How to Set Up a Minecraft Server on PC or Mobile

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Use Realms, your PC, or Aternos to set up a Minecraft server

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: December 10, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using Realms

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Hosting a Server on a PC

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Using Aternos

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Do you want to host a Minecraft server that friends can join using their mobile devices? Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (formerly known as Minecraft Pocket Edition) is the same version of Minecraft that is available on Windows, mobile devices, and game consoles. There are several ways to host a server that your friends can join from any device they are using. This wikiHow article teaches you how to create a server for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

Quickly Create a Minecraft Server

You can subscribe to Minecraft Realms to create a server within Minecraft for a few friends. You can download the official server software to host a private server on your computer. You can also use a service like Aternos to host a public server.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Realms

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1
Open Minecraft and sign in. Minecraft has an icon that resembles a grass block. Tap the Minecraft icon on your Home screen or Apps menu to open Minecraft.
- If you are not signed in to Minecraft, tap Sign In to the left and sign in with the username and password associated with your Microsoft or Xbox account.
2
Subscribe to Minecraft Realms. Minecraft Realms allows you to create a persistent online server within Minecraft. There are two subscription options. Both allow you to create up to three servers. Realms Core costs $3.99 per month and allows you and 2 other players to join. Realms Plus costs $7.99 per month and allows you and up to 10 other players to join. It also offers a free trial. Use one of the following steps to subscribe to Minecraft Realms.
- Tap Realms on the title screen.
- Tap Try for free.
- Tap Free trial, Buy Realms Core, or Buy Realms Plus.
- Enter a name for your first world on the bar that says “Realm Name.”
- Tap the checkbox next to “I agree” to agree to the terms of service and privacy policy.
- Tap Subscribe Now or Start Free Trial.
- Confirm your subscription in the Google Play Store or App Store.
- Tap Play Solo or Play With Friends.
- Tap Invite next to the friends you want to invite.
  - You can also search for a friend using the bar at the top.
- Tap Done, let’s play.
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3
Add a new Realm. You can add up to three Realms with your subscription. Use the following steps to add a new realm.
- Tap Play on the title screen.
- Tap Realms at the top.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap the New World.
- Tap Activate World.
- Tap Play.
4
Invite friends to a server. Use the following steps to add friends to a server:
- Tap Play on the title screen.
- Tap Realms at the top.
- Tap Add Members
- Use the first drop-down menu to select a permission level.
  - Visitors can explore the world, but cannot interact with anything or break blocks.
  - Members can interact with the world, break blocks and attack mobs and other players.
  - Operators can assign player roles and use commands in the game.
- Use the search bar to search for players.
- Tap Invite next to players you want to join.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Hosting a Server on a PC

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You can use the official Minecraft server software to host a Minecraft server on your PC. It will only be active when the server software is running. This method involves port-forwarding your public IP address on your router and sharing it with the people you want to join. People can use your public IP address to find out your location and other personal information. Only give your IP address and invite friends that you trust.
To do so, go to the official Minecraft server download page. Agree to the license agreement and privacy policy. Then click Download. The Minecraft server software is available for Windows and Linux Ubuntu.
When you download the server software, it will be in the form of a ZIP file. Move the ZIP file to where you want to keep the server software (i.e., your desktop). Right-click the ZIP file and click Extract all. Then click Extract to open the extract the ZIP file.
4
Find your local IP address. This is the address your router assigns to your computer. Use the following steps to find your local IP address.
- Click the Windows Start menu.
- Type CMD.
- Right-click the Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator.
- Type ipconfig and press Enter.
- Note your local IPv4 address as well as your default gateway.
You may need your external IP address to set up port forwarding on your router. You will need it to invite people to join your server. To find your public IP address, go to whatismyipaddress.com in your web browser and note your external IPv4 address.
6
Set up port-forwarding on your router. The method you use will vary depending on the make and model of your router. Use the following steps as a general guide to set up port-forwarding on your router:
- Enter your default gateway into the address bar of a web browser.
- Log in with the username and password for your router.
- Look for the port forwarding section in your router’s menu. It may be listed under “Advanced,” “NAT40,” “Apps & Gaming,” “Security,” “Firewall,” or similar.
- Click the option to add a custom service.
- Enter “Minecraft Server” or something similar for the service name.
- Select “TCP/UDP” or “Both” as the protocol.
- Enter 19132 for any external or internal ports.
- Enter your local IP address or select your computer.
- Enter your external IP address if asked to do so.
- Save and apply your settings.
7
Configure your server properties. To do so, locate the server.properties file in the “bedrock-server” folder you extracted from the ZIP file. Right-click it and click Edit with. Select a text editing program, such as Notepad. Enter an appropriate server setting after the equals (=) sign. Then save the file.^{[1]
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- There will be a comment explaining what each server setting does and what the proper settings you can enter. For example, you can enter “gamemode=survival,” “difficulty=normal”, or “allow-cheats=false,” etc.
8
Start the server software. To do so, open the folder you extracted from the ZIP file. Double-click the minecraft_server.exe file. This will start the server in the command prompt.
- When asked if you want to allow the Minecraft server software to access outside networks, click Allow. Otherwise, it will not work.
9
Join the server. You will need your public IP address to join the server. Here’s how you and your friends can join the server in Minecraft:
- Launch Minecraft Bedrock Edition on PC, mobile device, or a game console.
- Click or tap Play.
- Click or tap Servers.
- Click or tap + Add server.
- Enter a name for the server on the first line (this can be anything you want).
- Enter your computer’s public IP address in the second line.
- Enter port “19132” in the third line.
- Click Add and play.
10
Enter server commands. While your server is running, you can enter the following commands in the Command Prompt:
- kick <player name or xuid><reason>: This removes a player from your server.
- stop: This shuts down your server.
- save <hold | resume | query> : This saves a backup of your server.
- allowlist <on | off>: This turns the allow list on or off.
- allowlist list: This displays a list of allowed players in your allow list.
- allowlist reload: This reloads the allow list from the file.
- allowlist add <player tag>: This adds a player to your allow list. User the Xbox gamer tag as the player tag.
- allowlist remove <player tag>: This removes a player from your allow list.
- permission list: This lists all current server operators.
- permission reload: This reloads all server operators from the file.
- op <player name>: This makes a player an operator.
- deop <player name>: This demotes a player from operator to member.
- changsetting allow-cheats <true | False>: This allows or disallows cheats on the server.
- changesetting difficulty <0 | 1 | 2 | 3>: This changes the world difficulty. “0” is peaceful, “1” is easy, “2” is normal, and “3” is hard.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Aternos

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Go to aternos.org in your computer's web browser. Aternos is a Minecraft server service that enables you to create public Bedrock and Java servers. You don’t need to give anyone your public IP address or risk your location being leaked. You can create a basic server for free. ^{[2]
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It’s the blue button in the lower-right corner.
3
Sign up for an account. To do so, you can click Sign Up in the middle of the screen and sign up using an email address. Alternatively, you can click Sign in with Google at the bottom to use your Google account to create an account.
- You will need to verify your email address once you have completed signing up. To do so, open your email and open the email from Aternos. Then click the link to confirm your email.
It’s the blue button in the lower-right corner. Click this button to create a new server.
Click the radio option next to “Bedrock Edition (Win10/MCPE)” at the top of the bar.
To change the name of your server, click the pencil icon next to the server name and enter a new name.
This creates a new server.
To change your server options (i.e., game mode, difficulty, number of players, etc.), click Options in the menu bar to the left. Click the toggle switches to enable the various options. Use the drop-down menus to select various options.
It’s at the top of the menu bar to the left. This displays all your servers.
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Click Start below your server. It’s the green button below the server.
- You may be required to watch an advertisement before starting your server.
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Click Start. This confirms that you want to start your server.
This is required to start your server.
If you want to receive notifications about your server, click Okay. If you don’t, click No. After you make a selection, your server will start. Your server information will be listed below your active server.
14
Connect to your server. To enter your server and begin playing, do the following:
- Open Minecraft.
- Tap Play.
- Tap the Servers tab.
- Tap Add Server.
- Enter a name for the server in the "Server Name" text box.
- Enter your server's address in the "Server Address" text box.
- Enter your server's port number in the "Port" text box.
- Tap Add and Play.
15
Stop your server. If you want to stop your server, click Stop below the server on the Servers page.
- If your server is offline for a long period of time, you may lose your server.

Community Q&A

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Question

Is there a world wide server?

Community Answer

No there isn't. BUT Mojang are thinking of making one for the new update in 2016.

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How do I open the folder?

Community Answer

Download "ES File Explorer" from the Play Store. You should be able to get to the folder with it.

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Question

How do I create a server with no apps?

Community Answer

Realms contains no apps, just MCPE, Windows 10, Xbox, Switch, etc.

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Tips

Services such as Aternos and Server Maker experience outages from time to time.^{[3]
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Warnings

Newer versions of Minecraft may include patches that prevent you from playing with others without using Realms. If possible, avoid updating Minecraft if your server currently works.

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