How to create a Minecraft server on your PC, step by step

Step 1: install the right version of Java

A Minecraft server is a program written in Java. Java is the engine that runs that program: without it, nothing starts. The catch is that Java comes in several versions, and each version of Minecraft asks for a specific one. For a server on 26.x (the 2026 versions carry numbers like 26.1 or 26.2, and that is not a typo), you need Java 25. For a server on 1.21.x, Java 21 is enough. Versions 1.18 to 1.20.4 ask for Java 17.

Download Java from adoptium.net: that site hands out Temurin, a version of Java that is free and needs no account. Install it like any other program, then check it. Open a terminal (on Windows, search for Command Prompt in the Start menu; on a Mac, open the Terminal app) and type java -version. The line that comes back should start with the number you expect. When in doubt, stick to the simple rule: install the Java version your Minecraft version asks for. Paper tells you at startup if it is the wrong one.

• Minecraft 26.x: Java 25, nothing older will start Paper 26.x
• Minecraft 1.21.x: Java 21 (every version since 1.20.5 needs at least Java 21)
• Minecraft 1.18 to 1.20.4: Java 17
• The check that saves an hour of doubt: java -version in a terminal

Step 2: download Paper and set up the server folder

The server software is the program that runs the world and lets the players in. The official server from Mojang, called vanilla, works but accepts no plugins at all. Paper is the most used server software: it runs far better than vanilla, it accepts Bukkit and Spigot plugins, and it is the one Minax targets first. Spigot and Bukkit are older and slower. Go with Paper.

On the official Paper site, papermc.io, open the Downloads page and pick the Minecraft version you want. Most servers still run 1.21, and 26.2 is the latest release, with stable Paper builds available. If your friends play on the latest version of the game, take 26.2. Without a plugin like ViaVersion, your friends have to play on the same version as the server, so match theirs. Download the .jar file: that is the server program, in a single file.

Then create an empty folder, for example MyServer, somewhere on your drive, and put the .jar inside. Everything the server creates will land in that folder: the world, the settings, the logs and the plugins folder. One tip that avoids trouble: no folder synced to the cloud, no USB stick, and a name with no spaces.

• Vanilla: the official server, no plugins possible
• Paper: the most used, faster, accepts Bukkit and Spigot plugins
• A dedicated folder, for example MyServer, with the Paper .jar inside
• The server version has to match the version your friends play, unless you add ViaVersion

Step 3: the first launch on Windows, Mac or Linux, and the eula

Open a terminal in your MyServer folder and start the server with the command java -Xmx2G -jar paper.jar, replacing paper.jar with the real name of the file you downloaded. The -Xmx2G part sets the maximum memory given to Java, here 2 GB, and we come back to it in the next step. To avoid typing the command every time, put it in a text file named start.bat on Windows, or start.sh on Mac and Linux, and run that file instead. On Windows, double-clicking start.bat is all it takes.

This first launch stops almost right away, and that is normal. The server has created a few files, including eula.txt. The eula is the Minecraft end user license agreement, which you have to accept to run a server. Open eula.txt in a text editor, change eula=false to eula=true, save. Run the same command again: this time the server generates the world, the console scrolls for a while, then settles down once everything is ready.

What you see on screen: a console window with scrolling lines, the Paper version name, the spawn area being prepared, then a line saying the server is done loading. If instead you read an error about the Java version, go back to step 1. To shut down cleanly, type stop in the console: the world is saved before the window closes.

• java -Xmx2G -jar paper.jar: the basic command, saved in start.bat or start.sh
• First launch: the server stops and creates eula.txt
• eula=true in eula.txt, then run it again
• To shut down: the stop command in the console, never the close button of the window

Step 4: set up server.properties, from the server name to the memory

Before you touch it, stop the server with the stop command. server.properties is only read at startup: a setting you change while the server is running does not count, you have to start the server again for it to apply. The server.properties file holds the server settings, one per line. Open it in a text editor after the first launch. Three lines matter right away. motd is the text shown under your server name in the multiplayer menu: write the name your friends will see. white-list is the whitelist: when it is set to true, only the usernames you add with the whitelist add command in the console can join. On a server open to the internet, turn it on.

online-mode is online mode. On true, the server checks with Mojang that every player really owns the account they claim. On false, anyone can walk in under any username, including yours. Plenty of servers turn it off, but that opens the door to username impersonation. Keep it on true, unless you know exactly why you are turning it off, and in that case keep the whitelist on.

That leaves the memory given to Java, the -Xmx part of your start command. RAM is your computer's working memory, where the server keeps the loaded pieces of the world. For a few friends in survival with a few plugins, 2 to 4 GB is usually enough. Do not hand over all the RAM of your PC: the system and your own Minecraft game, if you play on the same machine, need some too. And keep in mind that smoothness depends mostly on the speed of one core of your processor, not on the amount of RAM. The server aims for 20 TPS, the number of times per second the world is computed.

• motd: the text your friends will see in their multiplayer menu
• white-list=true then whitelist add Username in the console: only your friends get in
• online-mode=true: keep it, it blocks username impersonation
• -Xmx: 2 to 4 GB for a few friends, never all the memory of your PC
• The order that works: stop, edit server.properties, start it again. Otherwise nothing changes.

Step 5: connect with localhost, then run a local Minecraft server at home

The server is running, time to get in. Start Minecraft on the same PC, go to Multiplayer, then Add Server. In the address field, type localhost: that word means this computer. No need to add the port, Minecraft uses 25565 by default, and so does your server. Your server appears in the list with the motd you chose. Double-click it, and you are in your world.

For a friend who is at your place, on the same Wi-Fi, this is what people call a local Minecraft server: they connect with the local address of your PC, the one your router gave it on the home network (you can read it in the network settings of your computer). Nothing to open, nothing to install, it works right away. It is the best way to check that everything is in place before opening the server to the rest of the world.

• Multiplayer, Add Server, address localhost: your server shows up
• Same Wi-Fi: your friends join with the local address of your PC, nothing to open
• Kicked for an unverified username? Check online-mode and that you are logged into your account

Step 6: host the server on your computer and open it to others, port forwarding or tunnel

Hosting a Minecraft server on your own computer is free, but the internet cannot find your PC on its own. Your router has one public address for the whole house, and by default it blocks anything coming from outside. There are two ways to let your friends in: forward port 25565, or go through a tunnel.

To port forward a Minecraft server, you tell your router that everything arriving on port 25565 should go to the local address of your PC. The setting lives in your router's admin page, often called port forwarding, sometimes NAT, and the exact steps change from one brand to another, so check the documentation for yours. You enter port 25565, the protocol TCP, which is the connection type to pick from the list, and the local address of your PC. Your friends then connect with your public address, the one a search for what is my IP will show you. The catch: that public address changes from time to time, and you have to hand it out again.

A tunnel skips all of that. A tool like playit.gg or ngrok creates a passage between your server and a public address on the internet, without touching the router. You run the tool next to the server, it gives you an address, you share it. It is simpler for most people, and it asks nothing of your friends. Hamachi is an old method that does force every player to install something: forget it.

Either way, your PC has to stay on and connected as long as someone is playing. The server stops when your computer shuts down or goes to sleep. That is the real limit of a Minecraft server without a host: perfect for evenings with friends, less so for a public server open day and night. The day you want that, the hosting page explains what to look at before you pay.

• Port forwarding: 25565 in TCP to the local address of your PC, in your router's admin page
• Tunnel (playit.gg, ngrok): an address to share, nothing to open, nothing for your friends to install
• Your public address can change: hand it out again, or use a tunnel
• The PC stays on and awake while people play

Where do plugins go? The plugins folder, where Minax comes in

A plugin is a small program that adds rules or features to your server, without your friends installing anything: a welcome message, a /spawn command, an economy, protection for homes. You get it as a .jar file. After the first launch, Paper created a plugins folder inside MyServer: drop the .jar in there, restart the server, and the plugin is loaded.

This is where Minax comes in. Minax does not host servers: your server stays on your PC, or with the host of your choice. What Minax does is build the plugin you describe in plain English, compile it into a .jar for Minecraft versions 1.12.2 to 26.2, and let you try it in game on an online test server before you drop it at home. A robot player can even replay the scenario to check that the plugin does what you asked. To create, a credit pack paid once, with no subscription: 50 credits for €17.99. The plans are on the pricing page.

One rule that avoids a plugin refusing to load: a plugin compiled for 26.x needs a server on 26.x. Tell Minax the exact version of your server, the one of the Paper .jar you downloaded. Here are three requests ready to copy, written for a server with friends, to adapt to your world.

The mistakes that waste your time

Almost every server that will not start, or that nobody can join, falls into one of these cases. Check them in order before reinstalling everything.

• Wrong Java version: the console complains about a Java version that is too old. Install Java 25 for 26.x, Java 21 for 1.21.x, then run it again.
• Closed port: it works on localhost but not from outside. The port forwarding is missing, points to the wrong PC, or the firewall on your computer is blocking Java. A tunnel gets around the problem.
• Public address that changed: your friends had the right address yesterday, not today. Hand it out again, or switch to a tunnel: the address you share no longer comes from your router.
• Online mode forgotten: online-mode set to false to go faster, and a stranger walks in under the username of a friend. Set it back to true and turn on the whitelist.
• Server stopped without you knowing: the PC went to sleep or the window was closed with the close button. Turn off sleep during game nights, and always shut down with stop.
• Version mismatch: a friend on 1.21.11 cannot join a 26.2 server without a plugin like ViaVersion. Line up your versions.

Frequently asked questions