Minecraft: how to create and set up a free server on PC

If you are thinking of creating or setting up your own Minecraft server on PC, we explain how to do it step by step, both for free and through paid servers.

The main difference between the first and the second is the hosting service. In the first, you or one of your friends will be the ones holding the server using your own computer as a server

It's not an option I would recommend too much in the long run, because to play, that person will have to be connected and with the server running at all times. In other words, every time you want to play, their PC will have to be available, which is a nuisance for both them and others.

The second option, and the most recommended, is to use a paid server, although I will talk about this in another guide. However, there are also free servers. I will talk a little about these at the end of this guide.

Steps to Set Up a Free Minecraft (Java) Server on PC

If you have decided to set up your server using one of the players' computers as a host, the first thing to do is to check if your PC meets the recommended minimum requirements. They are:

1. U: Dual-Core 2 GHz or higher (Intel/AMD)
   
2. RAM: at least 6 GB (8 GB if there are more than five players)
   
3. Disk: 10 GB free (SSD recommended)
   
4. Internet: 10 Mbit/s / for online servers
   

This is the minimum I would recommend, although it is actually better if you have a more powerful U and faster speed. The space may be larger if the server ends up getting very large. You should also keep the following in mind:

1. Firewall and ports. Make sure that port 25565 is properly open on the router and firewall to allow external connections.
   

That said, the process is as follows:

Server Software

1. Visit the official Minecraft page: https://www.minecraft.net/en-us//server
2. the file minecraft_server.1.21.5.jar (depending on when you read this tutorial, the version may have changed)
3. Create a folder in an easily accessible location (e.g., "Minecraft Server") and place the .jar file there.

This is the most basic thing. Right now the only thing we have done is to the file that will allow us to configure the server, but we can not do anything if we do not have Java installed.

Install Java (if not installed)

1. Check if you have Java 19: open a terminal (Windows: CMD; macOS/Linux: Terminal) and type java -version.
2. If you do not have Java 19 or higher, it from https://java.com/en//
3. Run the installer and follow the instructions. Remove old versions if prompted.

Once this is done (if you need to), you will have met the prerequisites to set up your own Minecraft server on PC. The next step is...

Start the Server

1. In the "Minecraft Server" folder, double-click minecraft_server.1.21.5.jar. If it doesn't run, use the terminal:
2. Windows: Open CMD, navigate to the folder with cd path/to/folder and run:java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.1.21.5.jar nogui

On Linux and macOS the command should be the same, so you should not have any problems. Note, however, that after running this CMD, configuration files will start to be created and after a while it will stop.

Accept the End License Agreement (EULA)

1. Open the eula.txt file in the server folder with a text editor (e.g. Notepad).
2. Change eula=false to eula=true and save.
3. Run the previous command again to start the server.

In theory, your server should now be up and running, but you still need to make some additional adjustments so that other s can access it, either via LAN or via the Internet.

Set up the server (optional, but highly recommended)

To perform this step, you will need to go to the folder where all the files and documents of your server are located. It is the folder we created at the beginning. Once inside, look for or open "server.properties" with a text editor. Inside you can configure different options such as:

1. gamemode=survival (change to creative or adventure if you prefer)
2. difficulty=easy (options: peaceful, normal, hard)
3. max-players=20 (adjust according to your PC).
4. motd=A Minecraft server (welcome message).
5. pvp=true (enable/disable PvP).

You must make these changes with the server closed. In fact, if you have already played before, you may need to restart it for them to run correctly, so it is ideal to integrate them before playing for the first time.

How to set up a free Minecraft server to play with friends

Once this is done, the next thing we need to do is to prepare the server so that other players can connect. There are two ways to do this: via a local network (LAN) or online via port forwarding. I'll explain both methods.

Via a local area network (LAN)

1. Start the server and write down the local IP (e.g. 192.168.1.10). Type ipconfig (Windows) or ifconfig (macOS/Linux) in the terminal to find it.
2. In Minecraft, go to Multiplayer > Add Server, use the local IP and connect.

After this, you should be able to access it, although you may need to open a port, such as 25656, on your router. To do this you will need to talk to your internet provider.

Online via port forwarding

1. Access your router's settings (usually at 192.168.1.1 in a browser).
2. Look for "Port Forwarding" and create a rule for T/UDP port 25565, pointing to your PC's local IP. Consult your router's manual for details.
3. External IP: Search "what is my IP" on Google to get your public IP (e.g. 203.0.113.1).
4. Share the public IP:25565 (e.g., 203.0.113.1:25565) with your friends so they can connect.
5. Firewall: Make sure to allow port 25565 in your PC's firewall (Windows: Settings > Firewall > New rule).

In local mode, the port is optional and rarely necessary. However, with port forwarding it is absolutely necessary.

Connect to the server

From this point on, as long as you have the server open on your PC, any player should be able to after performing these last steps:

1. Open Minecraft: Java Edition.
2. Go to Multiplayer > Add Server.
3. Enter the local (LAN) or public IP: 25565 (online) and a name (e.g., "My Server").
4. Click on " Server". If nothing has gone wrong, the other players (and yourself) will be able to access the server.

Common mistakes when setting up a Minecraft server

Unfortunately, it's easy for things to go wrong for some reason. There are some very common mistakes, although most of them are easy to solve.

For example, two of the most common are that you get the message "invalid server key" when trying to enter or that you do not connect. In the case of the former, it is most likely that the server, the client and the players are using a different version of Minecraft. Make sure that everyone is using the same one.

In the case of the latter, there can be a wide variety of reasons, but the most common are that the router port is not open properly, that the firewall is blocking it or that the server is not active.

If you notice that the server is too slow, it is possible that your PC is not powerful enough for all the players you are or that your connection does not have enough speed

And although it may seem strange, sometimes there are people who can sneak in or who you no longer want on the server. In that case, you can enablewhite-list=true in server.properties and add names in whitelist.json to restrict access.

I also recommend using online-mode=true to legitimate s and not installing mods until you are more familiar with how the server works. If you want to make backups, almost all the world files are in the "World" folder of the folder set at the beginning of the tutorial.

Warning: Hosting a server on your PC requires it to be turned on and consumes bandwidth.

Although they are becoming less common, and some have had problems with resource management, there are free servers (Aternos and Minehut are the most famous) where you can create your own server

They are quite simple and explain step by step how to make a server with them. However, performance is usually quite limited, there is a maximum number of players and sometimes they do not accept certain mods. In addition, some players may have problems when connecting.