Where to find the server address

The server address is the text string your game uses to connect to another player's world. You will see it in one of three places: in the server list inside Minecraft itself, in a message or email from the person who invited you, or on a website or Discord channel where the server is advertised.

If someone sent you an invite through Minecraft's built-in system, open the game, go to the Multiplayer tab, and look for a pending invitation. The server address will be listed there. If a friend messaged you the address directly, it will look something like play.example.com or 192.168.1.5:25565 — a domain name or IP address, sometimes followed by a colon and a number.

For public servers advertised on websites like Planet Minecraft or Minehut, the address is usually displayed prominently on the server's listing page, often in a box labeled "Server IP" or "Server Address". Copy the exact text, including any numbers after a colon, because even one wrong character will prevent you from connecting.

Key Takeaways

  • The server address is either a domain name like play.example.com or an IP address like 192.168.1.5, and you need the exact text to connect.
  • Check your Minecraft invitations first, then ask the person who invited you if you cannot find the address anywhere else.
  • Public server websites display the address in a clearly labeled box, and copying it exactly prevents connection errors.
  • The number after the colon (the port) is part of the address and must be included if it is shown to you.
  • If the address does not work, verify you copied it correctly character by character before troubleshooting further.

How to enter the server address in Java Edition

Open Minecraft Java Edition and click the Multiplayer button on the main menu. Click Add Server, which opens a form with two fields: Server Name and Server Address. The Server Name is just a label for your own reference — call it whatever you want. The Server Address field is where you paste the exact address you found.

Paste the address into the Server Address field. Do not add spaces before or after it. Click Done, and the server will appear in your server list. Click it once to select it, then click Join Server. The game will attempt to connect, and if the address is correct and the server is running, you will load into the world within a few seconds.

How to enter the server address in Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition (the version on Windows 10, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile) uses a slightly different process. Open the game and click Play. Under Servers, click Add Server. You will see fields for Server Name, Server Address, and Port.

Paste the server address into the Server Address field. If the address you were given includes a colon and a number (like play.example.com:25566), split it: put everything before the colon in the Server Address field and the number after the colon in the Port field. If no colon was included, leave the Port field at its default value of 19132. Click Save, then select the server and click Join.

What to do if the address does not work

The most common reason a server address fails is a typo. Copy the address again from the original source and paste it into the server field, character by character. Pay special attention to numbers that look similar, like the letter O and the number 0, or the letter I and the number 1.

If you copied it correctly and still cannot connect, the server may be offline or full. Ask the person who gave you the address whether the server is currently running. Some servers shut down at certain times or restart regularly, so try again in a few minutes. If the server is a public one, check its website or Discord to see if there is a status message about maintenance or downtime.

If you are trying to connect to a friend's personal server and they are on the same home network as you, use their local IP address instead of a domain name. Ask them to open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac) and type ipconfig (Windows) or ifconfig (Mac) to find their local IP. It will start with 192.168 or 10.0.

The difference between domain names and IP addresses

A domain name like play.example.com is easier to remember and stays the same even if the server moves to a different computer. An IP address like 192.168.1.5 is a number that points directly to a specific computer on the internet or your home network. Both work the same way in Minecraft — the game translates the domain name into an IP address behind the scenes.

Public servers almost always use domain names because they are more stable. Personal servers hosted from someone's home computer often use IP addresses. If someone gives you an IP address and it stops working, ask them whether their internet provider changed their address, which happens occasionally with home connections.

Saving servers so you do not have to re-enter the address

Once you have successfully connected to a server, it stays in your server list permanently. You do not have to enter the address again — just click the server name and click Join. The list is stored on your computer, so if you reinstall Minecraft or play on a different computer, you will need to add the servers again.

If you want to share your server list with someone else or back it up, the server data is stored in a file on your computer. In Java Edition, look in your .minecraft folder for a file called servers.dat. In Bedrock Edition, the list is stored in the game's settings, and there is no straightforward way to export it — you will have to add servers manually on each device.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the number after the colon in a server address mean?

That number is the port, which tells Minecraft which specific service on that computer to connect to. The default port for Minecraft Java Edition is 25565, so if no port is shown, that is what the game uses. Bedrock uses 19132 by default. If someone gives you an address with a different port, include it exactly as shown.

Can I use a server address from someone else's computer on my phone?

Yes, if the server is public and running on a real server (not someone's personal computer). If it is a personal server on someone's home computer, you can only connect if you are on the same home network. If you are trying to connect from outside their network, they will need to set up port forwarding on their router, which is a more advanced step.

Why does my server address have numbers instead of a name?

That is an IP address, which is the direct number for a computer. It works exactly the same as a domain name in Minecraft. Some servers use IP addresses because they are cheaper or because the owner prefers them. Both are equally valid.

What if the server address has a hyphen or underscore in it?

Copy it exactly as shown, including the hyphen or underscore. These characters are valid in domain names and IP addresses. A single wrong character will prevent the connection, so paste rather than type if you can.

Do I need the server address to play with friends on the same WiFi?

Not always. If you are all on the same home network, one person can create a world and open it to LAN (Local Area Network) instead of setting up a server. The other players will see it in their server list automatically. This is simpler than entering an address and works only when everyone is on the same WiFi.