Encountering the dreaded Minecraft can’t connect to server error when trying to join your favorite multiplayer world or Realm? You’re not alone. This sort of connection issue is quite common, but it rarely means your game is permanently broken. In this guide, we’ll walk you through 8 easy and proven solutions to get you back online.
Fixes to try:
You don’t need to try them all. Simply work from the top down the list until you find the one that does the trick.
- Check Minecraft server status
- Re-login your Minecraft account
- Reboot the network
- Flush your DNS and renew your IP
- Switch to a public DNS server
- Update your network driver
- Allow Minecraft through Windows Defender Firewall
- Close bandwidth-hogging programs
Fix 1 – Check Minecraft server status
Before diving into complex troubleshooting, you should check if the game is currently down for maintenance. Simply Google “check minecraft server status” and you’ll find many websites for this.
Go to the website, choose the edition (Java or Bedrock), enter the server’s IP address or domain name, and you can check the server status in real time. If the server is down, you can do nothing but wait for the network restoration.
Fix 2 – Re-login your Minecraft account
Sometimes, the connection failure is a simple authentication glitch. You can sign out of your Minecraft account and then log back in to refresh the profile’s authentication and connection. If this method doesn’t help either, check out the next one.
Fix 3 – Reboot the network
Temporary glitches in your router or modem can also trigger the Minecraft can’t connect to server error. A hard reset might help clear out broken data caches.
- Unplug the power cable from both your router and modem. Then wait at least 30 seconds to ensure the hardware completely powers down.
Modem
Wireless router
- Plug the modem back in and wait for its lights to stabilize.
- Plug the router back in and wait for the internet connection to fully restore.
Relaunch Minecraft to check if this trick works. If not, continue to the fixes below.
Fix 4 – Flush your DNS cache and renew your IP
Corrupted internet routing data stored on your PC will block your computer from communicating with specific Minecraft server IPs. You can try flushing the DNS and renewing the IP to see if it resolves the Internet disconnectivity. Here’s how:
- Type cmd in the search box. Then, right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
- In the command prompt window, type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
- Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter.
Does your Minecraft connect to the server now? If not, move on to Fix 5 below.
Fix 5 – Switch to a public DNS server
DNS, short for Domain Name System, enables you to access your favorite sites or online services. By default, your device uses the Internet Service Provider (ISP)’s DNS servers, which can be slow, unstable, or outright block third-party gaming servers. You can switch to other secure public DNS servers, like the Google Public DNS, to see if it fixes the network error.
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run command.
- Type ncpa.cpl and click OK.
- Right-click your current Ethernet and click Properties.
- Click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
- Tick the box next to Use the following DNS server addresses. Then enter 8.8.8.8 for the preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 for the alternate DNS server, and click OK.
- Restart your computer to apply the changes.
Check if you can connect to the Minecraft server and run the game smoothly. If not, below are a few more fixes to try.
Fix 6 – Update your network driver
An outdated, missing, or corrupted network adapter driver is a silent killer for gaming connectivity. If your PC cannot properly communicate with your network hardware, Minecraft will constantly drop its connection to multiplayer servers.
To resolve this, you need to update your network drivers. You can handle this in one of two ways:
Manual driver update (For tech-savvy users) – You can go to the website of your computer or motherboard manufacturer (such as ASUS, Gigabyte, Dell, or HP). Head to the Downloads or Drivers section, look up your specific model, and install the latest LAN/Wi-Fi driver.
Automatic driver update (Fastest & easiest) – If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your network driver manually, you can do it automatically with a trusted tool like Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find All the exact correct device drivers corresponding with your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly:
- Download and install Driver Easy.
- Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
- Click the Update button next to the flagged driver to automatically download the correct version of that driver, or click Update All to instantly fix every outdated driver on your PC at once.
Once updated, restart your PC and launch Minecraft to enjoy a lag-free multiplayer experience.
Fix 7 – Allow Minecraft through Windows Defender Firewall
Windows Defender Firewall occasionally misidentifies Minecraft or Java as a security threat, completely blocking their inbound and outbound internet access and causing connection failure. Make sure you give Minecraft proper access to the Internet. Here’s how:
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run command. Then, type control firewall.cpl in the field and click OK.
- On the left panel, select Allow an app through Windows Defender Firewall.
- Click Change settings.
- From the list, find Minecraft, make sure it’s ticked for Private and Public, and click OK.
🔔 If Minecraft is not on the list, click Allow another app. Browse for the Minecraft game file and click Add.
Once done, launch your game to check if you still get the error message. If the issue persists, proceed to the next fix.
Fix 8 – Close bandwidth-hogging programs
Applications running in the background may eat up your bandwidth and cause Minecraft not connecting to the server. You can simply shut them down and see how things go.
- Right-click any empty space on the taskbar and click Task Manager.
- Select the bandwidth-hogging programs and click End task.
Join the Minecraft server again and you should be able to connect to it without trouble.
Hopefully the fixes above helped you with the Minecraft connection issue. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes