command window and type "stop" Easy, right?
4. Joining the Minecraft server
Load Minecraft to play multiplayer if the server is running on the same computer. Click on "direct connect" to see a box asking you for a server address. This next section is quite complicated so make sure that you carefully read it. In that box, enter '0’ and hit the 'join server' button.
5. Everything else you need to know about creating a Minecraft server
Before you begin to build your own online world, here are some things to remember.
If you want to customize your world, the text file 'server properties' in the Minecraft Server folder can be tweaked to your liking.
If you plan on having friends from outside the house join your server, the code they'll need is your IPv4 plus some extra digits.
Google "what is your IPv4 code?" will bring up the search results. on Google. Each IPv4 number is specific to each computer, so ours will be different to yours.
You should get around 100.20.511.329. (I made this up, by the side).
Add a colon to your IPv4 followed by '25565' to create the following:
100.20.511.329:25565
Your version of the number above is your server address, which other players will need when joining.
Finally, to allow other players to join you need to forward your router ports to allow access from other parties. Voizdev (opens a new tab) provides a detailed explanation and walkthrough for this procedure.