How to Setup a Minecraft Bedrock Server

This Minecraft Bedrock server setup guide takes you from Mojang’s free dedicated server zip to a world friends can join from another house. It covers how to setup a Minecraft Bedrock server on Windows or Ubuntu, then how to host a Minecraft server Bedrock online with port forwarding or a managed host.

You do not need Java, mods, or a second Minecraft account for the host PC. You do need Bedrock Dedicated Server (free from Mojang), a machine that can stay on while people play, and players on a compatible Bedrock client. Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch cannot type a custom IP the way Windows, Android, and iOS can, so plan around that before you start.

If you would rather skip router settings and keep the world online when your PC is off, jump to managed Minecraft Bedrock hosting.

Minecraft Bedrock vs Java for servers

Bedrock and Java are different games with different server software. A Java .jar will not run Bedrock clients, and Bedrock Dedicated Server will not accept Java clients. For a full edition comparison, see Minecraft Java vs Bedrock.

Bedrock Dedicated Server is the official way to host a persistent Bedrock world. It runs on Windows 10/11 (or Windows Server 2016+) and Ubuntu Linux. Players on Windows, Android, iOS, and some other Bedrock platforms can add the server by IP. Cross-play between those platforms works when everyone is on the same game version.

If your group is mostly Java with a few Bedrock players, you want a Java server plus GeyserMC, not this Bedrock Dedicated Server walkthrough.

How to host a Minecraft server Bedrock: pick a method

“How to host” is a different question from “how to open a LAN world.” These are the realistic options:

Self-hosting is free if you already have hardware, but your upload speed, power, and firewall become the server. Managed hosting is the usual answer when people want the world up at 2 a.m. without leaving a desktop running.

What you need for Minecraft Bedrock server setup

Dedicated server requirements are not the same as the RTX client specs. Microsoft’s Bedrock Dedicated Server package targets:

• Windows 10 version 1703 or later, Windows Server 2016 or later, or Ubuntu Linux (the only officially supported Linux distro)
• A modern CPU; Minecraft servers lean on a strong single core more than a huge core count
• At least 1 GB of RAM for a small world; 2–4 GB is a safer floor for a few friends in survival
• Disk space that can grow with the world (start with a gigabyte free, more for long-running maps)
• No GPU on the server

Players still need a copy of Minecraft Bedrock. The host machine does not have to run the game client unless you plan to play on the same PC.

Write down two ports before you touch the router: 19132/UDP (IPv4, server-port) and 19133/UDP (IPv6, server-portv6). Those are the Bedrock defaults.

How to setup a Minecraft Bedrock server on Windows

1. Download Bedrock Dedicated Server from the official Minecraft Bedrock server download page. Use the Windows zip, not the Linux zip, and match Preview vs release to the clients that will join.
2. Extract the zip into a dedicated folder, for example C:\MinecraftServer. Do not leave it in Downloads. That folder is your server root: worlds, packs, and server.properties all live here.
3. Open server.properties in Notepad before the first start if you care about the world name, game mode, or difficulty. The first launch generates a world from those values, and several of them are painful to change later.
4. If you will play on the same Windows PC that hosts the server, run Command Prompt as administrator and exempt Minecraft from UWP loopback:

CheckNetIsolation.exe LoopbackExempt -a -p=S-1-15-2-1958404141-86561845-1752920682-3514627264-368642714-62675701-733520436

5. Start the server by double-clicking bedrock_server.exe, or from a prompt in that folder run bedrock_server. Allow private and public networks if Windows Defender Firewall asks. Private is enough for LAN; public is required for friends over the internet.
6. Leave the console window open. Closing it kills the server. Type stop in that window when you want a clean save.

On the same PC, add a server in Minecraft with address 127.0.0.1 and port 19132. That confirms the process works before you involve the router.

How to setup a Minecraft Bedrock server on Linux

Ubuntu is the supported Linux path. Other distros sometimes work, but you are on your own for libraries and updates.

1. Download the Linux Bedrock Dedicated Server zip from the same official download page.
2. Unzip it into a folder you own, for example ~/MinecraftServer.
3. Open a terminal in that folder and start the server with:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server

4. If ufw is enabled, allow the default ports:

sudo ufw allow 19132/udp
sudo ufw allow 19133/udp
sudo ufw reload

5. Test from a Bedrock client on another device on the LAN using the host’s local IPv4 address and port 19132. Loopback exemption is a Windows client issue; skip it on Linux.

Keep the process running in tmux or screen if you disconnect SSH. A crashed SSH session should not be what takes the world down.

Configure server.properties before people join

server.properties is a plain-text list of key=value lines. Edit it with a text editor that will not add smart quotes. After a change, restart the server (or use the documented reload commands where they exist).

Settings worth setting on day one:

• server-name — what players see in the list
• gamemode — survival, creative, or adventure
• difficulty
• max-players
• level-name — folder name under worlds/; change this to create a new world instead of overwriting the current one
• server-port / server-portv6 — leave 19132 / 19133 unless you know you need another UDP port
• allow-list — set true for a friends-only server
• online-mode — keep enabled so Xbox Live identities (and XUIDs for operators) verify

Allowlist is the difference between a private world and whoever finds your IP. Turn allow-list=true, then add gamertags from the server console with allowlist add "Exact Gamertag". Spaces need quotes. Full panel and file steps are in how to setup an allowlist.

Operators go in permissions.json by XUID (operator, member, or visitor). Giving someone op in the console is faster for a trusted friend; do not op strangers.

Host the server online (port forwarding vs a host)

A server that only listens on your LAN is invisible to friends on another network. To host a Minecraft server Bedrock on the internet you either forward UDP 19132 (and 19133 if you use IPv6) from your router to the host PC, or you rent a machine that already has a public address.

Port forwarding at home

1. Give the host PC a reserved/static local IP in the router (DHCP reservation) so the forward does not break after a reboot.
2. In the router, add a rule: WAN UDP 19132 → that local IP, UDP 19132. Repeat for 19133 if you need IPv6.
3. Open the same UDP ports on the PC firewall if the OS prompt did not already do it.
4. Look up your public IPv4 (search “what is my IP”) and give friends that address plus the port. Bedrock needs the port; a hostname alone is not enough unless you also tell them 19132.

Router UIs differ, and many consumer ISPs use CGNAT, which means you do not have a unique public IPv4 to forward. If a port checker shows 19132 closed with the server running, CGNAT or a double-NAT is a common cause. A VPN mesh (ZeroTier, Tailscale, and similar) can work around that, but every player has to install the same app.

Home hosting also means dynamic public IPs, overnight power, and DDoS exposure on your residential connection. That is why “how to host a Minecraft server Bedrock” results mix tutorials with hosting companies.

Managed hosting

A Bedrock plan from a host gives you an address and port in the panel, automatic restarts, and backups, without opening your house to the internet. On AleForge you pick a Minecraft Bedrock server, start it in Blacksmith’s Portal, and connect with the hostname and port shown there. The self-host steps above still apply to server.properties, allowlist, and packs; you just skip loopback, ufw, and the router.

Connect from Minecraft Bedrock

On Windows, Android, and iOS:

1. Open Minecraft Bedrock → Play → Servers → Add Server.
2. Name it whatever you want.
3. Server address is the public IP (self-host) or the hostname from your panel (AleForge).
4. Port is 19132 unless you or the host changed it. On AleForge it is the number after the colon, not always 19132.
5. Save, select the server, and join.

Version must match. “Outdated client” means update the game; “outdated server” means download a newer Bedrock Dedicated Server build. Screenshots and panel-specific steps are in how to connect to your Bedrock server.

Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch do not offer a public “Add Server” IP field in the official client. Those platforms can use Realms and featured servers. Do not promise console friends a home dedicated server unless you have already confirmed a supported workaround for their device.

Customize the world: packs, add-ons, and uploads

Default BDS is vanilla survival. After the world exists you can:

• Change game mode, difficulty, and player count in server.properties
• Drop resource packs in resource_packs (or the world’s pack folder) and follow how to add a resource pack
• Install behavior packs / add-ons with how to add addons to a Bedrock server
• Move an existing local world into worlds/ and set level-name to that folder, as in how to upload a world

Edit packs and worlds while the server is stopped so files are not locked mid-write.

Stop the server so progress saves

Leaving Minecraft on a client does not shut the dedicated server down. In the server console, type stop and wait for it to exit. That flushes the world to disk. Closing the window or killing the process is how people lose the last few minutes of building.

Start the same bedrock_server binary again to keep the same world. Back up the worlds folder (and server.properties, allowlist.json, and pack folders) on a schedule if the world matters.

Minecraft Bedrock server setup FAQ

Can you make a server on Minecraft Bedrock?

Yes. Bedrock Dedicated Server is free official software for Windows and Ubuntu. You can also use Realms or a hosting provider. You cannot run a Java Paper/Spigot jar and expect Bedrock players to join without Geyser on the Java side.

What is the default Bedrock server port?

19132 UDP for IPv4 and 19133 UDP for IPv6. Friends typing the address in Add Server must use the port you actually configured.

Can console players join my dedicated Bedrock server?

Not through a normal custom IP on Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch. Windows, Android, and iOS can Add Server. Consoles are built around Realms and featured servers.

Is Minecraft Bedrock server setup free?

The dedicated server software is free. Electricity, hardware, and a public IP are not. Hosting is a monthly cost in exchange for uptime and not forwarding ports on a home router.

Why is the Bedrock server laggy?

Usually CPU (simulation on one busy core), disk, or a slow home upload. Too many loaded chunks, farms, and players on a laptop Wi-Fi uplink will stutter even when the client FPS looks fine. Move the host off Wi-Fi, reduce view/simulation distance if you changed it, or run the world on a datacenter plan.

How do you update Bedrock Dedicated Server?

Download the new zip from Minecraft, stop the old process, and replace the binaries while keeping worlds, server.properties, allowlist.json, permissions.json, and pack folders. Mismatched protocol versions are the usual “can’t connect” error after a game update.

Make Bedrock hosting the easy part

Self-hosted Minecraft Bedrock server setup is workable for a small group that is fine with port forwarding and a PC that stays on. If you want the world reachable without touching the router, host Minecraft Bedrock with AleForge. You still get Dedicated Server files, allowlist, packs, and SFTP; you do not have to keep UDP 19132 open on a residential connection.