Fix “Can’t connect to server”

Wispdock’s control panel isn’t built yet. Where a step says “in your control panel”, use whatever your host gives you for files, the console and start/stop. The Minecraft side works the same everywhere.

For a native Bedrock world, check the edition and device details on the Bedrock hosting page before troubleshooting a Java address.

Match the error message

The text on the disconnect screen narrows things down a lot. Find yours here and jump to that check.

1. The server is still starting

Look at the console in your control panel. Until it prints a line like this, nobody can join:

[18:42:10] [Server thread/INFO]: Done (6.912s)! For help, type "help"

A vanilla or Paper server usually gets there quickly. A large modpack can take several minutes. A server that crashes during startup never gets there at all, and if it keeps restarting, the answer is in the crash report: see reading logs and crash reports.

A common first-start blocker is the EULA. If the console says You need to agree to the EULA in order to run the server, set eula=true in eula.txt and start again.

2. Wrong address or port

Copy the address again from your control panel instead of typing it from memory. Java uses TCP port 25565 by default. If your server uses another port, add it after a colon:

play.example.com:25570

Don’t add http:// or a trailing slash. “Unknown host” means the name doesn’t resolve: check for a typo, or give a new DNS record some time to spread.

If you set up your own domain and want it to work without the :port, you need an SRV record named _minecraft._tcp.play.example.com pointing at the real host and port. Java Edition reads SRV records. Bedrock doesn’t, so Bedrock players always type the port in the Port field.

On the server side, server-port in server.properties has to match the port your host assigned you, and server-ip should stay empty unless your host tells you otherwise. A wrong server-ip makes the server fail to bind and print **** FAILED TO BIND TO PORT! in the log.

The connection guide shows where to add the server in Java and Bedrock.

3. Version mismatch

“Outdated client”, “Outdated server” or “Incompatible client” means your game version doesn’t match the server. In the multiplayer list, an incompatible server shows its version in red: that’s the version you need.

Fix it on the player’s side by switching the launcher installation to the server’s version (Installations, New installation, pick the version). Or fix it on the server side with plugins. On Paper:

• ViaVersion lets newer clients join an older server.
• ViaBackwards, installed together with ViaVersion, lets older clients join a newer server.

Players on a newer client still only get the server version’s blocks and features. ViaVersion also runs on Velocity and BungeeCord proxies, and as ViaFabric on Fabric. It doesn’t help on Forge or NeoForge, where client and server have to match exactly. If you’re about to move the server to a new version, take a backup first.

4. Mod mismatch

On a modded server, a disconnect screen that lists missing or mismatched mods means your pack version differs from the server’s. Install exactly the same pack version the server runs, from the same source. Adding a single extra content mod on your side, or missing one, is enough to get kicked. Client-only mods like minimaps or shaders are fine. The modpack guide covers keeping both sides in step.

5. Whitelist or ban

“You are not white-listed on this server!” means what it says. In the console:

whitelist add <name>

If you edited whitelist.json by hand, run whitelist reload so the server reads it again. Check the spelling of the name: the whitelist looks the account up, and a typo adds nobody useful. Bedrock players joining through Geyser and Floodgate need the name with its prefix, usually a dot.

If someone was banned, pardon <name> or pardon-ip <address> lifts it. The lists live in banned-players.json and banned-ips.json. The whitelist and ops guide covers the rest of these commands.

6. Login errors and online-mode

• Failed to login: Invalid session is on the player’s side. Close the game and the launcher completely, sign in again and retry.
• Failed to verify username means the server couldn’t confirm the account with Mojang. Usually the game isn’t properly signed in to a Microsoft account, or Mojang’s login servers are having trouble. If every player gets it at the same time, it’s the second one, or the server can’t reach Mojang.
• Multiplayer is disabled. Please check your Microsoft account settings. comes from the account itself, often a child account with multiplayer turned off in the Xbox privacy settings. Whoever manages the account has to allow it.

Keep online-mode=true in server.properties. Turning it off lets anyone in under any name, including an op’s. The one exception is a backend server behind a proxy like Velocity, which has its own forwarding setup.

7. Firewall or network

“Connection refused” means your connection reached the machine but nothing was listening on that port: the server is off, or the port is wrong. “Connection timed out” means the packets never got an answer: a wrong IP, a firewall dropping them, or a network that blocks games.

School, office and some public Wi-Fi networks block game ports. Try from a phone hotspot. If it works there, the problem is the network you were on, and nothing on the server will change it.

To check whether the server is reachable from the internet at all, put the address into a status checker like mcsrvstat.us. If it shows the server online, the problem is on the player’s side.

On a hosted server the port is opened for you. If you run the server on your own PC, you need to forward the port on your router and allow Java through the PC’s firewall, and you join your own server with localhost rather than your public address. Playing without port forwarding covers the alternatives.

Getting kicked with “Timed out” after you’re already in the world is a different problem: the server or the connection stopped responding for a while. If it happens to everyone at once, look at the server’s TPS and reduce lag.

8. Only Bedrock players can’t join

Bedrock uses UDP, not TCP, on port 19132 by default. If Java players get in but Bedrock players don’t, check that Geyser started without errors in the log, that its port is the one your host opened for UDP, and that players typed that port in the Port field. Xbox, PlayStation and Switch can’t add custom servers the way phones and PCs can, so console players need a workaround. The Geyser guide covers the setup.

On a hosted server the port and address are set up for you. Wispdock’s draft plans are on the pricing page; prices are drafts and ordering isn’t open yet.

Still stuck? Send us the details and your latest.log.