How to invite friends to a server in Minecraft: LAN, IP, VPN and Realms (2026)

This information is current as of August 2026.

The server is up and running, the world has been generated—now for the most important part: inviting friends. And here, Minecraft offers several different options depending on the server type and game version: local network, Realms, direct IP, and VPN tunnels. We’ll walk through each method step by step and address common mistakes that prevent a friend from joining.

Method 1. Open the world to a local network (LAN)

This is the simplest option if you and your friends are in the same apartment, dorm, or on the same Wi-Fi network. Open your single-player world, press Esc → “Open to Network,” select the game mode and cheat settings, then confirm—the game will display the port in the chat. Meanwhile, your friends go to “Multiplayer”: your world will appear in the list automatically, and if not, they can manually add the address ваш-локальный-IP:порт (you can view your local IP on Windows using the ipconfig on Windows in the IPv4 field). This only works within the same network—to play over the internet, read on.

Method 2. Minecraft Realms: Invite with a Few Clicks

If your server is an official Realms server, it’s as simple as it gets: in the Realms world settings, there’s an “Invite Players” button. Enter your friend’s nickname or gamertag—an invitation will appear in their game, and in newer versions, you can simply send an invitation link. Requirements: Your friend must have a licensed copy of the same edition of the game and a Microsoft account. No ports or IP addresses needed—Mojang handles all the technical details, which is what the subscription fee covers.

Method 3. Your own server: connecting via IP address

For your own server (vanilla or Paper), your friends will need your external IP address and port. Here’s how it works. Step 1: Set up port forwarding on your router—in the router settings, find the Port Forwarding section (virtual servers) and forward external port 25565 to the local IP address of the computer running the server, using the TCP protocol. Step 2: Find out your external IP (the easiest way is to search for “my IP” in a search engine) and give your friends an address in the format 123.45.67.89:25565 (you don’t need to include the port if it’s the standard 25565). Step 3: Allow Java through the Windows firewall—the first prompt usually pops up automatically, and you’ll need to approve it. If you have a “white” static IP, that’s ideal; if your IP is dynamic, it will change—set up DDNS (many routers support this) or assign a permanent name to the address.

Method 4. Without Port Forwarding: VPN Tunnels

Most internet service providers today use “gray” IP addresses, and port forwarding is physically impossible—your friends simply won’t be able to see your server from the internet. The solution is tunneling software that creates a virtual local area network over the internet. The most popular one in the CIS is Radmin VPN: you and your friends install the program, create a network (with a name and password), your friends connect to it—and from there, everything works just like on a real local network: you open up the world “to the network” or provide your Radmin IP for the server. Alternatives include ZeroTier and Tailscale; for servers, there’s the playit.gg service, which provides a static public address without requiring any router configuration at all. For a group of friends, Radmin is the perfect middle ground: free, simple, and unlimited.

Bedrock version: phones, consoles, and cross-play

On Bedrock (phones, tablets, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Windows version), everything is built around a Microsoft account: add each other as friends by gamertag in the game, and worlds will appear in the “Friends” tab—you can join with a single click when the host is online. For a permanent world, there are Realms with invitations via a link, and you can connect to a dedicated Bedrock server via “Servers” → “Add Server” using the address and port (19132 by default). Keep cross-play in mind: Bedrock players on different platforms can play together freely, but Java and Bedrock are not directly compatible with each other—you won’t be able to join a Java server from your phone (proxies like GeyserMC can solve this, but that’s an advanced topic).

A friend can’t connect: error checklist

Nine out of ten connection issues are on this list. Different game versions: everyone must have the same version as the server—the “Outdated client/server” error can be fixed by selecting the correct version in the launcher. Port not forwarded or gray IP—switch to Radmin VPN or a hosting service. Firewall: allow Java/javaw in the exceptions. “Invalid session” error / “Failed to verify username”—someone is using a pirated client with `online-mode=true`. Incorrect IP: you entered a local IP (192.168...) instead of an external one. And check the obvious: the server is running, the whitelist contains your friend’s nickname (/whitelist list), and the nickname is spelled correctly.

Player Feedback

The community’s experience is clear: the biggest headache isn’t setting up the server, but getting friends to connect. A classic scenario: an evening spent saying “try it now” instead of playing, until someone finally thinks to check the versions. People speak highly of Radmin VPN: “Five minutes—and we’re on the same network, just like back in 2007, sitting at the same table.” Realms gets praise from parents setting up servers for their kids: no ports, no settings—just invite them, and the kid is playing. And veterans remind us of the most important thing: no matter how your friends join, add them to the whitelist right away and back up the world—that first shared build is both priceless and fragile at the same time.

Analysis of Comments

The top questions in discussions have remained consistent for years. The first is “gray IP—what should I do?”: The community unanimously recommends VPN tunnels or hosting services, and this is truly the only working solution without having to call your ISP. The second is “Why can my friend see the server but can’t connect?”—almost always due to a version mismatch or a firewall. The third is “How do I play Java on my phone?”—the honest answer is that it’s not possible directly; you need GeyserMC on the server. A distinct and enduring trend of 2026: companies are increasingly opting not for a “friend’s server” but for shared free hosting—no one is required to keep their computer turned on, and the game is accessible to everyone at any time. But whatever the choice, the community agrees on one thing: Minecraft with friends and Minecraft alone are two different games, and the latter pales in comparison to the former.