Revision history

v1.0: September 2026 — First edition.

This guide is for Bedrock Edition

This guide covers Minecraft Bedrock Edition servers.
If you play on PC by choosing “Java Edition” in Minecraft Launcher, you are on Java Edition, which is a different product with a different procedure. Java Edition and Bedrock Edition servers cannot connect to each other either. See Minecraft Java Edition - Initial Setup.

Bedrock Edition is the version you play on phones, tablets, the Windows app from the Microsoft Store, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox.

Please check which devices can join before you order.
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox have no screen in the game for entering a server address, so those devices cannot join our servers directly. See Join the server for details.

From order to a working server

Once your payment goes through, the server is built automatically. There is nothing for you to do.

Your order and payment complete.
The server is built automatically. This normally finishes within a few minutes.
When the build finishes, a confirmation is sent to your registered email address.

Unlike Java Edition, a Bedrock server needs no EULA acceptance step. Once the build is done you can start it straight away.

Log in to the game panel

Everything you do with the server happens in the game panel, which runs in your browser.

Use the details in your order confirmation email to log in to the game panel.
After logging in, select your Minecraft server.
The left-hand menu takes you to Console, Files, Backups, Network, Schedules and Startup. Bedrock servers also have an MCBE entry for switching versions.

The game panel can display in English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other languages. Change it in your account settings after logging in.

Start the server

Press Start on the Console screen of the game panel.

On the first start the console prints CREATING VANILLA WORLD and generates the world. After a short wait, Server started. means start-up is finished.

The console on the first start. "Server started." is the sign that start-up finished. The yellow warning below it is the allow list notice.

Just above that you will see IPv4 supported, port: ...: Used for gameplay. That number is the port number you will need when joining.

Even though the server is running, nobody can join yet. This is not a fault. You still need the next step, Let players in.

The Error tab above the console may show one entry, but Profiler config ('bootstrap.json') load result: success=1, errorMessage=(null) is a normal line. The panel counts it as an error only because the word “error” appears in the text.

Let players in (the allow list)

A Bedrock server starts with the allow list switched on.
The list is empty, so nobody can join in this state. This is not a fault — it is the default setting. The console prints this warning at start-up.

The warning, as it appears:

Allow list is enabled but contains no entries.
Use allowlist add <playername> for you and your friends so that they can access the server, or modify allowlist.json manually.
Alternatively, the allow list can be turned off by typing allowlist off or manually toggled in the server.properties file.

Choose one of the two approaches below. Type the command into the input box underneath the console and press Enter.

Option 1: add each player (recommended)

Best when you are playing with friends. Add each player’s gamertag (their Microsoft account display name), one at a time.

Type allowlist add <gamertag> into the console input box.
Do the same for everyone you are playing with.
allowlist list shows who is currently on the list.

Type the gamertag exactly, including capitals and spaces. If it contains a space, quote it: allowlist add "Player Name". To remove someone, use allowlist remove <gamertag>.

Option 2: turn the allow list off

Use this if you want the server open to anyone. Type allowlist off into the console input box.

With the allow list off, anyone who knows the address can join. That is fine for a public server, but if you only mean to play with friends, Option 1 is the safer choice. allowlist on puts it back at any time.

You can also edit the files directly — put gamertags in allowlist.json in the home directory, or set allow-list to false in server.properties. The console commands are more reliable, though.

Join the server

The connection address is shown at the top of the game panel, in the form IP address:port number (for example 203.0.113.10:30000).

The connection address at the top of the game panel. Note the port number as well. The numbers shown are an example.

Do not leave the port number out.
Bedrock’s default port is 19132, but we assign each server its own port number. If you enter the address on its own, the game tries to reach port 19132 and you will not get in.

Which devices can join

Your device	Joining our servers
Windows app / iOS / Android / Fire tablet	Yes. See the steps below.
Nintendo Switch / PlayStation / Xbox	Not directly. The game provides no screen for entering a server address on these devices.

This is not a fault with our servers. It is how Minecraft Bedrock Edition works: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox have no equivalent of “Add Server”.
Community workarounds do exist (changing the console’s DNS settings, for example), but they are not provided by Microsoft, and we cannot guarantee or support them. Please open a support ticket if you would like to talk it through.

How to join (Windows app, phone, tablet)

Start Minecraft (Bedrock Edition) and open Play → Servers.
Choose Add Server at the bottom of the list.
Fill in Server Name (anything you like), Server Address (the IP address) and Port (the port number).
Save it, then pick the server from the list and join.

When you pass the address to friends, include the port number — and remember to add them to the allow list.

Change the main settings

Bedrock server settings live in two places. Change one in the wrong place and it will quietly revert.

The Startup screen. The four boxed entries are changed here.

Settings you change on the Startup screen

Change these four on the Startup screen:
SERVER NAME / GAMEMODE / DIFFICULTY / ALLOW CHEATS
They are written into server.properties every time the server starts. Editing them in the file will be undone at the next start.

BEDROCK VERSION selects which Bedrock server version to run. Leave it at the default unless you have a reason to change it (see Change the version).

Settings you change in `server.properties`

Everything else is in server.properties, in the home directory on the Files screen.

The Files screen. server.properties is there from the start, and the world data lives in the worlds folder.

Setting	What it does	Default
`max-players`	How many people can play at once	`10`
`allow-list`	The allow list (see Let players in)	`true`
`level-name`	World name (the folder inside `worlds`)	`Bedrock level`
`level-seed`	World seed (random when left empty)	(empty)
`view-distance`	Render distance (higher is heavier on the server)	`32`
`tick-distance`	How far the world keeps simulating	`4`
`player-idle-timeout`	Minutes before an idle player is disconnected	`30`
`default-player-permission-level`	Permission level given to players who join	`member`
`texturepack-required`	Whether the resource pack is compulsory	`false`

Please do not change server-port. The port number we assigned is written in automatically at every start, so your change will not take effect.

Make setting changes with the server stopped, then start it again.
Note that the first start strips the explanatory comments out of server.properties. If you are looking for the descriptions, open bedrock_server_how_to.html in the same home directory — it is the official documentation.

Change the version

Bedrock servers can be switched to any offered version from MCBE in the left-hand menu.

The MCBE screen. Pick a version and install it.

Take a backup before changing versions. Some versions are not compatible with your current world data. Going back to an older version can leave a world created on a newer one unopenable.

For the full procedure, see How to Switch Versions of Minecraft (Bedrock Edition).

If your game updates itself and no longer matches the server, you will not be able to join. Set the server to the same version as your game.

Backups

Your world data lives in the worlds folder on the Files screen (worlds/Bedrock level by default).Backups are something you create yourself, and none are taken by default. If your world matters to you, it is worth setting this up early.

Procedure for setting a regular schedule on a game server — fix a day and time and backups are taken automatically
Restoring from a backup — how to put one back, and what to watch for

Take one by hand before switching versions, making big setting changes, or regenerating the world.

If something does not go to plan

Symptom	What to check
The server is running but nobody can join	The allow list is probably on with nothing in it. See Let players in (the allow list).
I cannot join / the server is not found	Check that you entered the port number too. See Join the server.
I cannot get in from Switch, PlayStation or Xbox	Those devices cannot join directly — it is how the game works. See Which devices can join.
My setting change keeps reverting	Server name, game mode, difficulty and cheats are changed on the Startup screen. File edits are overwritten at start-up (Change the main settings).
The console shows one Error	`Profiler config ... errorMessage=(null)` is a normal line. The panel is counting the word “error” in the text.
A version mismatch message	Match the server to the version of the game you are running (Change the version).
Start-up is taking a long time	The first start generates the world. `CREATING VANILLA WORLD` is normal progress.
I cannot join from Java Edition	Java Edition and Bedrock Edition cannot connect to each other. Check which edition you have (This guide is for Bedrock Edition).
It will not start whatever I do	See Reinstallation procedure when the server fails to start. Take a backup before reinstalling.

If the problem persists, send us the message shown in the console exactly as it appears. We support English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

Next steps

How to Switch Versions of Minecraft (Bedrock Edition)
Logging into the Game Panel and Feature Overview — how the panel works
Procedure for setting a regular schedule on a game server — automatic restarts and backups
Restoring from a backup
Minecraft Java Edition - Initial Setup — if you are on Java Edition
Minecraft dedicated servers — plans and pricing