How to Make a Minecraft Server (Step-By-Step Guide)

Last Updated on April 11, 2024 by James Wilson

Minecraft is still going strong one decade after release. The sandbox lego-like game allows users to create infinite worlds and play in them. You can buy the Minecraft game via their main website for both PC and Mac. There are two ways to play Minecraft – Creative Mode, which I personally like and Survival Mode. 

The cool thing about Minecraft is that there is no one way to play the game and you can create worlds with their own rules and have your friends join in.The word Minecraft nicely sums up the game, as you “mine” for the materials to then “craft” objects in your world. As well as being the second most popular video game, Minecraft is a great tool for teaching kids. There is a global community of creators, and kids can learn anything from art and language to geography and coding through Minecraft. 

If you’re new to Minecraft the easiest way to get playing fast is to buy the game and play it, simple right?! If you want to create your world and don’t want to go to the hassle of setting up a server, then you can do so in the “Minecraft Realms” section. Setting up your own Minecraft server gives you the ability to create larger worlds and even host it on your domain name. 

In this article, we’ll explore various ways to set up your Minecraft server, no matter how you want to use it, for example via your PC, public, with friends, multiplayer, offline or for free.

Is Minecraft Free?

You can get a demo, lite or modded version of Minecraft for free. However, normally you buy the Java version from the official Minecraft website. 

One way to play for free is by joining in with another Minecraft game – for example, if your friend has a Minecraft server, they’ll normally be able to add you as a user. Minehut offers Minecraft hosting and allows people to add up to 10 users with a free account. We’ll discuss setting up a server in Minehut below.

Can You Play Minecraft Offline?

Yes, you can play Minecraft offline by selecting the “play offline” in your Minecraft launcher.

Minecraft works on just about every device

Desktops – Windows, Mac, Linux and Windows 10

Consoles – Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Switch and New 3DS

Devices – iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Gear VR, and Fire TV

Can You Make a Minecraft Server for Free?

YES! How awesome is that? You can make a Minecraft server in many different ways – for example on your PC or a free server. Minehut offers FREE Minecraft unlimited hosting for the Minecraft Community via their cloud servers. What’s more, you can have up to 10 players on your Minehut server.  If you want to add more users, then you can buy credits directly from Minehut. 

Minehut currently powers 787,532 Minecraft servers. They also offer DDoS Protection and a selection of cool plugins to customize your server. Minehut also comes with a supportive community forum where you can find answers to your questions or get involved with other players. 

How to Make a Minecraft Server for Free

Here is a step-by-step guide to creating your FREE Minecraft server with Minehut – in just seven steps. This guide is specifically for people who are using Java or Pocket Editions of Minecraft. The Pocket Edition is a good choice if you want to use your server via your smartphone. 

Step 1 – Visit Minehut and create an account. By hitting the “Get Started” button in the middle of the screen.

Step 2 – Verify your email address by cutting and pasting the code that they’ll send you to your inbox (check your spam folder if you don’t receive an email from them)

Step 3 – Login and create a server name. Keep it short and sweet, you’re only allowed to use 10 characters (numbers or letters)

Step 4 – Pick your server type by selecting it from the dropdown. Select Java or Pocket Edition

IMPORTANT NOTE – The Pocket Edition option is not always available

Step 5 – Hit the “Create” button to create your server

Step 6 – Refresh your page and then go to the dashboard tab. You’ll find the dashboard dab on the top left-hand side of the page.

Step 7 – Hit the blue “Activate Server” button. 

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up your free Minecraft server with Minehut.

PRO TIP: You can go over and join the chat in Discord by clicking on the chat icon in the bottom right of the screen. 

Your Dashboard will look a little something like this:

Once you have set up your server, you’ll want to go into the settings section to configure it to your liking. Firstly you’ll want to grab your server’s address. To get your server’s address go over to the server status section at the right of your page. Your address should be next to the “Connect” title. Make sure you save your server address for future use and to share with friends. Here are some server settings that you can configure to make your server your own.

Changing the look and feel of your server

You can adjust your server’s appearance in Minehut by clicking on the “Server Appearance” tab. You’ll find it on the left of the page, and then you can change the following:

1. Server Domain — you can change your domain name – to whatever you prefer. You’ll be using this domain name to connect to your server, and so that other people can connect too – so make it something catchy. This is the name that people will see if you make your server publicly listed. 
2. Server MOTD — in this section you can write a short description of your server and your plans for it.
3. Server Visibility — this section is important as it allows you to select a public server or an unlisted one. Unlisted makes your server private and only accessible via the link that you’d need to send to your friends. A publicly listed server will be shown so that other people can join in. So it just depends on how you want to play.
4. 4. Server properties – Select “Server Properties” – then click a category tab and then selecting your preferred options – you can enable or disable server properties here.
5. World settings – Hit “World Settings” to review the current settings. If you want to add a custom world seed you can do this by altering the text in the “World Seed” section. Save will save your settings and “Reset World” will cancel your new settings. 

PRO TIP: You can upload and save files in the “File Manager” section. However, it’s important to understand exactly what each file does before getting involved with the file manager section.

Alright, now your server is all set up and customized to your liking, it is time to connect and get creating. 

How to Connect to Your Minecraft Server on Minehut

When connecting to your new Minehut server, keep your dashboard open so that you can adjust anything quickly. Then follow the following steps to connect to your server:

Step 1 – Double-tap on the Minecraft icon to open Minecraft and select PLAY at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2 – Tap on Multiplayer

Step 3 – Select “Direct Connect” on the bottom right of the screen. 

Step 4 – Enter your server address (you should have saved it in the setup process above). 

Step 5 – Tap “Join Server” at the bottom of the screen 

Awesome! You’re all set.

PRO TIP: If you are having difficulty connecting to your Minehut server leave it for a while before getting started. If the issue persists then remove any unnecessary plugins as they can interfere with how your server functions.

How Do You Make a Multiplayer Server in Minecraft?

You can make a multiplayer server in Minecraft for up to 10 players for free using Minehut. If you want to add on more players then that will come at a small fee. If you have followed the steps above and created your free Minehut server, then you can add more players by clicking on “Server properties”, on the left of your page. Then select “Max Players” – you can add up to 75 players.

Below you’ll find the current prices to add people onto your server. 

• 10 (Free)
• 15 (30 credits/day)
• 25 (50 credits/day)
• 35 (75 credits/day)
• 42 (110 credits/day)
• 50 (135 credits/day)
• 60 (170 credits/day)
• 75 (210 credits/day)

Is Minecraft Educational/ Good For Kids?

Minecraft has a new “Education Edition” that is meant for use in school classrooms. Playing Minecraft offers an opportunity to learn in a fun environment. Students get to work on their creative abilities and mathematics while playing. 

There is a world of resources available to educators who wish to use Minecraft in the classroom, for example, entire lesson plans for Pixel art and grid paper to get creative. The lesson plans are organized by age and subject. You can learn Language and arts by playing “Finding Treasure” or Geography and social good by playing “Humans and Elephants”.

Make a Minecraft Server on Your PC in 5 Steps

You can easily make a Minecraft server on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer at home if you have some technical know-how.  Here is a 100ft view of what you’ll need to do:-

1. Install Java
2. Install Minecraft server software
3. Configure your PC server & network
4. Start PC server
5. Check that you can access your server

IMPORTANT: You’ll need to be fairly tech-savvy to be able to create a Minecraft server.

What You Need to Set Up a PC Based Minecraft Server

Before you get started it’s important to check that your PC is up to the task. While you don’t need to pay a fortune for your Minecraft server – most basic laptops won’t do the job. You’ll need a decent desktop PC, preferably not the same computer that you plan to play Minecraft on (if possible).

 It’s also a good idea to connect your Minecraft PC based server directly to the internet using an Ethernet cable, rather than using wireless. The wired internet is still more reliable and powerful than wireless.

Home Server vs Externally Hosted Server

There are a few pros and cons that you should know about before deciding to create a server from home. Here are a few pros and cons to getting started with:

[code type="bash"]

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar {server file name} nogui
Replace {server file name} with your server file name.

[/code]

[code type="bash"]

#!/bin/bash

cd "$(dirname "$0")"

exec java -Xms1G -Xmx1G -jar {server file name} nogui

[/code]

[code type="bash"]

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar {server file name} nogui

Replace {server file name} with your server file name.

[/code]

[code type="bash"]

stop

Edit the “server.properties” file and enter:

enable-query=true

[/code]