How to Host a Minecraft Server for Free (2023)

Paying for the hosting of servers for any game is a cost that some players might not be able to afford for this or that reason. Back in the day, you could host your own server for most video games out there, without much strain on your PC. Nowadays, in the sea of matchmaking-based servers for modern games, where this fundamental gamer right has been taken away from you, Minecraft is to be commended for providing players with the tools to host their own servers, perhaps even when Minecraft is no longer officially supported in the future. Game preservationists will love this article. Here is how you can host your very own Minecraft Server, for free!

How to Make Your Own Private Minecraft Server Free of Charge (2023)

Making your own Minecraft Server is not very complicated, but it’s a process that takes a while to set up the first time you do it. We will go through each step carefully for your convenience.

Related: How to Play Minecraft on Oculus Quest 2 (2023)

Update Your Minecraft Java Client

Even though some players love to play older versions of Minecraft for this or that reason, we’ll go with the latest version. Using a fresh installation or the update option from Microsoft Store or Minecraft Launcher should do the trick.

Also, make sure Java is installed (But, you already have this since you’re playing Minecraft)…

Related: When Was Minecraft Made? – Answered

Download the Server Software for Minecraft

If you want to host your very own Minecraft Server, you will need to run the Server on your local machine (PC), whether it’s the computer you are using to play Minecraft or a dedicated server machine. Having a separate PC that can host your Minecraft is recommended.

You can download the Minecraft Server Files here, officially. The versions update, as the game updates, so we can’t really link directly to the file.

Related: How to Fix Minecraft “Outdated Client” Error

Designate a Folder for Your Minecraft Server on Your PC

Hosting a Minecraft Server takes some drive space so you will need to have a designated folder on your SSD or HDD to store all the server files. You can make the folder almost anywhere you want. But please, make it easy to access, because you’ll need to use the Command Prompt. You can open the Command Prompt on Windows by hitting Windows Key + R and typing in “cmd”, or by opening the search by just pressing Windows Key and then typing in “cmd”.

Related: How to Read the Minecraft Enchanting Table Language

Start the Minecraft Server Setup Process

Move the downloaded server file to the designated server folder and run it with the command prompt.

If you have installed the Minecraft Server files in C:\Minecraft\ you should type in:

cd C:\Minecraft\

Then, type in this command to run the server. Do not use the quotes and just type in the file name of the downloaded .jar file.

Java -jar “downloadedfilename”.jar 

After you run it you will notice a text file called “eula.txt” in the directory. Weird as it may seem, you should accept the End User License Agreement by opening the file with Notepad, or Notepad++ and changing eula=false into eula=true. After you do that, save the file.

You will also notice a file called server.properties. You can also edit that one and change stuff. A line called query.port is needed because that’s the port your friends will need to use to connect to you. And, you will need to port forward in most cases. The default is 25565. When it comes to port forwarding, we can’t really help you due to the vast variety of routers people are using nowadays, but portforward.com has step-by-step instructions for a massive list of routers. Rule of thumb is that you should contact your ISP or check out the user manual for your router.

Usually, you should gain access to your router’s settings through your browser by typing the IP address designated to the router. Then, in the settings, you should change the necessary settings.

One important note is that you should not share your Public IP address to anyone you don’t completely trust, because your IP address can be used as a vector of a cyber attack. In case you experience DDoS attacks or anything of the sort, report it to your ISP and local authorities.

Since you’re (hopefully) hosting your Minecraft server for your friends, you should be fine if you share your server IP address with them. You can find out your IP address by going to Google and typing in “what’s my IP address”. So, let’s say your IP address is 127.0.0.1 (which is the localhost address). You will give your friends the 127.0.0.1:25565 address as the address they would join in order to play with you.

When you want to run the Minecraft server again, you just need to type in the .jar command we have described above.
At any rate, here are the official resources from Minecraft and unofficial resources from Minecraft Wiki that should be of additional assistance!

Of course, Prima Games hosts a plethora of Minecraft articles which you can check out by clicking the Minecraft tag below, so if you’re into more reading about Minecraft (or anything other we write about), you’re welcome everytime!