The More RAM You Give It
There are three ways to play multiplayer Minecraft: Java Edition, which is free. - You have three options: join a public Minecraft server, create your own or buy a Minecraft Realm. - If your friends are on the same network, you can set up a LAN Minecraft server for local multiplayer.
Minecraft is a simple, yet infinite game. There are millions of players so it's easy for you to find other Minecraft players. However, it can be confusing to figure out how to play multiplayer games with your friends.
How you play multiplayer Minecraft will vary depending on whether you have the newer, console-friendly Bedrock edition, or the classic Java edition. Whichever edition you have, you can only play with friends who have the same version.
Java is the most popular version. There are many ways to play with your friends.
Hosting a multiplayer Minecraft server shouldn't take more than a few seconds.
Here's what you need to know.
Quick tip: To play together, you must all be using the same version Minecraft.
How to play Minecraft with your friends
Minecraft's multiplayer mode relies on servers as its basic building block. Everyone playing together will need the same server.
There are thousands of Minecraft servers already out there, which you and your friends can join to play together in moments - see the section below on how to join a friend's or a public server for more details. There is one downside to this: you will be sharing these servers and playing with many people you don’t know.
A Minecraft server is free for you and your friends to host a private game. Just know that it takes some work, and whoever makes the server will need to have a good computer with a fast internet connection. If this doesn't suit your needs, you can check out the other options.
Here's the steps you'll need to follow to either join an existing Minecraft: Java Edition server, or create your own multiplayer server.
Join a server
1. Launch Minecraft and select Multiplayer.
2. Click Add Server.
3. In the Server Address box, enter the host server's address and click Done. This could be an address on the Internet or a URL.
4. Wait for the server to connect, and when it appears in the list, select it and click Join Server.
Create and join your own server
The following steps will help you set up a server on your Windows 10 computer. However, the steps should be similar, if not largely the same, for both Mac and Linux computers as well.
1. Launch a web browser of your choice and navigate to minecraft.net/download. Scroll down and select Java Edition Server.
2. Next, find and download Minecraft server software. Put it somewhere you'll find it. The file will be named.jar.
3. Create a new folder on the computer. Give it a name and place the.jar file. This is where you'll keep all your server files.
4. Next, create a plain-text document. Right-click in the folder, select New, then text document. Name the text document "start.txt."
Quick tip: You can create an.txt document on a Mac by using the TextEdit program. You can use "cat" to access Linux's terminal.
5. Navigate back to the Minecraft server download webpage. Copy the following command text:
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.1.18.2.jar nogui
Notice that the numbers nearing the end will vary depending on Minecraft's latest version.
6. Paste the string of command text into your start.txt document.
7. Within the string of command text, you'll see the words "minecraft_server.1.18.2.jar." You will need to rename this portion of the text to "server.jar". This means that the new code line will now read:
8. This line of code can also be used to modify the RAM allocation for your server. You can increase the RAM, but it will cause more stress to your server.
9. The RAM is determined using the first two numbers in the code line. These numbers are the RAM amounts in megabytes (MB). It defaults to 1024MB RAM or one gigabyte, (GB).
Quick tip: Unlike with storage space, when it comes to RAM, one gigabyte equals 1,024 megabytes - not 1,000. As such, set the RAM amount in multiples of 1,024 megabytes.
1. Launch Minecraft while your server has been up and running. Next, select Multiplayer.
2. Select Add Server in bottom-right corner.
3. In the Server Address field, simply put the number "0" or the word "localhost".
Use a local network server
1. One player should launch a new solo game world. The other player should then enter the pause list and select Open to LAN.
2. Select the game mode and allow cheats from the menu. Free-forums.tv Click Start LAN World.
4. The other player (or players) on the same network should launch Minecraft. Instead of jumping into a Minecraft world and clicking the Multiplayer option, click the main menu.
5. Minecraft will automatically start scanning for games on the shared local network. Click Join Server when the right world appears.
6. If the server is not found, players can click Direct Connection. Under Server Address, enter the IP Address of the computer hosting your server. A colon (:) is followed by the five-digit port numbers.