1
GETTING JAVA
Before we do anything, we
need to install Java on the server,
since the Minecraft server runs
on top of it. Head to:java.com/
en/download/manual.jsp
Download and install the latest
version of Java for your device.2
INSTALLING THE SERVER
Now for the server software
itself. Head to:www.minecraft.
net/en-us/download/server
Click on the download link,
which will download a file called
server.jar to your computer.
Create a newMinecraft directory
to save it to.
Don’t just click on it to run it
however. Instead, in Windows,
type notepad in the search bar to
launch the text editor Notepad.
Then enter a single line of text in
the document:
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar
server.jar
Now save it as
minecraftlauncher.bat in the
same directory as you saved the
server.jar file. This is very
important: it must have a .bat
extension, while Notepad will
default to .txt. So when you save
it you have to switch ‘Save as
type’ to All Files and enter the
full file name with extension in
the ‘File name’ field.
This will be your launcher for
the server, allowing you to run it
just by double clicking on the
.bat file.3
RUNNING
AND FINAL SETUP
Now, to launch it, double click on
minecraftlauncher.bat. What will
happen next is a little
anticlimactic – a DOS Command
window will briefly appear and
then disappear. Don’t worry –
that’s what’s supposed to
happen. You’ll see that in the
directory several now files have
been created: eula.txt, server.
properties and a logs directory.
In order to progress, you need
to open up eula.txt in Notepad. In
the text of that document you’ll
see a line:eula=false
Edit the document, changing the
‘false’ to ‘true’.
Save the document. This
indicates you’ve read the
end-user license agreement.
The server won’t run until you
do this.
Now run minecraftlauncher.
bat again. This time the GUI will
appear. It will take a few
moments to prepare the spawn
area, but then it will be up and
running, ready for players to
connect. When you close this
Window, the Minecraft server
will shut down, so if you want to
keep the server running while
using the server PC just
minimise it.
Now there’s quite a bit morehere to twiddle with. The server.
properties file contains all the
settings for the server. If you open
it in Notepad, you’ll see a host of
settings – the game mode,
whether to spawn monsters, how
many players to allow and so on.
In addition, more files will have
been created in the directory for
white and blacklists of players
(banned-ips.json, banned-players.
json, whitelist.json) as well as for
players to be designated as
operators (ops.json, which you
might want to add your username
to), which can all be edited in
Notepad or by using operator
commands in game.
We don’t have the space here to
cover them all, but we can suggest
starting at the officialMinecraft
Wikiserver settings page
(minecraft.gamepedia.com/
Server.properties). You can also
find information on adding data
and resource packs, as well as
copying custom worlds into your
world folder. The server creates a
vanilla world by default, but you
really can customise the
experience if you want to.Connecting
With the server up and running,
all you need to do now is connect.
Fire up theMinecraftclient on any
device, then go to, depending on
your version, Multiplayer or
Play->Servers. Choose to add a
new server.
Then you enter the details of
your server. Give it a name. Then
enter the address, which is either
the DDNS URL you created above,
or, if you’re on the same local
network as the server, the local IP
address of the server (eg.
192.168.0.6). The port should be
25565.
And hopefully, if the port is
forwarded and the server
running, it should connect,
dropping the player into the
privateMinecraftworld of your
server. Enjoy!TOP:Running
the server for the
first time creates
new files.
ABOVE:The
server is up and
running.BELOW:Save
the file as a .bat
file.
BOTTOM:Add
an external
server.