Port Forwarding Your Router for Minecraft: Java Edition Server

For more information about setting up a Minecraft server visit our guide Port Forwarding and Hosting a Minecraft Server.

When you use Minecraft: Java Edition Server you might need to forward some ports in your router. A port forward allows incoming connection requests from the internet to go straight to Minecraft: Java Edition Server.

By default routers do not allow incoming network requests. Forwarding ports can work around this limitation.

You need to know the following things before you can forward a port:

• Your router's internal IP address.
• The IP address of your computer.
• The TCP and UDP ports that need to be forwarded.

Use a VPN Instead

Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

• Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
• Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
• Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
• Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
• Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

We have free Router Detector software to help you find your router's IP address. It is part of our Network Utilities suite of tools and is free for you to use it.

You can also follow our Find Your Router IP Address article.

We have Network Utilities software that can forward ports for you. With Network Utilities, you can easily forward ports and also un-forward ports quickly so that you can keep your network up to date with the ports that you need forwarded and maximize your network security.

Port forwarding can also be set up step-by-step by hand. The step-by-step process for forwarding a port is:

• Start by logging in to your router.
• Locate your routers port forwarding section.
• Put your computer's IP address in the proper box in your router.
• Enter the TCP and UDP ports that you need to forward for Minecraft: Java Edition Server in the corresponding boxes in your router.

Frequently you have to reboot your router for the changes to take effect.

You can choose your router from our list to see exactly how to forward ports for Minecraft: Java Edition Server:

List of Routers - Customized for Minecraft: Java Edition Server

The ports that need to be forwarded for Minecraft: Java Edition Server are listed here:

Minecraft: Java Edition Server - PC

• TCP: 25565
• UDP: 25565

Those are the steps for forwarding ports in your router for Minecraft: Java Edition Server.

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