How to set up a private Minecraft server with Meshnet
Learn how to set up a Minecraft server using Meshnet on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and enjoy a private game with your friends.
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Learn how to set up a Minecraft server using Meshnet on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and enjoy a private game with your friends.
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Minecraft is one of the most popular multiplayer online games. To , you can create your own server and invite friends to join your world.
However, running a public Minecraft server may present a security threat to your home network. The risks you might encounter range from DDoS attacks to unfamiliar devices accessing your network.
With , you can set up your private Minecraft server and connect to it from anywhere in the world safely. Instead of having to open ports and expose your IP address to strangers online, you and your friends can connect your devices to Meshnet, which in essence, acts as a local area network but with an encrypted VPN tunnel. Also, you won't have to pay for third-party hosting with Meshnet.
To start working on your Minecraft server, check out our video:
Alternatively, you can follow the detailed written instructions presented in this article.
Currently, there are two separate versions of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and Java Edition. While both editions support online multiplayer mode, they are compatible with different servers. This means that you will use different server software depending on the game edition you are playing.
This guide walks you through the process of creating a Minecraft server with Meshnet for both editions on the following platforms:
The official Minecraft Bedrock server software supports Windows and Linux.
Ensure that the machine that will host the server meets these minimum requirements:
Intel or AMD processor with at least two cores
4 GB of RAM or more
Other players will be able to connect to your Bedrock server if these conditions are met:
A player's game is Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.
The game version matches the version of your server.
Extract the downloaded archive to a convenient location.
Open the bedrock_server.exe file.
If the Windows security alert box appears, select both the private and public networks options, and then click the Allow access button to allow incoming connections through the firewall.
Tip
Your Bedrock server should now be up and running.
Tip
To configure the server to your liking, find the server.properties
file in the extracted server folder and edit the file with any text editor. The changes will take effect after you restart the server.
To stop the server, you can enter the stop
command.
Make sure that the device on which you play the game has the NordVPN app running and the Meshnet feature is enabled in the app.
Open Minecraft.
Select Play and choose the Servers tab.
Scroll to the bottom of the servers list and select the Add server button.
In the Add external server dialog, fill in the following details:
In the Server name field, enter a custom name to identify your server in the client.
In the Server address field, type in the Meshnet IP address of the server device. Example
Click Save.
Your server will appear under Additional servers. To connect, select it and click Join server.
Now that you've created your Minecraft server, you can invite other players to join your game.
To connect to your server, your friends need to know the Meshnet IP address of your server machine and have Meshnet enabled on their devices.
The official Minecraft Java server software supports various platforms, including macOS, Windows, and Linux. This guide covers setting up a Java server on macOS.
Ensure that the machine that will host the server meets these minimum requirements:
64-bit Intel or Apple silicon processor with at least two cores
2 GB of RAM or more
Other players on your Meshnet will be able to connect to your Java server if these conditions are met:
A player's game is Minecraft: Java Edition.
The game version matches the version of your server.
Create a new folder on your Desktop or in any location you can easily find and name your folder as you wish (for example, server). You will use this name to run commands for the server.
Move the downloaded JAR file to your new folder. This folder will store your server files.
Open Terminal, and type cd
followed by the path to the folder containing your server JAR file, like this:
If requested, allow the Terminal app to access the folder.
Then type:
Your server will generate several files in the server folder.
Navigate to your server folder, open the eula.txt file, and change eula=false
to eula=true
.
Save the file. This way, you confirm the acceptance of license terms for the Minecraft server software.
Now you can run the server. Open Terminal, type java -jar server.jar
again, and press Return.
If you want to start the server without its graphical user interface, add a space and --nogui
to the command.
Tip
Use the java -jar server.jar
command each time you want to start the server.
To stop the server, enter the stop
command at the Minecraft server command prompt.
Make sure that the device on which you play the game has the NordVPN app running and the Meshnet feature is enabled in the app.
Open Minecraft and click the Multiplayer button.
In the lower-right corner, select Add server.
In the Server name field, enter a custom name to identify your server in the client.
Fill in the Server address field:
If you're connecting from the same device that is running the server, type in 127.0.0.1
.
If you're connecting from another device, enter the Meshnet IP address of the server device. Example
Click Done.
The server will now be available under "Play multiplayer". To connect to your Meshnet server, select it and click Join Server.
Now that you’ve created your Minecraft server, you can invite other players to join your game.
To connect to your server, your friends need the Meshnet IP address of your server machine and Meshnet enabled on their devices.
Meshnet is enabled on your server machine. To learn more, see our guide on .
Go to Minecraft's official website and download .
If you want to check your firewall settings for the Bedrock server, click the Start button on the taskbar, type Allow an app through Windows Firewall, and find bedrock_server.exe in the list of results.
Meshnet is enabled on your server machine. To learn more, see our guide on .
Go to , find the "Minecraft Dedicated Server Software for Ubuntu (Linux)" section, right-click the Download button, and copy the link address.
Once the other players repeat the steps described in the section above, they will gain access to your server.
Java 17 or later is installed. On , select Arm 64 DMG installer if your Mac is ARM-based or x64 DMG installer if your Mac uses an Intel processor.
To check if Java is installed on your machine, open the Terminal app and type java -version
.
Meshnet is enabled on your server machine. To learn more, see our guide on .
Download the server.jar
file from .
Once other players on your Meshnet repeat the steps described in the section above, they will gain access to your server.
Bedrock Edition
Windows
Linux
Java Edition
macOS