Here's the short answer to how to add servers on Minecraft Xbox: you can't, not from inside the game. On Xbox, PlayStation and Switch there's no Add Server button. The Minecraft Wiki puts it bluntly as of October 2026: on console, the featured servers are the only servers you get, and external servers can't be added or accessed. Players are still asking Mojang for that button on its feedback site in 2026.
That doesn't mean you're stuck. You can join a friend's world or a Realm with no tricks at all, and for any other server there are two unofficial workarounds: a phone app that makes the server show up as a LAN game on your console, and a DNS change that turns a featured server into a server menu. Both are third-party tools, and both can break after a Minecraft update. Here's every route, easiest first.
Which route is for you
| Your situation | The route |
|---|---|
| You just want a big public server | The Servers tab (Featured Servers) |
| You're playing with a few friends | Join a friend's world, or a Realm |
| You want one specific server tonight, on Xbox or PlayStation | BedrockTogether on your phone |
| You want a server menu on the console every time | The BedrockConnect DNS method |
| The server is Java-only | None of these, unless the owner runs GeyserMC |
1. The Servers tab: Featured Servers
Open Minecraft, hit Play and go to the Servers tab. That list is the Featured Servers, and the Wiki says they're the only servers you can reach on console besides Realms. You need a Microsoft account, and on console you need the platform's paid online multiplayer subscription too.
The lineup changes all the time. As of October 10, 2026, it included The Hive, CubeCraft, Lifeboat and Galaxite, among others. If the server you're after is one of them, you're done. Just tap it. If it isn't, keep reading.
2. Can you join servers on Minecraft Xbox by IP address?
Not officially. As of October 2026 there's no menu anywhere on Xbox, PlayStation or Switch where you type an IP and a port, and no setting that unlocks one.
What the game does let you do is play in other people's worlds:
- A friend's world. When a friend is online and playing, their world shows up in the Worlds tab of the Play screen. The host decides who gets in with Player access: invited players, friends (the default) or friends of friends. They can also invite you from the pause menu.
- LAN. If the world is set to Visible to LAN players, anyone on the same home network can join, friend or not. On console, though, even LAN needs an online subscription: an Xbox online multiplayer subscription, PlayStation Plus or Nintendo Switch Online.
- Realms. Mojang's own paid private worlds, invite-only. My Realms price breakdown has what each plan costs.
For a small group, honestly, this is where I'd stop. There's no third-party tool here to break when Minecraft updates. My guide to playing Minecraft with friends covers every way to do it.
3. How to join a server on Minecraft Xbox with BedrockTogether
BedrockTogether is a free iOS and Android app with ads (there's a paid ad-free version, and saving more than two favourite servers needs it). It isn't made by Mojang, Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo. Your phone pretends to be a LAN world on your home network. You join that "world" from the console, and the app passes you on to the real server.
- Put your phone and your Xbox on the same Wi-Fi. Not a guest network, and turn mobile data off on the phone.
- Open the app and stay on the PlayStation · Xbox tab.
- Type the server's IP address and port. If the server doesn't list a port, use
19132. - Tap Watch Ad and Run. Keep the app open and the phone awake.
- On the Xbox, open Minecraft, hit Play and go to the Worlds tab. The server shows up there as a LAN game (Worlds, not Friends, whatever some guides say).
- Select it. Once you're in, you can close the app.
The limits are all about the network. A VPN, mobile data, or a router that keeps devices apart (common on hotel, dorm and campus Wi-Fi) stops the world from appearing. So does the phone going to sleep. On iPhone, the app needs Local Network permission in Settings. And when Mojang ships an update, servers and tools can take a few days to catch up, so if it worked last week and doesn't today, that's the likely culprit.
4. The DNS method: BedrockConnect
BedrockConnect is a free, open-source project, around since 2019. You change your console's DNS so the addresses Featured Servers use point at BedrockConnect instead. Then, when you tap certain featured servers, you get a server-list menu where you can type any address, and it transfers you there. It has no official app, so anything in an app store using the name isn't from the project.
- Get the current DNS addresses from the BedrockConnect README. Xbox and Switch use one, PlayStation another, and they change, so don't copy one off an old video.
- On Xbox, go to Settings → General → Network settings → Advanced settings → DNS settings → Manual. Enter the primary address from the README, and a public resolver like
8.8.8.8as the secondary. - Open Minecraft, go to the Servers tab and join one of the featured servers the README lists as redirect-compatible. As of October 2026 that's Mineville, Lifeboat, Enchanted, Galaxite and The Hive.
- The BedrockConnect menu opens instead. Add your server's address and port, and join.
To undo it, set DNS back to Automatic.
Now the trade-off. DNS is your console's address book. Point it at a third party and every lookup the console makes goes through them, not just Minecraft's. I'd only use an instance listed in the project's own README, and I'd switch back to Automatic when you're done if that bugs you.
It's also fragile. The latest BedrockConnect release, from September 15, 2026, adds support for Bedrock 26.50, while the current version as of October 13 is 26.52. The maintainer also started phasing out their own public instances in September 2026. Expect it to break for a while after updates.
If you're on Xbox and nothing changes after you set the DNS, IPv6 may be the reason. With IPv6 on, the console can ignore your manual IPv4 DNS. If you get "Unable to connect to world", try a different instance from the README, restart the console, or load a singleplayer world first and then try again.
5. How to join a server on PS5 and Switch
PlayStation (PS4 and PS5): everything above applies. The Servers tab, friends' worlds and Realms work the same way as on Xbox. BedrockTogether's steps are identical. The DNS method applies too, with a different primary address from the README. On PS5 it's under Settings → Network → Settings → Set up internet connection → Advanced settings → DNS settings → Manual. You'll also need Minecraft signed in to a Microsoft account (there's a sign-in option on the title screen).
Switch: the Servers tab, friends' worlds, Realms and the DNS method all apply. The DNS setting is under System Settings → Internet → Internet Settings → your network → Change Settings → DNS Settings. BedrockTogether is the odd one out, because the Switch can't see LAN games. The app has a separate Switch · Friends mode, still in beta, that broadcasts the server through Xbox Live from a Microsoft account you add as a friend. The developer warns this may break Xbox Live's terms and that the broadcasting account could get banned, which is why they tell you to use a separate throwaway account. That's a real risk, and I'd pick the DNS route on Switch first.
| Console | Featured Servers | Friend's world / Realm | BedrockTogether | BedrockConnect DNS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox One / Series X and S | Yes | Yes | Yes (LAN, Worlds tab) | Yes |
| PS4 / PS5 | Yes | Yes | Yes (LAN, same steps) | Yes (different primary DNS) |
| Switch | Yes | Yes | Beta broadcast mode only, ban risk to the broadcasting account | Yes |
Can't join a server on Minecraft Xbox? Check these
- Multiplayer is off on your Microsoft account. In your Xbox privacy settings, under communication and multiplayer, You can join multiplayer games has to be set to Allow. For playing with people on other platforms, also allow You can join cross-network play. For Realms, allow You can create and join clubs. Then fully close Minecraft and reopen it.
- It's a child account. Those settings belong to the parent or family organizer, so ask them. PlayStation and Nintendo have their own parental controls on top.
- No online subscription. On console, featured servers, friends' worlds and even LAN need the platform's online multiplayer subscription. If you're on Xbox and not sure what your plan covers, my Game Pass explainer sorts out the tiers.
- Wrong port. Bedrock's default is
19132. Bedrock doesn't read the SRV records some servers rely on, so type the hostname and the port it lists. - It's a Java server. Consoles run Bedrock only, and Java and Bedrock don't cross-play directly. No Geyser, no entry.
- "You aren't invited to this server." The server has an allowlist. Ask the owner to add your Xbox gamertag.
- Version mismatch. Right after a Minecraft update, servers and tools can lag behind for a few days. Wait it out.
Where to find a server worth the hassle
Need somewhere to go? My list of Minecraft servers to join covers Java and Bedrock, and the best SMP servers roundup lists edition support for each. Want your group's own world instead? Running a Bedrock server works, though console friends still need one of the routes above to get in.