How to set up a private Mumble voice chat server

Discover how you can host a private Mumble voice chat server on Windows, macOS, and Linux and communicate with your friends over Meshnet.

Introduction

In the realm of online gaming and collaborative work, clear and reliable vocal communication is crucial. Whether you're strategizing with your teammates during a heated match or collaborating on a joint project, efficient communication can make all the difference.

Mumble is a popular, free, and open-source software tool designed for voice chat that provides high-quality, low-latency communication between users. By hosting your own Mumble server, you can customize your server configuration, manage user permissions, and avoid dependence on cloud-based communication services. However, accepting outside connections to your self-hosted server requires port forwarding, which can greatly reduce the security of your home network.

Meshnet provides you with the technology that can connect remote devices to a single virtual network. This setup allows other devices in your Meshnet to remotely connect to your Mumble server without opening any ports in your firewall.

This article will showcase how you can configure a personal Mumble server on Windows, macOS, and Linux and connect to it from other devices in your Meshnet.

Set up the Mumble server

To begin, you need to install the Mumble server software on the device that will host your server.

Windows

Install the Mumble server

To install the Mumble server on Windows:

1. Visit the Mumble downloads page.

2. Download the Windows server (x64) installer file.

3. Launch the downloaded file.

4. Follow the instructions provided by the installation wizard.

5. Click Finish to complete the installation.

Configure your server

To configure and start your Mumble server on Windows:

1. Open PowerShell.

2. Execute the following command to create a new Mumble folder with a Murmur subfolder in your Local AppData directory, and then navigate to the Murmur folder.

   mkdir $env:LOCALAPPDATA/Mumble/Murmur; cd $env:LOCALAPPDATA/Mumble/Murmur

3. Create the murmur.ini server configuration file and open it using Notepad by running this command:

   notepad murmur.ini

   When prompted to create the file, click Yes.

   

4. Copy the contents of the mumble-server.ini file from Mumble’s GitHub repository and paste it to the Notepad window.

5. Press Ctrl + S to save changes.

6. Exit Notepad.

7. Launch Mumble server.

Once the server is launched, you should see the Mumble server icon in your system tray.

Note

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

You can make changes to the murmur.ini configuration file to customize your Mumble server. Learn more about the available options in the configuration file in the Mumble wiki.

macOS

Download the Mumble server file

On macOS, you don’t have to install a separate package for the Mumble server. You only need to download the server file.

1. Visit the Mumble downloads page.
2. Download the Static macOS server (x64) file.

3. Place the downloaded file in a convenient location for future access.

Configure your server

To configure your Mumble server:

1. Open Terminal.

2. Execute the following command to create a new hidden murmurd folder and navigate to it:

   mkdir ~/.murmurd && cd ~/.murmur

3. Create the murmur.ini server configuration file and open it using the Nano text editor by running this command:

   nano murmur.ini

4. Copy the contents of the mumble-server.ini file from Mumble’s GitHub repository and paste it to the terminal window.
5. Press Control ⌃ + X, Y, and Return to save changes and exit.

Tip

You can make changes to the murmur.ini configuration file to customize your Mumble server. To learn more about the available options in the configuration file in the Mumble wiki.

Launch your server

To start your Mumble server:

1. Open Terminal.

2. Navigate to the previously downloaded server file’s location using the cd command. Example

   cd ~/Desktop/Mumble

3. Grant the server file executable permissions by entering:

   chmod +x mumble_server*

4. Run the following command to start the server file:

   ./mumble_server* -fg

Your server should now be active. The terminal window that you used to start the server must be kept active for the server to run.

To stop the server, click Control ⌃ + C in the terminal window.

Note

When trying to start the Mumble server, you may receive an error message indicating that the developer cannot be verified. To proceed, open System preferences > Privacy & security, scroll down and click Allow anyway.

Linux

Note

In this article, Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS distribution is used as an example.

Install the Mumble server

To install the Mumble server on Linux:

1. Open Terminal.

2. Fetch all repository updates and install the Mumble server with this command:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install mumble-server -y

Once the process is over, the Mumble server software is installed on your device.

Configure your server

After installing, configure the settings for your server by taking these steps:

1. Open Terminal.

2. Start the Mumble server configuration wizard by running the following command:

   sudo dpkg-reconfigure mumble-server

3. Select Yes to start your Mumble server automatically with each system reboot and allow higher network priority.

4. Create a secure password for your Mumble server super user and select OK to finish the configuration.

   

Your server is now active and ready for use.

Tip

You can make additional changes to the /etc/mumble-server.ini configuration file to customize your Mumble server. To learn more about the available options in the configuration file in the Mumble wiki.

Connecting to your Mumble server over Meshnet

With the server up and running, you and your friends can join the Mumble voice chat using Meshnet.

Install the Mumble client

First, you need to install the Mumble client. You can download the Mumble client installer files for Windows and macOS from the Mumble downloads page.

For Linux, execute the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install mumble -y

Connect to your server

Once the client is installed, take the following steps to connect to your Mumble server:

1. Launch Mumble.

2. Follow the instructions provided by the initial setup wizard.

3. In the upper-left corner, click the Open the server connection dialog button.

   

4. Select Add new.

5. In the new pop-up window, fill in the following information:

   • In the Address field, enter the server device’s Nord name or Meshnet IP address. If you are connecting from the same device that is running the Mumble server, enter localhost instead.

   • In the Username field, enter your custom username.

   • In the Label field, enter a custom name for the server. Example

     

6. Click OK and Connect.

7. Select Yes to accept the server certificate.

Note

If you change the port number in the server configuration file, you must also specify the correct port number when connecting to the server.

You should now be connected to your personal Mumble server over Meshnet.