Can't connect to your Minecraft server? A checklist

When Minecraft refuses to join your server, the message on screen usually points at the cause. Almost every case comes down to one of five things, and each takes a minute to check. Go through them in order, because the first checks are the quickest.

Step 1: Is the server actually running?

Open your server in the panel at game.torchlite.host and look at the status next to its name at the top of the page. It reads Offline, Starting, Online or Stopping.

A server that says Starting is not ready yet. Minecraft has to load the world and every plugin or mod first, and players who try to join in the meantime get "Can't connect to server". Open the Console and wait for a line like this:

Done (14.532s)! For help, type "help"

The panel switches the status to Online at the same moment. A plain Paper server gets there quickly; a big modpack can take several minutes, and the very first start after the install takes longest.

If the console stops scrolling before "Done" appears, or the status falls back to Offline, the server crashed while starting. Scroll up to the first line with ERROR or Exception in it. A plugin or mod that does not match the server version is the most common culprit.

If the status is Offline and you did not stop it, read Step 3 first. Once the console shows "Done", try joining again before checking anything else.

Step 2: Check the address and port

The address is shown at the top of every server page in the panel, next to the status. It is an IP address and a port, for example 203.0.113.10:25567. Click it to copy it, then paste the whole thing into the Server Address field in Minecraft.

The port matters. Many servers share the same IP, each on its own port, so an address without the port, or with the wrong one, leads to someone else's server or to nothing at all.

One more thing catches people out:

• The SFTP address is not a game address. The rotl-…torchlite.host:2022 address in Settings is only for file transfers, as the SFTP guide explains. Minecraft cannot join through it.

When you change the address in a saved server entry, give your friends the new one too.

Step 3: Did the renewal timer stop it?

Free servers have to be renewed in the panel while they run. If nobody presses Renew in time, the server stops after a minute of grace, and everyone on it is disconnected at once. Joining afterwards fails with a timeout or "Can't connect to server", because nothing is running any more.

Nothing is lost when this happens. Press Start and wait for "Done" in the console. If the node is full, the server waits in the start queue first and starts as soon as a slot frees up. The renewal guide explains how often your plan asks and how the queue works. Keeping the panel open in a browser tab while you play is the simplest way to never miss a renewal.

Step 4: Match the versions

Minecraft only joins a server that runs the same game version. On a mismatch you get "Outdated client!" or "Outdated server!", or "Incompatible client! Please use …" in newer versions, followed by the version the server expects. In the multiplayer list the server's version shows in red.

To see what the server runs, check the console during startup: Minecraft prints "Starting minecraft server version …" near the top. Then fix it from whichever side is easier:

• Change the game. In the Minecraft Launcher, create an installation for the server's version and play with that.
• Change the server. The Versions page in the panel switches the server software and the Minecraft version. Take a backup first, because worlds cannot be moved back to an older version safely. The version guide walks through it.
• Accept several versions. On Paper, Purpur and Spigot, the ViaVersion plugin lets newer clients join an older server.

Modded servers need more than a matching version. Fabric, NeoForge and Forge players need the same loader and the same mods as the server, so share the modpack with them rather than just the address.

Step 5: Whitelist, bans, a full server and sign-in errors

"You are not white-listed on this server!" means the whitelist is on and your name is not on it. Someone with console access adds you with whitelist add YourName. "You are banned from this server" comes with the reason the admin gave; pardon YourName lifts it. "Server is full" means max-players has been reached: wait for a free spot, or raise the limit in server.properties and restart. The server.properties guide covers the whitelist, bans and max-players in more detail.

"Failed to verify username!" is different, because it happens between the player's game and Microsoft. When someone joins, the server asks Microsoft's servers whether that player really owns the account, and the answer was no.

The fix is almost always on the player's side: fully close the Minecraft Launcher, sign in again and rejoin. The same message appears when Microsoft's login services have an outage, in which case waiting is the only option. Do not turn off online-mode to get around it, because that opens your server to anyone using any name.

Common problems

It works for me but not for my friends

Compare the address they use with the one in the panel, character by character, including the port. Then check their game version and the whitelist. If one friend still times out, their network may block unusual ports, which is common on school and office Wi-Fi. A phone hotspot is a quick way to test that.

Everyone got "Connection timed out" at the same moment

The server stopped, almost always because the renewal timer ran out. Press Start in the panel and keep the tab open while you play.

Players get kicked with "Timed out" in the middle of a game

That is a different problem: the connection worked but the server stopped answering in time, usually because it is overloaded. The lag guide shows how to find out what is slowing it down.

Bedrock players cannot join at all

Bedrock Edition cannot connect to a Java server on its own. It needs the Geyser plugin, set up as the crossplay guide describes.