Minecraft has solidified its legacy with gamers by creating a game-world that encourages creation. Minecraft's greatest feature is the ability to play with your friends in a shared world. Although hosting your own server can be a hassle, anyone can set up a Minecraft server with a Windows computer and an internet connection.
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Setting up your server will require some downloads and code changes. This guide will show you how to set up and fine tune a Minecraft server in no time.
Minecraft Server Setup
Any Minecraft Server needs the latest version of Java, so make sure you have the latest version of Java 7 installed. Once finished, download Minecraft Server.exe from Minecraft.net and save it into a dedicated folder, like C:\MinecraftSharedServer.
System32.info
Run the server app, which will open an interface. Once the "Preparing area for spawning" messages are complete, a line with the text "Done!" will appear. Type "stop" in the text field and press Enter. Your Minecraft world is now complete. Now it's time to configure it.
Minecraft Server Settings
You should see two files named "server" in the directory where you saved Minecraft_Server.exe. One of these files will be listed under the properties file. Right-click the file and choose Edit to open in Notepad. You will see a list with server settings, followed by an equal symbol and a value. You can modify many aspects of your Minecraft world by changing these values. You should be able to modify most of the default values, but you might like to change a few.
Gamemode - This setting allows you to choose the world you and your friends want to live in. The default value is 0, which is the basic survival mode. This value can be changed from 0 to 1. This will make your server go into creative mode. Difficulty: The name Difficulty says it all. The values can be changed from 0 (peaceful) to 3 (hard) depending on what you wish to play on. White-list: This is to prevent others from accessing your server. This is important if you don't want others to have access to your server. Back in your Minecraft server folder, you'll see another file called white-list, right-click it and open the file with Notepad to make your white-list username list. Your Minecraft username will be the first player you add. Hit enter to add the usernames of your friends on their own lines. Save the file.
Configuring your Router for Minecraft
Your router will allow any player to connect to the server over the network. You will need to configure your router to forward port TCP port 25575 to your server if your friends are playing from their homes. This step is not difficult, but it takes a little bit of knowledge.
Once you are ready to receive outside connections from your server, restart it by running Minecraft_Server.exe. If you don't know your IP address, you will need to search "what is mine ip?" This is your IP address, which other players will use for connecting to your server.
That's all there really is. You've created a shared world for you and your friends to enjoy. Keep an eye out on the Minecraft website for any updates. Have fun building together!
More: Minecraft now boasts over 100 million active monthly players
Minecraft is available on PC and Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch.
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Since 2019, William Cennamo is the Game Guides Editor at Screen Rant. A creative writer all his life, it was only in 2018 that he really started to pursue his passion for the written word. Specializing in script-writing, William has written multiple short comedy sketches and taught "Intro to Comedy Writing" at the Stomping Ground Theater in Dallas, Texas.