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How to Make a Minecraft Bedrock Server: Step-by-Step Setup Guide

October 26, 2026 11 min read
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Written byVGKami Team

The most flexible way to host Minecraft: Bedrock Edition for friends is Mojang’s free Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS). Install it on a 64-bit Windows or supported Ubuntu computer, configure server.properties, allow the Bedrock UDP port through your firewall and router, then give players the correct local or public address. Home hosting costs no software fee but leaves uptime, updates, backups, security, and networking to you. A managed host costs a monthly fee in exchange for a control panel and provider-maintained infrastructure; Realms uses an official subscription workflow.

This guide covers requirements, Windows and Ubuntu installation, LAN and internet access, allow-lists, world and add-on migration, console limitations, backups, updates, and the fixes for the connection errors that stop most first-time servers.

What is a Bedrock Dedicated Server, and which hosting route should you choose?

Bedrock Dedicated Server is Microsoft’s free server application for hosting a persistent Bedrock world that friends can join. You run the process on a computer or a hosting provider’s machine instead of leaving one player’s game open.

Route Best for Work you perform Main trade-off
Home-hosted BDS Owners who want full control and already have a suitable PC Install BDS, configure firewall and router, keep the machine online, update the server, and make backups The software is free, but your home network and maintenance are your responsibility
Managed Bedrock host Groups that need 24/7 availability without configuring a home router Choose a plan, upload or create a world, and manage it through the provider’s panel You pay monthly and must verify each provider’s Bedrock, add-on, console, backup, and location support
Realms Players who prefer an official subscription and invitation workflow Subscribe, create or upload a world, and invite players in the client Current pricing, player limits, and feature details vary by edition and were not established here; check the official listing before subscribing

Choose home hosting when you are comfortable maintaining a Windows or Ubuntu computer and forwarding a port. Choose a managed service when the server must remain available while your own PC is off, or when your ISP or router makes inbound connections difficult. Compare monthly cost, who performs updates and backups, maximum players, add-on support, geographic latency, and whether consoles can connect before paying.

What do I need before installing Bedrock Dedicated Server?

Prepare the host and network first. The current official download page lists an Intel Core i3-3210 or AMD A8-7600-equivalent processor, 4 GB of RAM, 180 MB to 1 GB of available storage, and a broadband connection. Those are page requirements, not a promise of a particular player count or render distance.

  • A 64-bit Windows computer or supported Ubuntu installation. Microsoft Learn lists Windows 10 version 1703 or later, Windows Server 2016 or later, and Ubuntu Linux; Ubuntu is the only officially supported Linux distribution in that documentation.
  • Administrator access to the host firewall and, for internet play, to the home router.
  • A stable LAN connection. Ethernet is preferable to Wi-Fi for a server; a Cat6 Ethernet cable is a practical choice if the host can be wired to the router.
  • A current Bedrock client for every player. Client and server protocol versions must match; even patch releases are not guaranteed to use the same protocol.
  • A fixed local address for the host. Reserve its address in the router’s DHCP settings so a reboot does not invalidate your forwarding rule.

How do I install a Bedrock server on Windows?

Use the Windows ZIP from the official Minecraft server-download page. Keep the server in its own folder so worlds, configuration, and packs are easy to back up.

  1. Create an empty directory such as C:MinecraftServer.
  2. Extract the downloaded ZIP into that directory. Do not run the executable from inside the compressed archive.
  3. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt in the extracted folder. In File Explorer, you can click the address bar, type powershell, and press Enter.
  4. Start the process with bedrock_server or bedrock_server.exe. Leave this window running while players are connected.
  5. On its first launch, BDS creates directories including worlds, behavior_packs, and resource_packs, along with the configuration files.
  6. When Windows Defender Firewall asks for access, allow the network profile that matches your use: Private for a LAN-only server, or Public when players will connect over the internet. If you later change from LAN to internet play, revisit the firewall rule rather than assuming the original choice covers both profiles.

For a client running on the same Windows computer, Microsoft documents a loopback exemption because the Bedrock client does not connect to a local dedicated server by default. Apply that exemption, restart BDS, and use 127.0.0.1 as the address for the local test.

How do I install a Bedrock server on Ubuntu?

Download the Linux/Ubuntu BDS ZIP, extract it into a dedicated directory, and launch the binary with its library path set to the current folder.

  1. Create and enter a directory such as ~/MinecraftServer, then extract the downloaded archive there.
  2. Open a terminal in that directory.
  3. Start BDS with LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server.
  4. If UFW is enabled, permit the default Bedrock ports and reload the firewall:
sudo ufw allow 19132
sudo ufw allow 19133
sudo ufw reload

IPv4 uses UDP port 19132 by default and IPv6 uses UDP port 19133. If you changed either value in server.properties, use the configured values in your UFW rules and router settings instead.

Which settings should I change in server.properties?

Stop the server before editing server.properties. It is an INI-style text file with one key and value per line; restart BDS after saving changes. This starter configuration gives a private survival server with a ten-player ceiling:

server-name=My Bedrock Server
gamemode=survival
difficulty=normal
max-players=10
online-mode=true
allow-list=true
level-name=Bedrock level
server-port=19132
server-portv6=19133
view-distance=32
tick-distance=4

Gameplay and access keys

  • gamemode accepts survival, creative, or adventure.
  • difficulty accepts peaceful, easy, normal, or hard.
  • max-players defaults to 10. Raising it increases the work your CPU and memory must handle.
  • online-mode=true authenticates connecting accounts and is strongly recommended for an internet-facing server.
  • allow-list=true restricts entry to the gamertags in allowlist.json. Set it to false only when you intentionally want an open server.

Distance and performance keys

view-distance controls how far the server sends world data, while tick-distance controls how much of the world receives active simulation. Higher values and more players consume more resources. If the server falls behind, reduce these values before increasing the player limit.

How do I let friends join over the internet?

Internet access requires both a host-firewall rule and a router port-forwarding rule. Complete the steps in this order so each address remains consistent.

  1. Reserve a stable private IP for the host in the router’s DHCP reservation page, or configure a static address according to your network administrator’s plan.
  2. Permit the configured UDP server port in the host firewall. The defaults are UDP 19132 for IPv4 and UDP 19133 for IPv6.
  3. Open the router’s port-forwarding page. Forward external UDP 19132 to the host’s private IP on internal UDP 19132. If you changed server-port, forward that value instead.
  4. Start BDS and leave it running. Test from a different network, such as a phone hotspot; testing the public address from inside the same LAN can fail because some routers do not support hairpin routing.
  5. Give trusted players the public address and port. Keep online-mode=true and use the allow-list for a private group.

Router labels vary, so the feature may appear as Port Forwarding, NAT, Virtual Server, or Applications. If no outside connection succeeds, check the process, the host firewall, the forwarding destination, and whether the host still has the reserved IP. Your ISP may also use carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), which prevents unsolicited inbound connections even when your router rule is correct; ask the ISP whether you have a public IPv4 address or use a managed host instead.

How do players connect from Bedrock Edition?

On Windows PC or mobile, open Play, choose Servers, select Add Server, enter a name and address, enter the port, then choose Add or Add and Play.

  • Same Windows computer: after the loopback exemption, use 127.0.0.1.
  • Another device on the same LAN: use the host’s private IP, such as the address reserved in your router.
  • Player outside your home: use the public address and the forwarded port, not the private LAN address.

Bedrock supports Windows, mobile, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch clients, but console connection menus and manual server-entry options are platform-limited and can change with client updates. Verify the current client’s supported server-entry method before promising that every console can type in an address. Managed hosts also differ: a provider may support Windows and mobile while excluding Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch.

How do I add an existing world, behavior pack, or resource pack?

Launch BDS once before importing anything so it creates the expected folders. Stop the server before copying files.

Importing a world

  1. Copy the Bedrock world folder into the server’s worlds directory.
  2. Open server.properties and set level-name to the folder name exactly, including capitalization and spaces.
  3. Save the file and restart BDS. If the world does not appear, compare the value character-for-character with the directory name.

Installing packs

Put shared behavior packs in behavior_packs and shared resource packs in resource_packs. Follow each pack’s own manifest and world-activation instructions; copying a folder alone does not guarantee that the world will enable it.

What should I back up before changing the server?

Stop BDS and copy the live data to a location outside the server directory before upgrades, world imports, or major configuration edits. Keep at least one copy on another drive or computer so a disk failure cannot destroy both the server and its backup.

  • worlds, including every world folder
  • server.properties
  • allowlist.json
  • permissions.json
  • Any behavior_packs and resource_packs folders used by your worlds

Record which BDS version created a backup. That note makes it easier to roll back when a later server build or pack update causes a compatibility problem.

How do I update BDS without breaking the world?

Check the client and server protocol versions before inviting players after an update. A “Outdated Client” or “Outdated Server” message means the two sides do not agree; minor-version changes can break compatibility, and even patch versions are not guaranteed to share a protocol.

  1. Announce downtime and stop the running server cleanly.
  2. Make the backup set described above, including the world and configuration files.
  3. Download the matching current BDS package for your operating system.
  4. Extract the new files into a fresh directory or a temporary location, then copy your backed-up world, configuration, allow-list, permissions, and pack folders into the new installation.
  5. Start the new binary and test locally or on the LAN before opening the server to the internet.

Keeping the previous installation until the new one is verified gives you a straightforward rollback path if a pack, world, or protocol change causes trouble.

How do I troubleshoot the most common Bedrock server failures?

The server starts, but nobody can join

Confirm that the BDS process is still running and listening on the port shown in server.properties. Check the host firewall, the router’s UDP rule, the host’s current private IP, and the player’s address. An outside player must use the public address; a private LAN address will not route across the internet.

A Windows client on the host cannot connect

Apply Microsoft’s loopback exemption, restart BDS, and connect to 127.0.0.1. This is separate from router forwarding and does not determine whether another device can reach the server.

The world is missing or a new world loads

Stop the server and verify that the desired folder is directly under worlds. Set level-name to that folder’s exact name; an extra space, different capitalization, or nested directory points BDS at a different world.

Players you did not invite appear

Set allow-list=true, add approved Xbox Live gamertags to allowlist.json, and keep online-mode=true. Restart BDS after editing the file if the change is not picked up immediately.

The world lags or ticks fall behind

Lower view-distance or tick-distance, reduce max-players, and use wired Ethernet. If the host still cannot keep up, move the world to a managed service with more CPU or RAM rather than continually increasing distance settings.

Is a Realm better than a dedicated server?

Neither option is universally better. A Realm is simpler when you want an official subscription, invitations, and minimal network administration. BDS is the better fit when you need file-level control over worlds and packs, custom configuration, or the freedom to run the server on your own hardware or a provider of your choice.

Before choosing, decide who will perform updates and backups, whether the host must be online while you are away, how many people need access, and whether each player’s console supports the connection method. Exact Realm prices and limits change by edition and region, so verify them in the current official store listing rather than relying on an old figure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run a Bedrock server without port forwarding?

Yes, but only for players on the same local network, using the host’s private IP. Internet players need an inbound path; if your ISP uses CGNAT or your router cannot forward UDP, a managed host or an official subscription service avoids that limitation.

Why does an external port checker say 19132 is closed?

Many web checkers test TCP, while Bedrock uses UDP, so a TCP result is not conclusive. Leave BDS running, test from a separate network with a Bedrock client, and confirm that the router forwards UDP to the host’s current private address.

How do I move a Bedrock world from one computer to another?

Stop the old server, copy the world folder and its matching configuration and pack folders, then place them in the new installation. Set level-name to the copied folder’s exact name and make a backup before the first launch on the new host.

Can changing the Bedrock port fix connection problems?

It can avoid a conflict with another service, but changing the value alone does not open the port. Update server-port, the host-firewall rule, the router’s UDP forwarding rule, and every player’s saved server entry together.