This guide will go over how to setup a Minecraft (Java Edition) on Windows. If you’re hosting your server on Windows it’s likely you’re hosting this ‘server’ from home. Which means for players to connect you will need to give them your home IP address… This means players should only be friends/family members that you trust. Leaking your IP address can lead to cyber attackers/harassment & changing your IP with your ISP isn’t always easy…
PC Requirements
Hosting a server actually takes a lot of resources as these worlds generated are HUGE so… They suggest at least 4GB of RAM which Windows also requires a minimum of 4GB so a Window’s system would need 8GB to run a small server for 1-10 players. An ethernet connection is also suggested as wifi will cause ping issues n players to rubberband. If you have another computer desktop or laptop, if it has 8+GB of RAM and an ethernet connection you could use this as server and save your main computer the RAM + CPU of running the MC Server.
Windows Check
Obviously this guide is for Windows, and most modern machines run 64bit but lets confirm which version of software you’ll need for this installation process. First go to your Windows Icon on your keyboard or on the bottom-left of your screen on the taskbar. Then click the gear icon for ‘Settings’ then ‘System’ then ‘About’
Now look for the section labeled ‘System Type’ and it should say something like “64-bit operating system, x64-based processor” or “32-bit operating system, x86-based processor”. This will dictate which versions of software for upcoming steps. If it says 64 you’ll download x64 versions and if it says 32 you’ll download x86 versions.
Java JDK vs JRE & Version
Minecraft requires Java version 8 or LATER. Since Java 8 is fairly out-dated by todays standard I’d highly suggest the newest LTS (Long Term Support) version of Java JDK or JRE. So for just the server you can use any version between 8 and 17 (most current) but if you plan on using 3rd party plugins/mods, these may have a very specific version of Java you may need.
JDK stands for Java Developer Kit and JRE stands for Java Runtime Environment. Both run Java applications fine and both run Minecraft fine. If you want to get into coding plugins/mods you for sure want the JDK, if not it still doesn’t hurt to have this if any plugins you may be using might have some sloppy code n depend on JDK vs JRE. So for this example we’ll be snag 64bit version of Java 17 JDK.
Example of Java JDK Installation
Download MC-Java Jar file
Download the latest server version directly from Mojang’s website. We’ll need to move/copy this download so for now just grab the file for now we’ll setup a folder and scripts in the next step.
Setup Folder
Now that we have Java installed and our server.jar file lets make a home for it. We need to make a folder for all this to live in, this can be on your Desktop or anywhere really. I’d suggest anywhere without your User folder so you don’t run into permission problems so places like Program Files/Windows/etc probably aren’t a good home for this. So open File Explorer n navigate to where you want to build your servers home, and right click and select New Folder or Ctrl + Shift + N to create a New Folder. Name it w/e you like: MC Server, Minecraft Server, Sarimoko’s Server, etc. Either copy or move the server.jar file here from the previous step! If you double click this by mistake it will try launching the JAR file. Jar files are compressed applications so Jar for Java is kinda like Exe’s for Windows. It’s better to launch them with a script and without accepting terms the server will not launch yet.
Server Config
Download the following files into the folder in the previous step. This is a file to acknowledge and accept their terms & conditions of use of their software. The other is a script file that specifies how much RAM to dedicate to your server. If you’re using your main computer to ALSO host this game server this script file is CRITICAL to balance the workload between how many connections/players your servers needs, and remaining computer resources for you to play & stream! Right-click and Download from URL the follow 2 files:
Connect to localhost
Before we try testing the server with our friends and connections from outside the network. Fire up Minecraft,
If you’re running the MC Server on the SAME computer as your running the game for the address put: 127.0.0.1
If you’re running the MC Server on a SEPARATE computer than your running the game off of, you’ll need to find its local IP address. This can easily be found in your router/modem under devices but it should look something like: 10.0.0.87
Port Forwarding
Most ISP (Internet Service Providers) lockdown your modem as default for security reasons. This means the basic port are open but all others block public (incoming) connections. Most modem/router’s admin panels can be accessed by visiting 10.0.0.1. Click the button below to open your modem/router’s admin panel.
Once you’re logged in, we’re looking for a section called ‘Port Forwarding’ which might be under something like ‘Advanced Settings’ or ‘Networking’ and add a new ruleset. The default port for Minecraft is 25565 so go ahead and use this unless you plan on using custom ports. You must also do the same to your Windows Firewall, please see the video below how to add a rule to your Windows Firewall.
Still Lost?
Feel free to DM on Discord or join my channel The Cord to talk to Sarimoko directly? Think you can do it yourself but just need more info? Click the button below to view the official guide from Mojang themselves!