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How to find out why friends cannot join your Minecraft server

MinecraftUpdated Oct 15, 20265 min read

If a friend cannot join your Minecraft server, do not guess. The Can my friends join? card tests your server from outside, the way a friend's game would, and tells you in plain words what is wrong and where to fix it.

Run the check

  1. Open your server in the panel and go to the Overview page.
  2. Find the Can my friends join? card and click Run check. Later, the button reads Run again.

  3. Wait for Checking… to finish. The card shows one of three verdicts:

    • Your friends can join.
    • Your friends can probably join. Read the notes below.
    • Your friends cannot join yet.
  4. Each line under the verdict is one thing it tested, marked as a pass, a warning or a failure, with a button to fix it where there is one: Start server, Invite friends, Open console, Open Players, Open Network or Open Settings.
The Can my friends join check result on the Overview page of a stopped Minecraft server

The check pings your server's own ports from outside our network and reads three of its files, such as server.properties and the whitelist. The result stays on the card for a day. You can run it up to six times a minute.

What the lines mean and what to do

What the card saysWhat it meansWhat to do
Your server is stoppedNobody can join a stopped server.Click Start server, wait for it to load, run the check again.
Your server is still startingFriends can join once the world has loaded.Wait a minute and run it again.
Asleep until someone joinsThe server is resting because nobody was playing. The first friend to connect wakes it, which takes about a minute.Nothing to fix.
Nothing answers on your addressThe server is on but not accepting players yet, often because it is still loading its world.Wait a minute and run it again. If it stays, the Console says what went wrong.
Something that is not Minecraft answersFriends cannot join through it.Open the Console to see what is running on the port.
Java players can reach your serverThe address works from outside.Nothing to fix.
Friends need Minecraft and a versionYour friends must run the same version. A different one is turned away with "Outdated client" or "Outdated server".In the Minecraft Launcher, choose Installations, New installation and pick that version.
Your server is fullAnyone else is turned away with "The server is full".Raise the player limit or wait for someone to leave.
Only you and your operators can joinThe whitelist is on and nobody else is on it, so friends see "You are not white-listed on this server".Add them on the Players page, or send an invite link.
Nobody can join yet: the allow list is emptyOn a Bedrock server the allow list is on and empty, so everyone, you included, is turned away.Send an invite link, or turn the allow list off in Settings.
Anyone with the address can joinThe whitelist is off.Nothing to fix. Turn it on if you want a private server.
Anyone can join under any name, including yoursOnline mode is off, so the server does not check Minecraft accounts and a stranger can take an operator's name.Turn it back on in Settings unless the server sits behind a proxy that checks accounts.
Bedrock players cannot join yetFriends on phones, tablets and Windows PCs need crossplay.Turn it on from the Network page.
Bedrock players can reach your serverThe Bedrock port answers from outside.Nothing to fix.

When crossplay is set up but the Bedrock port does not answer, it usually means Geyser failed to start. The Console shows its errors, and a restart often fixes it. See How to let Bedrock players join your Java server with Geyser.

If the check says everything is fine and a friend still cannot join, open a ticket with the check's result and what the friend sees.

Need a Minecraft server for your group? See Minecraft server hosting.

Already hosting it somewhere else? Move your server to us

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