Minecraft ports and firewall explained

A Minecraft Java server on PlayNHost has one main port, which Java players join on. Each extra feature you switch on, such as Bedrock crossplay, the remote console, voice chat, a web map or a vote listener, gets a port of its own from the panel. Every port is shown on Ports & Network, and nobody needs to open anything on a router or firewall.

Which ports does a Minecraft server use?

The Java defaults come from the server.properties reference on the Minecraft Wiki: server-port is "the TCP port number the server listens on", query.port is a UDP port and rcon.port a TCP port. Geyser's setup guide says the Geyser port is used "over both TCP and UDP, so it cannot be the port of the Paper / Spigot server". The add-on defaults are the plugins' own.

The Bedrock crossplay card and the Add-ons card are on the Ports & Network page, above All ports.

Discord chat, Floodgate and console joining need no port of their own. The Discord bridge and console joining connect outwards, and Floodgate runs inside your server.

Why is my port not 25565?

Many servers share one machine, so each server gets its own port numbers. Only one server on an address can have 25565, and the other defaults in the table are usually taken or not available, so your numbers are almost always different. That is fine: the panel writes the number it gave into the right file every time.

• The main port goes into server.properties as server-port at every start, and as query.port on every type except Custom Jar. On Velocity it goes into velocity.toml, and on BungeeCord and Waterfall into config.yml.
• A feature's port goes into that plugin's own settings when you switch the feature on. The panel gives each feature a free port, usually not the plugin's default, so Bedrock players type the Bedrock port the panel shows rather than 19132.

So never change a port in a file by hand. A server-port you type into server.properties is replaced at the next start, and a plugin set to a port your server does not have cannot be reached.

How do I see my server's ports in the panel?

1. Open your server in the panel and click Ports & Network in the left menu.
2. Copy the Java address under Give this to your players. It is written as address:port, for example 203.0.113.10:25571.
3. Look at All ports. The header counts the ports in use against your plan, for example 2 of 3 ports used, and each row shows its label from the table above. Under the All ports heading the page says Every port accepts TCP and UDP.
4. For Bedrock, read Bedrock players connect to on the Bedrock crossplay card. It shows the address and the Bedrock port.

The Play with friends card on Overview shows the same details for players: the Java address, and with crossplay on, Bedrock address and Bedrock port.

How do players connect?

• Java Edition: Multiplayer, Add Server, then the whole address, port included. See How to join your Minecraft server.
• Bedrock on phones, tablets and Windows PCs: Play, Servers, Add Server, then the address and the Bedrock port in their own boxes. The Bedrock port is not the Java port. See How to join your Minecraft server from a phone, tablet or console.
• Xbox, PlayStation and Switch: no address at all. They join from their Friends tab once console joining is on: How to let console players join your Minecraft server.

A server type that runs Bedrock Edition itself is not offered at the moment, so Bedrock players always join a Java server through crossplay: How to run a Minecraft Bedrock server.

Do I need to open ports on my router or firewall?

No. The firewall in front of PlayNHost game servers lets traffic through to the ports the panel gives servers, TCP and UDP, and drops the rest. Every port on your All ports list is reachable from the internet as soon as the server runs, the Bedrock port on both TCP and UDP as Geyser needs.

Players connect outwards to your server, which every normal home router allows. The port forwarding steps in Geyser's and other plugins' guides are for people who host a server on their own computer at home.

To test your ports from outside our network, run Can my friends join? on Overview. It tests the Java address and, with crossplay on, the Bedrock port, the way a friend's game would: How to find out why friends cannot join your Minecraft server.

How many ports can my server have?

The header of All ports shows how many your plan allows. Each feature in the table takes one, and a plugin that needs a port with no switch in the panel takes one you add yourself: How to add a port to your Minecraft server. The panel picks the number: you can name a port, but not choose it.

When every port is in use, the panel refuses a new feature with a message such as This server already uses all <n> ports its plan includes, so a voice chat port could not be added. Remove a port you no longer need on the Network page, then try again. Remove a port you no longer use under All ports on Ports & Network, then try again. A feature you switched off leaves its port on the server, so that is often the one to remove.

Common port problems and their fixes

The Console says FAILED TO BIND TO PORT

A plugin or mod tried to open a port your server does not have, or the server had not finished stopping. Wait a minute and start again, then read the lines above the error. The fixes are in Your Minecraft server could not open its port.

Java players time out

• The port was left off the address. Copy the whole address again from Play with friends.
• The server is stopped or still starting. Wait until the badge on Overview says Online.
• Run Can my friends join? for the exact cause.

Bedrock players cannot connect

• They typed the Java port. Bedrock uses the port under Bedrock players connect to, in its own box.
• The card says Bedrock players cannot join until crossplay is updated. Your crossplay still shares the main port, which Bedrock 26.60 and newer cannot use. Click Update crossplay, restart, and give players the new Bedrock port.
• The server was not restarted after crossplay was switched on. Restart it.

The other causes, Geyser errors included, are in Bedrock players cannot join your Minecraft server.

An RCON tool, a web map or a vote site cannot connect

Use the address of that feature's own port, not the Java address. The remote console shows it under Remote console password as RCON: and the address. On the Add-ons card, a web map has Open map and the vote listener has Copy the vote address. Voice chat players never type a port: the server tells their mod. A feature only answers after the restart that follows switching it on. See How to connect an RCON tool to your Minecraft server, How to add a live web map to your Minecraft server and How to set up server list votes on your Minecraft server.

Enable query is refused

The panel says Bedrock crossplay uses this port's UDP side, which Query also needs, so Query was not turned on. Player counts work without it. To use Query, press Update crossplay on the Network page first. Query answers on the main port number over UDP, which an older crossplay setup also uses for Bedrock. Click Update crossplay on the Bedrock crossplay card and restart, then turn Enable query on in Server Properties (Java). See Minecraft server properties explained.

For anything else, start with Minecraft server problems and fixes.