How to Set Up a Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server
Bedrock servers let players on Windows, mobile and consoles play together, though consoles have limitations when adding external servers. This guide covers the basics. Bedrock servers are different from Java servers, so Java plugins and mods do not work on them.
Ports
Bedrock uses UDP, not TCP. The default is 19132 for IPv4 and 19133 for IPv6. Players need the address and the port that is assigned to your server.
Set up
- Order your server on Discord and choose Bedrock.
- Open the Console tab and start the server.
- Open the Files tab and edit server.properties, with the server stopped.
Main settings
- server-name: the name shown in the list.
- gamemode: survival, creative or adventure.
- difficulty: peaceful, easy, normal or hard.
- allow-cheats: whether commands such as cheats can be used.
- max-players: the player limit.
- online-mode: keep true to require authenticated Xbox accounts.
- allow-list: set to true to turn on the allowlist.
- level-name: world folder name inside the worlds folder.
- level-seed: seed for new worlds.
- default-player-permission-level: visitor, member or operator for new players.
- view-distance and tick-distance: lowering them reduces load.
Allowlist and operators
With allow-list on, add players with allowlist add name in the console. Remove with allowlist remove name. Operators can be added with the op command. The files allowlist.json and permissions.json store them.
Joining
In the game, add a server on the Servers tab, enter the address and port, and save. Windows and mobile can do this directly. Consoles often need a workaround, so check current guidance for each platform.
Troubleshooting
- Cannot connect: confirm you used the UDP port, not the Java one.
- Version mismatch: the server and client must be on compatible versions, and updates can leave one side behind.
- Wrong world: check level-name matches the folder in worlds.
Ask us on Discord for help.