How to Find a Server Address on Minecraft

Whether you're trying to join a friend's private world or hop onto a popular multiplayer server, one thing stands between you and the game: the server address. Knowing where to find it — and what it actually means — saves a lot of frustration before you even load your first chunk.

What Is a Minecraft Server Address?

A Minecraft server address is essentially a network location identifier that tells your game client where to connect. It works the same way a web address works in a browser — instead of navigating to a website, your Minecraft client navigates to a game server.

Server addresses come in two main forms:

• IP address — A numerical string like 192.168.1.10 (local network) or 123.45.67.89 (internet-facing)
• Domain name — A human-readable address like play.hypixel.net or mc.yourfriendserver.com

Both work the same way inside Minecraft's multiplayer menu. Domain names are just mapped to IP addresses behind the scenes through DNS (Domain Name System).

How to Find a Server Address: The Main Scenarios 🔍

Joining a Public Server

Public servers advertise their addresses openly. You'll find them on dedicated server listing sites, gaming forums, subreddits, Discord communities, and YouTube channels. The address is usually displayed prominently — copy it exactly as shown, including any custom port number if one is listed (more on that below).

Getting an Address from a Friend

If someone is hosting a private server, they need to share the address with you directly. How they find it depends on their setup:

• Local (LAN) server: If you're on the same Wi-Fi or network, they can share their local IP address (found in system network settings or within Minecraft's LAN world options). This only works when both players are on the same network.
• Self-hosted home server: They'll need to share their public IP address (found by searching "what is my IP" in a browser), assuming they've configured port forwarding on their router.
• Hosted on a server provider: The hosting panel will display the server's address — usually a domain name or public IP assigned by the provider.

Finding the Address of a Server You're Already On

If you're already connected to a server and want to note the address:

1. Open Minecraft and go to Multiplayer
2. Look at your server list — the address appears beneath the server name, or you can click Edit on a saved server to see the full address entered

You can also check the Direct Connection history if your client saves recent connections.

For Servers You Host Yourself

If you've set up your own Minecraft server, the address depends on what you want to share:

• For players on your local network: Use your machine's local IPv4 address (e.g., 192.168.x.x). On Windows, run ipconfig in Command Prompt. On macOS/Linux, use ifconfig or check System Preferences → Network.
• For players outside your network: Use your public IP address and make sure port 25565 (Minecraft's default port) is forwarded through your router.
• If you're using a hosting service: Log into your server control panel — the address is listed there, often on the main dashboard.

Understanding Port Numbers

By default, Minecraft Java Edition uses port 25565. Bedrock Edition defaults to port 19132. If a server runs on the default port, you typically don't need to enter it — just the address is enough.

If a server uses a non-default port, the address will be written like this: play.example.com:12345. The number after the colon is the port. Always include it if it's provided.

Common Reasons a Server Address Doesn't Work

Even with the correct address, connections can fail. A few things to check:

• Typos — One wrong character breaks the whole address
• Wrong edition — Java and Bedrock addresses are not interchangeable without a compatibility layer
• Server is offline — The host may have shut it down
• Firewall or port blocking — Your network or the host's network may be blocking the connection
• Version mismatch — Your Minecraft version doesn't match what the server is running

The Variables That Change Everything 🎮

What "finding a server address" actually involves depends heavily on your situation. Someone joining Hypixel needs nothing more than a copy-paste. Someone trying to connect to a friend's home server over the internet is navigating router settings, dynamic IPs, and port forwarding. Someone setting up their own server for the first time is dealing with all of the above from the host's side.

Your network environment, whether you're on Java or Bedrock, whether the server is local or remote, and how technically involved the host's setup is — all of these shift the process significantly.

The address itself is simple. Everything around it is where your specific situation starts to matter.