Why can't I connect to my server?
Short answerCheck four things in this order: the server is running, you used the address from the panel, your game runs the same version as the server, and you are allowed in by the whitelist. The message Minecraft shows tells you which one it is.
Run these checks in order
Is the server running? Open your panel on Overview. If it says offline, start it and wait until the Console says it is done loading.
The Overview tab showing whether the server is running Is it the right address? Copy it again with the copy button on Overview and paste it, instead of typing it. One wrong letter gives "Unknown host".
Same version? "Outdated client" or "Outdated server" means your game and the server run different versions. Switch your game in the launcher, or change the server version in Settings.
Allowed in? "You are not whitelisted on this server" means the whitelist is on and you are not on it. Add yourself on the Players tab. A ban shows as a ban message and is removed there too.
The Whitelist list on the Players tab
What Minecraft says, and what it means
| What it says | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
Unknown host | The address does not exist as typed. Copy it again from Overview; a missing dot or an extra space is enough. |
Connection refused | The address works but nothing answers. The server is off or still starting. Check Overview and wait for the Console to say it is done. |
Failed to verify username | Your game could not confirm your account with Mojang. Restart the game and the launcher and sign in again; it is on your side, not the server. |
The server is full | The player limit in Settings is reached. Raise max players under Settings, or wait for a free place. |
You are banned from this server | Your name is on the ban list. The owner can remove it on the Players tab. |
Other messages
"Connection timed out" when the server is running: try again from another network, such as your phone as a hotspot. If that works, your own network or firewall blocks the connection.
"Mismatched mod channel list" or a list of missing mods: the server runs mods and your game does not have the same ones. Install the same pack and version.
Bedrock players on a crossplay server need the Bedrock port from the panel header, not only the address.
Everyone is disconnected at once
If several players drop at the same moment, check the service status page before you change anything on your server.
Nobody can join, not even you
Then the cause is almost always on the server, not on the network. Look at the Console: if it shows a crash, Crash Watch starts the server again within about half a minute and emails you the last lines. If the server keeps crashing, the watch stops after a few tries in a row so it does not loop, and you start it yourself once you have fixed the cause.
Only one player cannot join
Then the server is fine and the difference is with that player: another game version, missing mods, a ban, the whitelist, or a network that blocks game traffic, such as at school or work. Having them try once over a phone hotspot separates the network from the rest in a minute.
Questions people also ask
It worked yesterday and nothing changed.
Check the Console for a crash or a restart, and the version: the Minecraft launcher updates your game by itself, and then it no longer matches the server. Pick the server version in the launcher's installations.
The panel says my server is suspended.
An invoice is still open. Once it is paid the server comes back online; your world and files are kept meanwhile.
Bedrock players cannot join, Java players can.
Check that they typed the Bedrock port from the panel header, and that the port in the Geyser config is still that same port.