How do I make my server private with a whitelist?
Short answerSwitch Whitelist on in the Settings tab, then add your friends on the Players tab under Whitelist with "Add to whitelist". From then on only the people on that list can join.
Turn on the whitelist
Open your panel and go to Settings. Search for Whitelist and switch it on. Save, and restart the server when the panel asks for it.
Go to the Players tab, choose Whitelist and press "Add to whitelist".
Type the Minecraft username of each friend and confirm. Add yourself as well, or you lock yourself out.
Whitelist enforcement
Next to Whitelist there is a setting that kicks players who are online but not on the list the moment you turn it on. The panel only lets you switch that on when the whitelist itself is on.
Questions people also ask
My friend is on the list but still cannot join.
Check the spelling of the username, and on a crossplay server whether they are a Bedrock player who needs the prefix in front of their gamertag. Then check that the whitelist was saved and the server restarted.