How To Make A Minecraft Server In 2024 [Java, Bedrock]

Creating a free Minecraft server is not the most reliable solution

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Key notes

  • Servers are the backbone of every single Minecraft world ever built. With that in mind, let's see how you can build your own Minecraft server.
  • You can create servers for both Minecraft: Java and Minecraft: Bedrock editions.
  • While the steps are somewhat different, the end result is pretty much the same in both scenarios
Create Minecraft server

We can all agree that Minecraft is an amazing game. It has come a long way since its initial release, and updates don’t cease spawning. So what’s the thing that makes Minecraft so great, even after so many years?

It might be that after a while, you get accustomed to thinking in squares. But no. Perhaps the fact that a rather simplistic survival game has evolved to the point where you can build fully-functional computers in it? Maybe.

Can you create a free server on Minecraft?

If you wonder how to make a Minecraft server for free, there are a number of websites that provide free hosting for Minecraft; however, these services often come with restrictions, such as a lack of support and the availability of paid add-ons.

Free Minecraft server hosting is an excellent choice if you are new to Minecraft servers or only want to play with a few friends online because most free server hosting has a maximum player restriction.

Before you join up for any free Minecraft server hosting, you should do some research to find out what type of customer care and extras, such DDoS protection and server backups, come with the hosting package.

Minecraft’s servers are all community-based

But the real reason why Minecraft thrived and still keeps at it is the community. As you probably know, Minecraft never had any official servers, everything was run by its community.

So there was no place where everything was readily available to you. You had to soldier on through tears and frustration to build the perfect world for you and your friends.

However, all of this couldn’t be possible without servers, the backbone of every single Minecraft world ever built. With that in mind, let’s see how you can build your own Minecraft server that your friends can join.

Since most of the servers are community-made, it would be a wise idea to protect your online privacy using a VPN. You can find a list of our best 5 VPNs for Minecraft on Windows and Mac.

Before we continue, here are similar questions asked by our users that will be answered in the solution list below:

  • How to make a Minecraft server for friends
  • How to make a Minecraft server with mods
  • How to make a Minecraft Java server
  • How to make a Minecraft Bedrock server

How do I make my own server on Minecraft?

1. Create a Minecraft Server using a dedicated server hosting

apex-hosting-minecraft-server

Creating a Minecraft Server is never been easier with Apex Hosting. You can make your own Minecraft server or create one for your friends by simply choosing a provider, determining the size that you need, and selecting which version to start with.

Most packages are instantly deployed and ready to run within a few minutes. You just have to share the IP address with everyone you wish to play with.

Apex Minecraft Hosting uses the latest and most powerful hardware to ensure that your Minecraft server runs without lags or downtime.

You can easily control your server hosting account with full access to the edit configurations and console. You can change versions anytime with a simple change in the control panel or you can contact the support team to do this for you in seconds.

You can enjoy all the following features:

  • Free Server Transfers
  • DDoS Protection
  • 24/7 Servers & Support
  • Java & Bedrock Edition Servers
  • Instant Setup
  • One-Click Modpacks
  • Automated Backups

Apex Hosting server is extremely secure to use and one of the best server hosters with video tutorials if you are unsure of how to use any of its components.

Apex Minecraft Hosting

An endless number of options for creating the Minecraft server of your dreams!
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2. Check that the latest version of Java is installed

  1. First of all, you have to download and install Java. If you already did, you need to make sure that the latest version is installed on the PC you’ll use to host the server. Here’s what you can do to perform a Java version check:
  2. In your Control Panel, click Java (32 or 64-bit), go to the Update tab , and click Update Now.update-java how to make a minecraft server
  3. Visit the Java Version checker tool and let it check the version for you. Note that this doesn’t work on Chrome and Firefox.Check Java version online
  4. Launch the Command Prompt, type java -version, and hit Enter on your keyboard. Compare the version to the official website.

3. Download the Minecraft server files

You can find the Minecraft server files on the official website’s Download section. It’s possible to retrieve older versions, as well, but not from the official website. If you want the latest developments, we recommend you always use the latest version from the official site.

Note that the server is a JAR file that won’t work unless you have Java on your system.

It’s worth mentioning that the JAR file will create various configuration files in the location you launch it. So, before you launch the server, make sure it’s in an appropriate location on your PC.

The best practice would be creating a dedicated folder wherever you feel like, moving the JAR file there, and launching it.

4. Launch the server

After you set everything up, just launch the server by double-clicking the JAR file. This should start a process that writes some configuration files and quits almost immediately.

Minecraft game view

First, and foremost, we have to agree to the EULA. Therefore, locate the eula.txt file in the server‘s folder and open it in a text editor. Edit the eula=false part inside the document to eula=true, save it and close it. Note that doing so means you accept the EULA.

Note: in order to avoid any complications, make sure you always launch the Minecraft server as an Administrator.

If you want to keep your privacy safe while playing Minecraft, this easy fix will show you how to connect to Minecraft with a VPN.

Get Private Internet Access

Can you make a Minecraft server without Realms?

It is possible to run a server without making use of Realms; however, doing so typically necessitates paying for the services of a third party.

This being said, you might as well use a dedicated server hosting solution such as Apex Minecraft Hosting, and start playing right away!

How to make a Minecraft: Bedrock server on Windows 10

As you probably know, Minecraft has a Windows 10 version, which isn’t compatible with Java version servers and the other way around. So you can only connect to servers that are designed for your current edition.

Launch Minecraft Bedrock server

Creating a Minecraft: Bedrock server is easier than making its Java counterpart since there’s no Java dependency. All you have to do is download the server files from the official website, unpack the archive and run the executable.

However, note that the same thing will happen as with the Java server. A lot of configuration files will be created in the location of the executable, so make sure it’s someplace you’re comfortable with.

You can configure the server before you launch it by editing the server.properties file. However, if you want to learn more about it, there’s an extremely helpful How-To HTML guide in the archive.

Thus, you might want to check it out if you want to operate and customize the server effortlessly.

Can’t make a Minecraft public server?

There are some cases where making a Minecraft public server is simply not doable. The reasons may vary from having a restrictive ISP to double NAT configurations that make port forwarding difficult, if not downright impossible.

In those cases, you can either play with your friends by connecting to an existing public server or creating a LAN one. You can use Radmin VPN with Minecraft so that the game will detect you and your friends as part of the same physical network.

Once the VPN connection is established, you can host/join LAN Minecraft servers without any issues.

We hope our article proved helpful to you. As always, don’t hesitate to leave a comment in the section below and share your thoughts with us. Thanks for reading!

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