How to Make a Minecraft Server

The server software is free from Mojang for Java and Bedrock, so the real decision is where the server runs: your own computer, a paid host, or a free option with limits. This guide helps you choose, then sets up a Java Edition 26.3 server from the download to the first friend joining.

How to host a Minecraft server: where it runs

A server has to run on a computer that stays on while people play. That computer can be yours, a hosting company's, or Mojang's:

Your own PC costs nothing, and most modern computers can run a vanilla server for four to eight players. It needs no graphics card, but a wired connection is steadier than Wi-Fi. The server is only up while that computer runs it, and friends outside your home need a way in, either port forwarding or a tunnel. The steps below cover this option.

A paid host runs the server in a data centre, with an address that is always up and a control panel that installs Paper, Fabric or a modpack for you. Once a server has regular players, it is usually worth it. Compare hosts on single-core CPU speed, a location near your players, full file access and backups, rather than on the amount of RAM alone.

Realms is Mojang's own hosting. Java Realms costs $7.99 a month for you and up to 10 players at once, and cannot run mods or plugins. Bedrock Realms starts at $3.99 a month for you and 2 friends. There is nothing to set up; the trade-off is far less control than your own server.

Can you make a Minecraft server for free?

Yes. Mojang's server software is free for both editions, and running it on your own computer costs nothing but electricity. Free hosting exists too, with limits worth knowing before you build a world on it:

• Free hosts such as Aternos give you a real server at no cost. To share their hardware, they queue you at busy times and stop a server once nobody is on it, so someone has to start it from the website before each session.
• e4mc skips the server: it gives your single-player world a public address while you play, and friends need nothing installed. See how to play with friends without a server.
• Cloud free tiers can run a small Java server around the clock. Oracle Cloud's Always Free tier, for example, includes an Arm virtual machine with 2 OCPUs and 12 GB of memory. You set up Linux yourself, free capacity is not always available, and Oracle can reclaim instances it considers idle.

Step 1: Install Java 25

A Java Edition server runs on Java, and Minecraft 26.1 and newer needs Java 25. The Java built into the Minecraft Launcher only runs the game, so install your own. Older Minecraft versions need older Java:

• Windows: download the Java 25 installer from Adoptium (Eclipse Temurin) or the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK.
• macOS: use the Temurin 25 installer from Adoptium, or Homebrew.
• Linux: install OpenJDK 25 from your package manager.

# Windows (winget)
winget install EclipseAdoptium.Temurin.25.JRE

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install --cask temurin@25

# Ubuntu and Debian
sudo apt install openjdk-25-jdk-headless

# Fedora
sudo dnf install java-25-openjdk-headless

Then open a new terminal and run java -version. It should report version 25. If it shows an older number, an older Java comes first on your PATH: uninstall it, or reinstall Java 25 with the option to add it to PATH.

Step 2: Download and start the server

1. Make a folder

   Create an empty folder for the server, such as minecraft-server in your Documents. Everything the server creates, including the world, goes in here.

2. Download server.jar

   Get the server from Mojang's Java server download page and move it into the folder. If it saves as minecraft_server.26.3.jar, rename it to server.jar so the commands below match.

3. Run it once

   Open a terminal in the folder (on Windows, type cmd in File Explorer's address bar and press Enter) and run java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar server.jar nogui. The first run creates eula.txt and server.properties, then stops.

4. Accept the EULA

   Open eula.txt in a plain text editor, change eula=false to eula=true and save. That confirms you accept the Minecraft EULA; the server will not start until you do.

5. Set up the world

   If you want a particular seed or game mode, edit server.properties now: the world is generated on the next start. The settings worth knowing are in the table below.

6. Start it again

   Run the same command. When the console prints Done and suggests typing help, the server is up.

7. Let yourself in

   New servers only admit players on the whitelist. Type op <your Minecraft name> in the console: operators always get in, and can use admin commands in game.

8. Join it

   In Minecraft, choose Multiplayer, then Add Server, and use the address localhost.

   MultiplayerAdd Server

9. Stop it with the stop command

   Type stop in the console when you are done. It saves the world before shutting down; closing the window can lose recent changes.

The server.properties settings worth changing

Open server.properties in a plain text editor, change the value after the =, save, and restart the server. The defaults below are from Java Edition 26.3.

Keep inventory, the daylight cycle and other world rules are game rules, not properties: see keep inventory and other game rules in the server commands guide.

Make a start script and set the RAM

Save the start command as a script in the server folder so you do not have to type it every time:

@echo off
java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar server.jar nogui
pause

#!/bin/sh
cd "$(dirname "$0")"
exec java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar server.jar nogui

On Windows, double-click start.bat; pause keeps the window open so you can read any error. On macOS and Linux, run chmod +x start.sh once, then start the server with ./start.sh in a terminal.

-Xmx is the most memory the server may use and -Xms is what it starts with. Mojang's own example sets both to 4 GB, which suits around ten players on vanilla. For more players, plugins or mods, the server RAM calculator gives an estimate. Leave 1 to 1.5 GB of the computer's memory free for the system.

Want plugins? Switch to Paper

The official server runs vanilla Minecraft. To add plugins such as land claims, ranks or vote rewards, most servers use Paper: a faster drop-in replacement for the official server that runs Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins. Players still join with an unmodded game.

1. Download Paper

   Get the build for your Minecraft version from papermc.io. Like the official server, it needs Java 25 for Minecraft 26.1 and newer. Builds for a brand-new release are labelled alpha or beta until Paper marks them stable.

2. Swap the jar

   Stop the server, back up the folder, and put the Paper jar in it. In your start script, replace server.jar with the Paper file's name. Paper converts an existing vanilla world on its first start.

3. Add plugins

   Put plugin .jar files in the new plugins folder and restart. Run plugins in the console to check them: green means loaded, red means it failed, and logs/latest.log says why.

Plugins are not mods. Mods that add new blocks, items or mobs need a mod loader and must be installed by every player: see how to make a modded Minecraft server.

Let friends join

Friends on your Wi-Fi can join straight away with the server computer's local IP address, such as 192.168.1.20. For anyone outside your home, pick one:

• Forward a port. Point TCP port 25565 on your router at the server computer and give friends your public IP. How to port forward a Minecraft server covers the router, the firewall, CGNAT and the fixes when it will not work.
• Skip the router. A tunnel service or private network app gives friends an address with no router changes, and works where port forwarding cannot. See hosting without port forwarding.

Then test it from outside with the Minecraft server status checker. It connects from our servers, not your network, so a green result means the internet can reach you.

Keep the server safe

• Leave the whitelist on unless you mean to run a public server, and add friends with whitelist add. The whitelist guide covers every command.
• Op only people you trust. Operators can change anything, stop the server and de-op you. The server commands guide covers permission levels, kicking and banning.
• Keep online-mode=true. Offline mode lets anyone join under any name, which makes the whitelist useless.
• Back up the world before updating the server or adding plugins: stop the server and copy the whole folder.
• Keep the server updated, and download server software only from its official site.

Server will not start? Common errors

List your server so players can find it

Once the server stays up and you want players beyond your friends, make it public: set white-list=false, write a clear motd, and give it an icon with the server icon maker. Then put it where players look:

1. Add it to NewMinecraftServers

   Add your server for free. We check it from our side the way the game does, so the listing shows its real status, version and player count, with player history on its stats page.

2. Reward votes

   Players can vote for a server once a day. Connect Votifier and each vote gives a reward in game, which is what keeps players voting.

3. Add the Companion plugin

   On Paper, the free Companion plugin claims your listing with one command and shows your peak players, uptime and busiest hours in game.