Can't connect to a Minecraft server? Errors explained

"Failed to connect to the server" and its relatives mean one of two things: the server is not answering anyone right now, or it is answering but turning you away because of your game version, your account, a whitelist or your network. Check from outside whether the server is up for everyone, then find your exact error text below, because each message points to a short list of real causes.

First, check whether the server is up for everyone

Paste the address into the check below, or open the server status tool in its own tab. It connects from our servers, not from your computer, so it shows whether the server answers the outside world at all.

Placeholders are more common than most players expect. 11.0% of all the answers our pinger received in the last 30 days came from placeholder pages, not joinable servers (about 12% in the 30 days to 17 October 2026). A simple ping tool shows those as "online", which is why a server can look up and still not let you in. We count them as down, and the methodology page lists the patterns we treat as placeholders.

A listed server's stats page also shows its 30-day uptime. One that is down most of the time is not worth troubleshooting, and our uptime report shows how many listings are like that.

Errors on Java

On Java Edition, a failed join shows "Failed to connect to the server" with a technical line underneath, and the server row may say "Can't connect to server" or "Can't resolve hostname" in red. Read the technical line to the end, because that is the useful part.

Our pinger runs into the same errors your game does. Right now 100 of our 216 listings do not answer: 31 time out, 28 refuse the connection and 39 fail at the DNS step. At the latest ping on 18 October 2026, that was 104 of 218, split 38, 26 and 39, with one connection closed by the server.

Connection timed out

You may see "Connection timed out: no further information", "Connection timed out: getsockopt" or a line starting with io.netty.channel.ConnectTimeoutException. Your game sent a connection request and nothing came back at all.

The real causes, most likely first:

1. The server machine is down, restarting or overloaded.
2. The address points at an old IP that the server left behind when it moved.
3. A firewall between you and the server drops the traffic. School, work and some public Wi-Fi networks block game ports.

If our check also times out, it is the server. If our check says online, try your phone's hotspot. If that works, your usual network is blocking the connection.

Timeouts are also how a server that worked yesterday usually fails today: of the 29 listings on our site that answered in the last 30 days but were silent at the latest ping on 18 October 2026, 15 timed out. Most outages are short, though. On servers that are up at least 90% of the time, 70% of outages are over within 15 minutes (about 70% in the 30 days to 17 October 2026). That is restart territory, so give it a quarter of an hour before you give up.

If you were already playing and got "Timed out", the connection went silent for too long, roughly 15 to 30 seconds, while you were in the world. Either the server froze or your connection dropped for a moment.

Connection refused

"Connection refused: no further information" or "Connection refused: getsockopt". This is more specific than a timeout: a machine at that address answered, but nothing on it is listening on that port.

1. The Minecraft server stopped or is restarting, while the machine it runs on is still up.
2. You are using the wrong port. A server at play.example.net:25570 refuses you on the default 25565.
3. The server moved to a new port or host, and the address you saved is old.

Copy the address again from the listing, port included. If it still refuses and our check agrees, the server is down. Shared hosts produce this error a lot, because the machine stays online while one server on it is off.

Unknown host

The join screen says "Failed to connect to the server" and "Unknown host", and the server row says "Can't resolve hostname". Older game versions print java.net.UnknownHostException followed by the address instead. Your computer asked DNS, the internet's address book, for that name and got "no such name" back.

1. A typo. The usual ones: a missing letter, play. added or left out, .net instead of .com.
2. The domain expired or the owner deleted its DNS record.
3. Rarely, your own DNS. If websites do not open either, restart your router.

Copy and paste the address instead of typing it. A name that has stopped resolving usually means the server is gone for good. On 18 October 2026, of the 75 listings on our site that had not answered for more than 30 days or never answered at all, 36 failed at the DNS step. Among the 29 that went quiet more recently, only 3 did.

Incompatible client, outdated client or outdated server

Current Java versions (checked on 26.3) say "Incompatible client! Please use 26.3", with whatever version the server wants. Older game versions and many proxies say "Outdated client!" or "Outdated server!" instead. In your server list, the row shows the server's version text in red where the player count would be.

It means your game version and the server's version do not match, and the server cannot translate between them. The message tells you which version it wants:

1. Open the Minecraft Launcher and go to Installations.
2. Choose New installation, pick the version the server asked for, and create it.
3. Select that installation on the Play tab and join again.

Many servers accept a range of versions, so version text such as 1.8.x-26.3 means anything in between works. Note that numbering changed in 2026: after 1.21.11 came 26.1, so 26.3 is the newer one. Modded servers need the exact modpack and loader version they list. Our guide to joining on Java covers versions in more detail.

Failed to verify username

"Failed to verify username!" appears when the server asked Mojang's session service to confirm that you own your account and the answer did not check out.

1. Your launcher session went stale. Close the game and the launcher completely and reopen them, or sign out of the launcher and back in.
2. Microsoft's or Mojang's login services are having trouble. The related message is "Authentication servers are down. Please try again later. Sorry!" Wait and retry.
3. You are using an unofficial launcher or an offline account on a server that checks accounts. Only servers in offline mode accept those, and our cracked server explainer covers what that means.
4. Rarely, the server is misconfigured. If every player gets this error at once, it is the owner's fix.

Two related messages: "Invalid session (Try restarting your game and the launcher)" means exactly that, and "Expired profile public key. Check that your system time is synchronized, and try restarting your game." means your computer's clock is off. Set date and time to automatic and restart the game.

You are not white-listed on this server

"You are not white-listed on this server!" is not a fault. The server only lets in players whose names are on its list, and yours is not.

1. Look for an application on the server's Discord or website. Whitelisted servers almost always have one.
2. If you were accepted, ask staff to check the exact name they added. On servers that verify accounts, the whitelist stores your account's ID, so changing your name later does not lock you out, but a typo when they added you does.
3. Joining from Bedrock through a Java server, your name carries a prefix, usually a dot. Staff need to add the prefixed name, or use Floodgate's fwhitelist command.

Multiplayer is disabled (account and family settings)

"Multiplayer is disabled. Please check your Microsoft account settings." This is about the Microsoft account, not the server, and almost always about a child account in a Microsoft family group.

1. The family organizer signs in at account.xbox.com and opens the privacy and online safety settings for the child's account, or uses the Xbox Family Settings app.
2. Set "You can join multiplayer games" to Allow.
3. Restart the game. The change can take a while to arrive.

Parents deciding whether to change it can read our guide for parents first.

"Your account is temporarily suspended from online play" (or permanently) is different. It comes from Microsoft's player reporting system and blocks every server, not just one. "You must change your name before you can play online" means your name was reported and has to be changed in your Minecraft profile.

Disconnected with an io.netty message

Netty is the networking library inside both the game and the server, so its name shows up in many unrelated errors. Skip past it and read what comes after "Internal Exception".

You are banned

"You are banned from this server", usually with a reason and sometimes an end date. Do not reconnect with another account or through a VPN, because most servers treat that as ban evasion and make the ban permanent. Our guide to bans and appeals explains the kinds of bans and how to write an appeal staff will actually read.

Other messages you might see

Errors on Bedrock and console

Bedrock's messages explain less, so the check at the top of this page matters even more. They look the same on phones, tablets, Windows and consoles.

Unable to connect to world

This is Bedrock's catch-all, and it does not say why. Work through the causes in order:

1. The port. Bedrock uses UDP port 19132 by default, but many servers use another. Bedrock cannot read the DNS records that let Java servers hide their port, so the port box must match what the listing says. Of the 142 listings on our site with a Bedrock address, 47 use a port other than 19132 (18 October 2026).
2. The Bedrock entrance is down while Java works. On crossplay servers, Bedrock players come in through a separate program, Geyser, on a separate port. Right now 16 listings with a Bedrock address answer on Java but not on Bedrock. The crossplay list only shows servers whose Bedrock side answered recently.
3. Your network blocks UDP. Some school and work networks do. Try another network.
4. You are not signed in. Bedrock needs a Microsoft account sign-in to join servers. Check the profile corner of the main menu.

Setting up the address and port on each device is covered in joining on Bedrock and mobile.

Outdated server or client on Bedrock

Bedrock's own message is usually "Could not connect: Outdated client!" or "Could not connect: Outdated server!". Java servers running Geyser use their own wording, "Outdated Bedrock client!" or "Outdated Geyser proxy!", each followed by the Bedrock versions the server supports.

• Outdated client means your game is older than the server needs. Update Minecraft from your device's app store.
• Outdated server or outdated Geyser proxy means your game is newer than the server supports. Phones and consoles update automatically, so this happens for a day or a few after each Bedrock update, until the owner updates too. Rolling back is not practical on most devices, so wait or let the owner know.

One more Geyser message: "The Java Edition server you're connecting to requires a paid Java Edition account!" The server has Geyser but not Floodgate, the add-on that lets Bedrock accounts in. Only the owner can fix that, and our crossplay explainer shows how the two fit together.

The join button is grey

1. A box is empty or wrong. The address box takes only the address, with no :19132 on the end and no space before or after it. The port goes in its own box.
2. Multiplayer is blocked on the account. The same family setting as on Java, "You can join multiplayer games", applies to Bedrock.
3. You are on a console. Xbox, PlayStation and Switch have no Add Server button. The workarounds are in our console guide.

Connected but it lags: ping, server TPS or your FPS

Lag has three different sources, and the fix depends on which one you have.

A Minecraft server tries to run 20 ticks a second. When it cannot, the whole world slows down together, which is why low TPS feels different from a bad connection: chat stays snappy while the mobs wade through syrup. Each server's stats page on our site shows the delay we measure to it, but we measure from one location, not yours, so use it to compare servers rather than to judge your Wi-Fi.

When the problem is on your side

If several servers fail the same way, the cause is at your end. Check in this order:

1. Another server. If a big, reliable server also fails, it is you, not them.
2. Another network. School, work, hotel and some public Wi-Fi networks block game ports. A phone hotspot is the quickest test.
3. Firewall and antivirus. Third-party firewalls and some antivirus suites stop Java from connecting out, so check that Java (javaw.exe) and the launcher are allowed. Windows' own firewall allows outgoing connections by default and is rarely the cause.
4. VPN. A VPN adds distance, and many servers block VPN addresses with a kick message that says so. Turn it off to test. It is rarely the fix.
5. Mods. Start a plain vanilla installation. If that connects, one of your mods is the problem.
6. Your router. Restarting it clears stale DNS and connection tables. Unglamorous, and often effective.

What to send the server owner

If the server looks up from outside and you have ruled out your side, give the owner the details they need. Post this in their support channel:

Error text: (copy it exactly, or attach a screenshot)
Address and port I used: play.example.net:25565
Edition, version and device: Java 26.3 on Windows
When it happened: 18 October, 20:15 CEST
Other servers work for me: yes or no
Networks I tried: home Wi-Fi and phone hotspot

The time with your time zone matters most, because it lets the owner find your attempt in their logs within seconds. Add what our status check said, too.