So you want make your own Minecraft server to play with friends, but don't know where to start? In this guide, I'll walk you through every step to make a Minecraft Java Edition server in 2026.

ℹ️

A quick note: this guide covers Java Edition only. Bedrock servers use a different setup process.

Minecraft Server Requirements

A Minecraft server has three hard requirements:

The official server.jar from minecraft.net
Java 25 installed on your PC
At least 4GB of free RAM

Read more:
👉 How Much RAM Do I Need For A Minecraft Server?

Alternative to self-hosting

This guide walks you through hosting a Minecraft server on your own computer which mean your PC has to stay on 24/7 if you want your server online when you're not playing, and you need to open your ports which can expose you to security risks if you don't know what you are doing.

If any of that sounds like more work than you signed up for, the most beginner-friendly option is to rent a Minecraft server. A Minecraft server on WiseHosting goes live in under 2 minutes, stays online 24/7 without your PC running, and comes with 24/7 support if something breaks.

🎁

Get a Server from WiseHosting! Use code BLOG for 20% off your first month.

If you'd rather build it yourself, keep reading.

1) Download the server jar

First, Download the server.jar directly from the official Minecraft page.

On the official page, click the link that reads something like "minecraft_server.26.1.2". It will start downloading the server file.

Bookmark this page. Mojang releases new versions every few months, and when you upgrade you'll want to grab a fresh jar from the same source.

2) Set up your server folder

Create a new folder on your desktop and name it "Minecraft Server" (or whatever makes sense to you). Move the freshly downloaded server.jar into that folder.

⚠️

Note: The first time you run the server, it generates around 15 new files and folders in the same directory. If your jar is sitting on your desktop, you'll have all these files scattered around your Desktop.

3) Run the server.jar

Double-click the server.jar file. The first run will not start a playable server. Instead, it generates configuration files and then shuts down. This is expected behavior, not a bug.

After a few seconds, you should see these new files appear inside your folder:

❗

Potential issue: If nothing appears and the jar refuses to open, you might have a wrong Java installed. The next section covers the fix.

Fix Java issues when the jar won't open

When double-clicking server.jar does nothing at all, your computer either doesn't have Java installed or has the wrong version. Minecraft 26.1 requires Java 25, and older versions (Java 17, Java 21) will not work.

Here's how to fix it:

Download Java 25
Download the Windows installer (.msi)
Run the installer with default settings
Restart your computer
Double-click server.jar again

If Java 25 is installed but Windows still refuses to open the jar, install a free tool called Jarfix. It re-associates .jar files with Java in one click and doesn't even need an installation.

You can confirm your Java version anytime by opening Command Prompt and typing java -version. If it doesn't return 25.X.X, you've still got an old version active.

4) Accept the EULA

Open eula.txt in Notepad (or any text editor). You'll see a line:

eula=false

Change it to:

eula=true

What this does: Mojang requires every server host to agree to their End User License Agreement before the server will run. Until you flip this value, the server immediately shuts down on every start.

5) Configure the server

Open server.properties with a text editor. This is where you can edit your server settings and configure it to your needs. The basics you might want to know:

Property	Description
`gamemode`	Default game mode. Options: `survival`, `creative`, `adventure`, `spectator`.
`difficulty`	World difficulty. Options: `peaceful`, `easy`, `normal`, `hard`.
`max-players`	Maximum simultaneous players.
`motd`	The description players see in their server list.
`level-seed`	Paste a specific seed here to generate a world with the seed.
`pvp`	Player vs player combat. Set to `false` for a peaceful build server.
`view-distance`	Render distance in chunks. Lower this if you're seeing lag.
`white-list`	Set to `true` if you want to make a truly private server and add allowed players manually in the whitelist.json file.

Don't try to understand every property right now. There are over 50 of them and most stay at default forever. The Minecraft Wiki has a full breakdown if you want to dig in later.

Further reading:
👉 How To Add Players to Whitelist
👉 Server.properties explained

6) Start your server

Double-click server.jar again. This time a console window appears with text scrolling by. Loading takes 30-90 seconds depending on your CPU. When you see this line, the server is live:

[Server thread/INFO]: Done (XX.Xs)! For help, type "help"

⚠️

Type stop in the console and press Enter to safely shut the server down. Never close the window with the X button: it skips saving and can corrupt your world.

If the console crashes immediately or shows a red error block, three things cause 90% of the failures I've seen:

Port 25565 is already in use by another program. Close the other program or change the server-port in server.properties.
The EULA was not saved properly. Reopen eula.txt and double-check.
Not enough RAM is allocated. By default, the jar runs with very little memory and crashes under any real load. On Windows:
1. Open Notepad
2. Paste this single line: java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar server.jar nogui
3. Go to File → Save As and navigate to your Minecraft Server folder
4. In the "Save as type" dropdown, choose "All Files"
5. Name the file start.bat and save
6. From now on, double-click start.bat instead of server.jar to launch the server

ℹ️

What the flags mean: -Xmx4G caps the maximum RAM at 4GB, and -Xms4G sets the starting RAM to the same value. Increase both to 6G or 8G if you have the RAM and want to support more players or modded gameplay.

7) Connect to your server from Minecraft

Open Minecraft Java Edition. Click "Multiplayer," then "Add Server."

Server Name: anything you want
Server Address: localhost

Click "Done," then double-click your new server to join. You should be in your world within a few seconds.

The address "localhost" tells Minecraft to connect to a server running on the same computer. No internet connection is needed for this step. If localhost doesn't work, your server isn't actually running. Go check the console window.

This is the moment to test everything. Walk around, place a block, break a block. If those work, your server is healthy.

8) Let your friends join outside your network

Right now, only people on your home Wi-Fi can connect to your server. To let friends join over the internet, you need to set up port forwarding on your router.

Port forwarding tells your router that any incoming connection to port 25565 should be sent to your specific PC. Without it, your router blocks every connection request from outside your network. With it, your friends can connect to your public IP and land directly on your server.

The setup has its own complications: every router brand has a different admin panel, Windows Firewall blocks the port by default, and your public IP can change.

Check out this video on how to port-forward your Minecraft server step-by-step:

Final thoughts

Making a Minecraft Java Edition server in 2026 isn't hard, but it has more steps than the official documentation suggests. The biggest mistakes I see new admins make are skipping the Java 25 check and trying to set up port forwarding before the local server is even working.

If self-hosting feels too hard or you are not able to do port-forwarding, then buying a Minecraft server from WiseHosting is the next best step for you. It handles everything for you, with 24/7 uptime and 24/7 support. Use code BLOG at checkout for 20% off your first month.

Got questions? Ask me on Discord.

Dashboard

How To Make a Minecraft Server (Java Edition 2026)