How to Make a Minecraft Server on Mac (Apple Silicon and Intel, Java 25)

Here's how to make a Minecraft server on Mac without following a tutorial that was filmed for Windows. The server software is free, and everything you need is already a Terminal window away. The Mac-specific bits are small: installing the right Java, making a start script runnable, clicking Allow on the firewall prompt, and stopping the Mac from falling asleep mid-game. This guide covers those, and points to my main Java server guide for the generic stuff.

The short version: install Java 25, download the official server jar, run it once, set eula=true, run it again, then let friends in over your network, a forwarded port or a tunnel. The Java install is the same one command whether you're on an M1-or-later Mac or an Intel one. This is a Java Edition server. Bedrock friends can still join, and there's a section on that below.

What you need

• Java 25. Minecraft 26.1 (March 2026) was the first release to require it. Older worlds need older Java: 1.20.5 and newer needs Java 21, 1.18 and newer needs Java 17, 1.17 needs Java 16, and 1.12 and newer needs Java 8.
• The official server jar from minecraft.net/en-us/download/server, or Paper if you want plugins.
• RAM and disk. The Minecraft Wiki says a small server wants at least 2GB of RAM (4GB for bigger ones) and about 5GB of disk space. The server mostly runs on a single core, so single-thread speed matters more than core count.

Costs nothing but electricity. If you'd rather not run anything yourself, see my roundup of free Minecraft server hosting.

1. Install Java 25 on your Mac

Open Terminal and run java -version. If it errors, or says anything older than 25 and you're running a current Minecraft, install Java. Don't count on the Java bundled with the Minecraft launcher either. A server needs Java installed on the computer itself.

The route the Minecraft Wiki documents for macOS is Homebrew. Install Homebrew from brew.sh, then run:

brew install --cask temurin@25

That installs Adoptium's Temurin build of Java 25. Close and reopen Terminal, run java -version again, and you should see 25. To update it later, run brew update && brew upgrade --cask temurin@25.

M1, M2 and later, or Intel? Same command. Homebrew's Temurin 25 cask ships a native Apple Silicon build and an Intel build, and it installs the right one for your Mac, so you don't pick. The Java you install is native either way, and that's the Java you run the server with.

2. Download the server jar

Make a new folder for the server (the Desktop is fine, I'd just give it its own folder), because the server dumps a pile of files there on first run. Download the jar from Mojang's server page, minecraft.net/en-us/download/server, and rename it to server.jar.

Want plugins? Paper can take over an existing vanilla world automatically. It needs Java 25 for Minecraft 26.1 and up. Grab it from papermc.io/downloads/paper, and see Minecraft server software compared for the other options. Everything below works the same with paper.jar in place of server.jar.

3. First run and the eula

In Terminal, cd into your server folder and run:

java -jar server.jar --nogui

It stops almost right away. That's normal: it just created eula.txt. Open it, change eula=false to eula=true (that means you accept Mojang's EULA), save, and run the same command again. This time it builds a world. Type stop in the console to shut it down. Leave off --nogui if you want the little server window.

While it's stopped, have a look at server.properties. I explain the settings in Minecraft server.properties explained, so I won't repeat them here.

4. Make a start script

Typing the long command every time gets old. A shell script fixes that. In your server folder, create a plain text file called start.sh with these three lines:

1. #!/bin/sh
2. cd "$(dirname "$0")"
3. exec java -Xms2G -Xmx4G -jar server.jar --nogui

-Xmx is the most memory the server can use and -Xms is what it starts with. The Wiki says -Xmx2G is more than enough for a home server with five players, and that -Xmx4G -Xms1G is a reasonable setup for a bigger one. Mojang's own example command uses 4G for both. Pick numbers your Mac can actually spare.

Now make the file executable. In Terminal, in the server folder:

chmod a+x start.sh

Start the server any time with ./start.sh.

5. Click Allow on the firewall prompt

When the server first starts listening, macOS may pop up a prompt about incoming network connections. Click Allow. Until you do, the message just sits there and Apple says any attempts to connect are denied, so friends can't get in. If you missed it, the firewall settings live under System Settings, in Network, where you can add the app to the allowed list.

6. Keep your Mac awake

A sleeping Mac is a dead server. macOS ships with a command for this, caffeinate. Wrap your start script in it:

caffeinate -i ./start.sh

The -i flag stops the Mac sleeping from idleness for as long as the wrapped command runs, so the Mac can sleep again as soon as you stop the server. There's also -s to prevent system sleep, but that only works on AC power. If you'd rather click than type, the sleep and battery options in System Settings do the same job, and free apps like Amphetamine (Mac App Store) and Caffeine keep a Mac awake too.

7. Let friends join

Same network

Friends on your Wi-Fi connect with your Mac's local IP address, plus the port if you changed it from the default 25565. System Settings, under Network, shows your IP. On the Mac itself, type localhost in Direct Connect.

Port forwarding

For friends elsewhere, forward port 25565 on your router to your Mac's local IP. Give the Mac a fixed local address (a DHCP reservation) first, or the rule breaks next time the router hands out addresses. Home IPs also change, which is what dynamic DNS is for. If your ISP gives you a modem-router combo behind another router, forward on the one that faces the internet. Start the server before you test the port. The full routine is in my main server guide.

A tunnel instead

Can't touch the router? A tunnel service like playit.gg gives friends an address that reaches your server without port forwarding. Check its site for how it installs on your setup. My guide to a Minecraft server without port forwarding compares your options.

Lock it down

Whether you open a port or not, turn the whitelist on and keep online-mode on, since the whitelist doesn't work without it. People scan the default port 25565 looking for open servers. Don't run the server as superuser, and update it regularly. Backups matter too: here's how to back up a Minecraft server.

Bedrock and console friends

Mojang's Bedrock Dedicated Server only has Windows and Ubuntu builds. There's no macOS version, so a Mac can't host one. If your friends play on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch or a phone, run the Java server above on Paper and add the Geyser plugin (plus Floodgate, so they don't need a Java account). Geyser has its own port requirements, so follow my crossplay server guide rather than guessing.

Can a Mac mini host a Minecraft server?

For a small group, I think so. The Wiki says small survival servers with 4 to 8 players run on most modern hardware, and its advice for the host machine is fast single-thread speed, a wired connection, and not a laptop. A Mac mini that sits plugged into ethernet ticks the wired and not-a-laptop boxes in a way a MacBook on Wi-Fi doesn't. So I'd rather leave a desktop Mac running the server than a MacBook you carry around, and I'd keep the world size and player count modest to start.

Troubleshooting

• java: command not found or a Java version error. Reopen Terminal after the Homebrew install, then check java -version says 25 for a current Minecraft.
• permission denied on ./start.sh. You skipped chmod a+x start.sh.
• The server exits right after first launch. That's the eula. Set eula=true and run it again.
• Friends time out. Check the firewall prompt was allowed, the server is running, the port is forwarded to the Mac's current local IP, and their Minecraft version matches the server's.
• The server dies overnight. The Mac slept. Use caffeinate.

FAQ

Can I make a Minecraft server on a Mac for free?

Yes. The server software costs nothing to download, and Java is free too. Your only costs are electricity and the Mac itself.

Does this work on an M1 Mac?

Yes, the steps are the same on an M1 or later Mac and on an Intel one. The Homebrew command in step 1 installs a native Apple Silicon build of Java 25 on the former and an Intel build on the latter.

Do I need Homebrew?

It's the easiest route, and it's the one the Minecraft Wiki documents for Macs: installing Java is one command, and updating it is another.

Can I run Paper instead of the vanilla jar?

Yes, with the same steps. Paper needs Java 25 for Minecraft 26.1 and newer. Plugins are covered in how to install Minecraft server plugins.