The More RAM You Give It

There are three ways to play multiplayer Minecraft: Java Edition, which is free. - You have three options: join a public Minecraft server, create your own or buy a Minecraft Realm. - If your friends are on the same network, you can set up a LAN Minecraft server for local multiplayer.

Minecraft is a simple and endless game with millions of players. This makes it easy to find friends to play. However, it's not always clear how to play multiplayer with your friends.

The way you play multiplayer Minecraft will depend on whether your version is the console-friendly Bedrock or the classic Java edition. No matter which edition you choose, you can only play with other players who have the same version.

If that version is Java, there are few different ways to go about playing with your friends.

Hosting a multiplayer Minecraft server should take no more than a few minutes.

Here's what you need to know.

Quick tip: To play with others, you must all have the same version Minecraft.

How to play with Minecraft friends

Minecraft's multiplayer mode is built around servers. Everyone playing together will need the same server.

There are thousands of Minecraft servers already out there, which you and your friends can join to play together in moments - see the section below on how to join a friend's or a public server for more details. There is one downside to this: you will be sharing these servers and playing with many people you don’t know.

A Minecraft server is free for you and your friends to host a private game. It takes some effort and the person creating the server will need to be able to access the internet quickly. You might also consider one of these other options.

These are the steps that you will need to take to either join an already-running Minecraft: Java Edition or create your very own multiplayer server.

Join a server

1. Launch Minecraft and select Multiplayer.

2. Click Add Server.

3. In the Server Address area, enter the address of the host-server and click Done. This could be an address on the Internet or a URL.

4. Wait for the server's connection to occur. Then, select the server and click Join Server.

Register and join your server

The following steps will help you set up a server on your Windows 10 computer. The steps should be identical, if not entirely the same, for Mac and Linux computers.

1. Launch a web browser of your choice and navigate to minecraft.net/download. Scroll down and click Java Edition Server.

2. minecraft servers Next, find and download Minecraft server software. Put it somewhere you'll find it. The file will have a .jar extension.

3. Create a new folder on your computer and name it whatever you like, then place the .jar file you downloaded inside of it. This is where you'll keep all your server files.

4. Next, create a plain text file. Right-click in the folder, select New, then text document. Name the text document "start.txt."

Quick tip: You can create an.txt document on a Mac by using the TextEdit program. You can use the terminal command "cat" in Linux.

5. Navigate back to the Minecraft server download webpage. Copy the following command text:

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.1.18.2.jar nogui

You will notice that the numbers at the end may differ depending on Minecraft's most recent version.

6. Copy the command text string into your start.txt file.

7. Within the string of command text, you'll see the words "minecraft_server.1.18.2.jar." You'll need to rename that portion of the text "server.jar." The new line of code will now read as follows:

8. You can also modify the RAM allocation of your server using this line. The more RAM your server has, the faster it can run, and the more stress it puts on your computer.

9. The RAM is determined by the first two numbers in the line of code, which are amounts of RAM in megabytes (MB). It defaults at 1024MB RAM or 1 gigabyte.

Quick tip: RAM is different from storage space. One gigabyte equals 1,024 Megabytes, not 1,000. Set the RAM amount in multiples (1,024 megabytes).

1. Start Minecraft while your server's open and running. Then, select Multiplayer.

2. Select Add Server in the bottom-right corner.

3. In the Server Address box, enter either the number "0", "localhost" or the phrase "localhost".

Use a LAN server

1. One player should launch a single game world and then enter the pause menu. They'll choose Open to LAN.

2. Select the game mode you want, and click the Start LAN World button.

4. The other player (or players) on the same network should launch Minecraft. Instead of jumping into a Minecraft world and clicking the Multiplayer option, click the main menu.

5. Minecraft will automatically scan your shared local network for new games. When the right world appears, click Join Server.

6. If the server is not found, players can click Direct Connection. Enter the IP address of your server in the Server Address section. Followed by a colon (:), and the five-digit port number, you will see the menu.