How to Make a Minecraft Bedrock Server

Bedrock Dedicated Server is Mojang's free server software for Bedrock Edition, the version on Windows, phones, tablets and consoles. It runs on Windows and Ubuntu, needs no Java and no installer, and players on phones, tablets and Windows join it with an address. Consoles need a little more, covered below.

What you need

Unlike a Java server, Bedrock Dedicated Server needs no Java and has no memory setting: it uses what the world needs. It is only for Bedrock players; to mix Java and Bedrock, see the Geyser section further down.

Download and start Bedrock Dedicated Server

1. Download the server

   On the Bedrock server download page, tick the box to accept the Minecraft EULA and Privacy Policy, then download the Windows or Ubuntu build. Skip the Preview builds: they only work with Minecraft Preview.

2. Unzip it into an empty folder

   For example C:\MinecraftServer on Windows or ~/MinecraftServer on Ubuntu. There is nothing to install; the world, settings and player lists all live in this folder.

3. Edit server.properties first

   The world is created the first time the server starts, using the name, seed and game mode in server.properties. Set those now; the settings are explained below.

4. Start it

   On Windows, double-click bedrock_server.exe, or run bedrock_server from a command prompt in the folder. On Ubuntu, open a terminal in the folder and run LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server.

5. Allow it through the firewall

   Windows asks whether the server may use the network the first time it starts: allow it on the network type your PC uses. On Ubuntu with ufw, run sudo ufw allow 19132/udp and sudo ufw allow 19133/udp.

6. Join it

   On the same network, the server usually shows up as a LAN game. Or choose Play, open the Servers tab, select Add Server, and enter the server computer's local IP with port 19132.

   PlayServersAdd Server

CheckNetIsolation.exe LoopbackExempt -a -p=S-1-15-2-1958404141-86561845-1752920682-3514627264-368642714-62675701-733520436

Bedrock server.properties settings

Open server.properties in a plain text editor. Every setting has a comment under it listing the allowed values. Restart the server after changing anything.

Ports: UDP 19132 and 19133

Bedrock uses UDP, not TCP like Java. The server listens on UDP 19132 for IPv4 and 19133 for IPv6. For players outside your home, forward UDP 19132 on your router to the server computer: how to port forward a Minecraft server walks through it, and the server status checker tests Bedrock servers from outside your network.

If you change server-port, forward that number instead, and players type it in the Port box. With enable-lan-visibility=true, the server also takes the default ports, so turn it off when you run two servers on one computer.

Cannot forward a port? A tunnel service that handles UDP works with Bedrock Dedicated Server too; see hosting without port forwarding.

Keep it private with the allowlist

Bedrock's whitelist is called the allowlist. With allow-list=true, only players on it can join. Operators are not exempt, so add yourself first. Type these in the server console:

allowlist add YourGamertag
allowlist add "Blue Fox 42"
allowlist list

Put gamertags with spaces in quotes. The Bedrock allowlist section of our whitelist guide covers allowlist.json and the rest of the commands.

To make someone an operator, run op <gamertag> while they are connected; roles are saved in permissions.json. Bedrock has kick but no ban, so the allowlist is also how you keep someone out. More in the server commands guide.

How players join on phones, PC and consoles

• Windows, phones and tablets: Play, then Servers, then Add Server, with your address and port 19132. Step by step in how to join a Minecraft server on Bedrock.
• On the same network: with enable-lan-visibility on, the server appears as a LAN game, so nobody has to type an address.
• Xbox, PlayStation and Switch: console editions have no Add Server button for a server of your own. Xbox and PlayStation players on your home network can join it as a LAN game; from anywhere else, consoles need a workaround, covered in joining on consoles.
• Everyone must be on the server's version. Players get updates through their device's store, so update the server whenever a new Bedrock version comes out.

Use a world you already have

1. Start the server once

   Let it create its folders, then stop it with stop.

2. Find the world

   On Windows, Bedrock saves worlds in %appdata%\Minecraft Bedrock\Users\<user id>\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds. Folder names are random letters; the levelname.txt inside each one shows the world's name.

3. Copy it in

   Copy the world folder into the server's worlds folder and give it a simple name, such as My World.

4. Point the server at it

   Set level-name in server.properties to that folder name, matching it exactly, including capitals. Start the server again.

Update the server

1. Download the new version

   Unzip it into a new folder next to the old one.

2. Copy your files across

   Copy server.properties, allowlist.json, permissions.json and the worlds folder from the old folder into the new one, plus development_behavior_packs and development_resource_packs if you added packs.

3. Start the new server

   Keep the old folder until the new server starts and the world loads correctly.

Want Java and Bedrock players together? Use Geyser

Bedrock Dedicated Server only accepts Bedrock players. To let both editions share one world, run a Java server instead (how to make a Minecraft server) and add Geyser, which translates for Bedrock players. It installs as a plugin on Paper or a mod on Fabric and NeoForge, and listens for Bedrock players on UDP port 19132.

Add Floodgate as well if Bedrock players should join without owning a Java Edition account, and forward both TCP 25565 and UDP 19132. Bedrock and cross-play servers shows how networks list both addresses, and how to play Minecraft cross-platform explains which editions can play together.

Bedrock server problems