Once your server is ready, only one thing is left: getting in. This article covers the Java and Bedrock sides separately, because they don't connect the same way.

Find and copy your address

At the top of the server panel you'll see the connection address (something like yourname.arcadeservers.com). Press the copy button next to it — typing it by hand is the most common cause of connection failures.

This address is yours and it is stable: it stays the same when your server sleeps and wakes, moves to another machine, or when the IP underneath it changes. You give it to your friends once and never have to send an update. That is why you should always share the address, never an IP.

While Let players start it is on in Settings, the panel shows a second address: the waiting address, the same name in the form yourname.gir.arcadeservers.com. With your server off, a player who connects there sees a short waiting screen, your server starts right then, and they are let in on their own once it is ready — so you don't have to be the one starting it every time. The waiting address works on Minecraft 1.20.5 and newer Java versions; older versions and mobile (Bedrock) players use the direct address. While your server is off, the direct address does not work; decide which address you hand out accordingly. Detail is in the sleep mode article.

Connecting with Java Edition

  1. Open Minecraft Java Edition.
  2. Go to Multiplayer → Add Server.
  3. Name the server whatever you like and paste the copied address into the address field.
  4. Save, then double-click the server in the list.

On the Java side you don't need to type a port; the address alone is enough. There's no port forwarding, no static IP and no need to leave your own PC running.

Connecting with Bedrock (phone / Windows 10-11)

Because Bedrock doesn't follow the address shortcuts Java uses, the address and port are entered separately. Both are shown on the Java + Bedrock card in the Settings section of the panel and copy with one click: the address goes in the top box, the port number in the small box beside it.

Bedrock cross-play is conditional: plugin-family software (Paper, Purpur, Spigot, CraftBukkit), Minecraft 1.20.5 or newer, and at least 4 GB. For detail see the cross-play guide. Supported Bedrock devices are phones, tablets and the Windows 10/11 edition; game consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch) are not supported.

Bedrock players cannot use the waiting address: they can't start a sleeping server, so it has to be up already. Keep that in mind if anyone in your group plays from a phone.

Version matching

Your game version has to be compatible with the server's. You can see the server's version on the panel's Overview screen and change your own from the launcher.

On a mismatch the game usually gives a clear message; the version number in the error tells you which side needs to change. On plugin-family software the server will often accept clients a few versions older than itself; on the mod side (Fabric, Quilt, Forge, NeoForge) the version has to match exactly, and every player also needs the same set of mods installed.

If you can't connect, check these in order

  • Is the server running? The panel should show Online. If it's off, press Start; being ready can take a few minutes.
  • Is it asleep? With nobody connected, the server is put to sleep after 15 minutes. You wake it from the panel with one click. While Let players start it is on in Settings, your players can wake it too: the server starts by itself when they connect to the waiting address. Connecting to the direct address does not start it. We cover this in the idle sleep article.
  • Is the address right? Use copy-paste, don't type it.
  • Do the versions match? Select the server's version in your launcher.
  • Is the whitelist on? If so, only listed players can join; add yourself and your friends from the Players section.
  • What does the console say? Most connection problems show up in the last lines of the console.

Common error messages

  • Connection refused — the server isn't running right now. Check its state in the panel; wake it if it's asleep, start it if it's off. A server that is off does not accept connections on its direct address; if you want your players to start it themselves, give them the waiting address.
  • Failed to verify username — the server has licence verification on and an unlicensed account is trying to join. If your players join without a licence you need to turn on Allow cracked logins in Settings; because it removes name verification, it also brings a name-spoofing risk.
  • You are not white-listed on this server — the whitelist is on and your name isn't on it.
  • Outdated client / Outdated server — a version mismatch; the version in the message tells you which side to change.
  • Connection timed out — check first that the server is up: this is the most common symptom on the direct address of a server that is off or asleep. If you get it while the server is running, the cause is usually the player's own network or a typo in the address; if someone else can join with the same address, the problem isn't on the server.

Common mistakes

  • Giving friends an IP instead of the address: the IP can change, the address doesn't.
  • Appending a port to the Java address — it isn't needed there and in some cases breaks the connection.
  • Typing the Bedrock address and port into the same box; they go in two separate boxes.
  • Trying to join before the server is ready: on first start the world is generated, which can take a few minutes.
  • Filling the whitelist but forgetting the switch in Settings — or the reverse, turning the switch on with nobody on the list.

Which route to take

  • A group that only plays on PC: Java is enough, you don't need to turn cross-play on.
  • Someone in the group plays on a phone: turn cross-play on with a 4 GB or larger package and give them the address and the port together.
  • You want it open to everyone: leave the whitelist off and keep order with the ban list.
  • You want invite-only: turn the whitelist on and add the names in advance — on an empty list every first join attempt is refused.