Here's how to join a Minecraft server once you've got the address. On Java (PC), click Multiplayer, then Add Server or Direct Connection, paste the address, and join. On Bedrock (Windows, phones and tablets), hit Play, open the Servers tab, scroll to the bottom, hit Add Server, and type the address and port. Either way you need to be signed in with a Microsoft account, and your copy of the game has to match the server's edition and version.
That last part is where most people get stuck, so figure out your edition before you touch anything else. Below are the steps for each, how to get onto a friend's Aternos or Minehut server, and what to check when it won't connect. Menu names are as of 2026.
First: are you on Java or Bedrock?
Minecraft comes in two editions, and they run separate server software. The Minecraft Wiki puts it flatly: the two variants aren't compatible. In practice, a Java server address won't work from Bedrock, and a Bedrock address won't work from Java.
The exception is a server running a bridge like GeyserMC. Geyser sits between a Bedrock player and a Java server and translates, so people on Windows, iOS, Android and even consoles can join a Java server through it. The server owner has to install it, though. You can't switch it on from your end. If a server's listing or the friend who runs it doesn't mention Bedrock support, assume it's Java-only.
| You're playing on | Your edition | Default server port |
|---|---|---|
| PC, from the Java launcher | Java | 25565 |
| Windows, phone or tablet (on mobile, what people still call "PE") | Bedrock | 19132 |
How to join a Minecraft server on Java
- Open Minecraft and click Multiplayer.
- A warning about online play pops up. Click Proceed.
- You'll see "Scanning for games on your local network". That's for LAN games in your house. Ignore it.
- Pick how you want to connect:
- Direct Connection: type the address and you're straight in. Nothing gets saved.
- Add Server: give it a name, type the address, and it stays in your server list. Select it and click Join Server.
I'd use Add Server for anything you'll play twice. Direct Connection is for trying a server out.
How to join a Minecraft server using an IP
The address can look like a website name (Mojang's own example is play.mojang.com) or a string of numbers separated by dots. That second kind is the "IP" everyone talks about. Both go in the same box. Java servers listen on port 25565 by default. If the host gave you a different port, add it exactly the way they wrote it.
Match the server's version
Mojang's rule is simple: the version of Minecraft you're playing has to be the same version the server is running. If it isn't, read the message under the server entry in your list, then switch to the server's version in the launcher. Playing snapshots? Switch back to the latest full release before you try most servers.
Some servers let a range of versions in anyway. Minehut, for one, supports a wide range of Java versions through ViaVersion. Treat that as a bonus, though, not something to count on.
How to join a server on Bedrock (Windows, phone or tablet)
Bedrock uses one flow on Windows, phones and tablets, the one Mojang's guide walks through. Hit Play on the main menu and you get three tabs: Worlds, Friends and Servers.
Featured servers
The Servers tab lists featured servers that are online right now. Hit Join Server on one, click Proceed past the online-play warnings, and any resource packs it needs download on their own.
How to join a Minecraft server on Bedrock with an IP
- Hit Play and open the Servers tab.
- Scroll right to the bottom and hit Add Server.
- Type a name, the server address, and the port. Bedrock's default is
19132. - Hit Play to connect now, or Save to keep it in your list.
How to join your friend's world or Realm on Bedrock
If your friend is just playing their own world, you don't need an address at all. The Friends tab shows friends who are playing right now and any Realms you belong to.
- Add them first. Ask for their gamertag, hit Add Friend, type it in and press enter.
- Their world: they open the menu, hit Invite to Game, pick you and hit Send invites.
- Their Realm: ask for the Realm's invite code, hit Join Realm and type it. The Realm stays in your list after that, so you can hop in any time.
My guide to playing Minecraft with friends covers LAN, Realms and every other way to share a world.
On Xbox, PlayStation or Switch?
Consoles run Bedrock too, but they get their own guide. My walkthrough of how to add servers on Minecraft Xbox, PS5 and Switch covers every route that works there.
How to join a Minecraft server on Aternos
Your friend made a server on Aternos and sent you something like example.aternos.me. Here's the catch: Aternos stops servers when nobody's on them, so it has to be started first. Check that the server page shows a green Online status, then join.
- Java: add
example.aternos.meas a new server or use Direct Connection. That's all. Aternos servers start on a different machine each time, and Java picks up the right IP and port from the name on its own. - Bedrock: the owner has to install Geyser first (Aternos adds Floodgate along with it). Then use the same
example.aternos.mewith port19132. Bedrock won't pick up the port from the name, so type it in. Aternos also has a shortcut: openinghttps://add.aternos.org/example.aternos.meon your device brings up Bedrock's add-server screen for that server. - Got "Connection reset" on the first try? Try again. Aternos says that often fixes it.
- Still can't connect while it's online? Grab the DynIP shown under the Connect button on the Aternos server page and use that instead. It changes every time the server starts, so it only fixes things for one session.
Joining a friend's Minehut server
Minehut gives you two ways in on Java:
- The server's own address. Your friend activates the server from the Minehut dashboard. You go to Multiplayer, Add Server, and enter
yourservername.minehut.gg. - The lobby. Direct Connection to
mc.minehut.com, then type/join servernamein chat. Minehut says/joineven starts the server for you if it's asleep. Minehut's guide also tells you to set Server Resource Packs to Enabled when you add the lobby.
Bedrock players can get in too, through crossplay that Minehut still labels beta. Add bedrock.minehut.com with port 19132 to reach the lobby and use /join, or add servername.bedrock.minehut.gg to go straight to one server. Minehut lists iOS, Android and Windows 10 as the Bedrock devices. Once you're in, Bedrock players show up with a dot in front of their name.
Thinking of starting one yourself instead? My comparison of free Minecraft server hosting puts Aternos and Minehut side by side.
How to join a Minecraft server for free
Joining public servers costs nothing. Minehut says every server on its network is free to play. What isn't free is the game. Minehut asks for your own Java Edition account, and Mojang says multiplayer needs you signed in with a Microsoft account. So the server's free, but you still need Minecraft itself. Is Minecraft free? breaks down what each edition costs, and how to play Minecraft for free rounds up the legit free routes.
Can't join a Minecraft server? Check these
- Wrong edition. You've got a Java address on Bedrock, or the other way round. Unless the server runs Geyser, it won't work.
- Wrong version. On Java your game has to match the server's version. Read the message under the server entry, and switch versions in the launcher.
- The server's offline. Aternos and Minehut servers sleep. Someone has to start it, or on Minehut,
/joinit from the lobby. - Wrong address or port. Copy it again from the host. On Bedrock, check the port box (
19132unless you were told otherwise). If Bedrock says "Your client is having trouble establishing a connection to multiplayer services", the game just can't reach the server. On an Aternos server, Aternos blames that on a wrong address or port, Geyser being missing, crashed or out of date after a Minecraft update, or Microsoft account privacy settings that block multiplayer. - The whitelist. Owners can switch on a whitelist, and anyone not on it can't connect. Ask the owner to add your username.
And once you're in, Mojang's own advice holds: don't share personal details, only add friends you actually know, and use mute, block and report when someone's being a pain.
Need a server to join?
If you're here without an address yet, my list of Minecraft servers to join covers free public servers on Java and Bedrock, with the addresses you need.