How to let console players join your Minecraft server

Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players cannot type a server address, so they join your PlayNHost Minecraft server through console joining. Turn on crossplay, tick the spare Microsoft account box on the same card, click Turn on console joining, restart, and sign that account in with the code shown. Players add it as a friend and join from their Friends tab.

Before you start

• Bedrock crossplay must be on and up to date. Console joining goes through crossplay's Bedrock port, so if the Bedrock crossplay card says Bedrock players cannot join until crossplay is updated, click Update crossplay and restart first. See How to let Bedrock players join your Java server with Geyser.
• Make a spare Microsoft account for your server. The panel warns: The authors of the sign-in tool say the account it uses could be banned by Microsoft. Make a free account for your server and sign in with that. The tool, MCXboxBroadcast, gives the same advice in its own guide. Never use your main account.
• The account needs a password: the sign-in tool cannot use an account that signs in without one.

Turn on console joining

1. Open your server in the panel and click Ports & Network in the left menu.
2. On the Bedrock crossplay card, find Console players join from their Friends tab.
3. Tick I will sign in with a spare Microsoft account.
4. Click Turn on console joining. You need permission to create files. The panel downloads the newest release of the sign-in tool.
5. The card says Restart the server for this to take effect. Restart the server. The card then says Starting. The sign-in code appears here in a moment.

Sign in the spare account

1. When the code appears, the card says Open the Microsoft page below, enter this code and sign in with the spare account. Click Copy the code.
2. Open the Microsoft link under the code, paste the code and sign in with the spare account.
3. The card says Signed in. Showing the server on Xbox Live now., then Players add <gamertag> as a friend in Minecraft or the Xbox app. The server then shows in their Friends tab, under Joinable Friends.

Only people who can use the server's console see the code. Others see Waiting for a sign-in. Someone with console access can see the code here.

If the code runs out before you use it, the card says so. Click Get a new code and try again.

How console players join

1. They add the gamertag the card shows as a friend, in Minecraft or in the Xbox app.
2. In Minecraft, they open the Friends tab. Your server is listed under Joinable Friends. They join from there.

The Play with friends card on Overview shows the same gamertag under Consoles, with Xbox, PlayStation and Switch: add this as a friend in Minecraft, then join from the Friends tab. The Bedrock crossplay card on Ports & Network also shows how many friends the account has: Signed in as <gamertag>, <n> of <max> friends.

Keep the sign-in tool up to date

The sign-in tool must support the Bedrock version your console players run. Release 160 of MCXboxBroadcast (27 October 2026) added support for Bedrock 26.60 and NetherNet, according to its release notes. If console joining was turned on before that, or whenever the card says A newer version (<version>) is available., click Update and restart the server.

If it does not work

• Microsoft wants the age on this account confirmed.: sign in at xbox.com with the spare account, finish the check, then click Get a new code.
• This account signs in without a password, which the sign-in tool cannot use.: click Sign out and use an account that has a password.
• The sign-in tool could not start.: read the lines in the Console that mention MCXboxBroadcast.
• Turn on Bedrock crossplay first. or Start the server first.: do that, then try again.
• Players see the server but cannot join, or do not see it at all: check that a phone or Windows PC can join through crossplay first, and that the crossplay card shows no update warning. See Bedrock players cannot join your Minecraft server.

Update, sign out or turn off

• A newer version (<version>) is available. with Update: updates the sign-in tool. Restart the server afterwards.
• Sign out signs the spare account out, for example to use another one.
• Turn off removes console joining. Restart the server for it to take effect.

More about joining from each device: How to join your Minecraft server from a phone, tablet or console.