Java or Bedrock: why your friends can't join you
You set up a server, hand the address to your friends, and one of them says "doesn't work for me". Nine times out of ten it's neither your server nor their connection: they're playing a different version of the game. Minecraft comes in two incompatible editions, and nothing in the launcher says so clearly.
Two games sharing a name
Java Edition is the original, PC only (Windows, macOS, Linux). It's the one with mods, plugins, Paper and Fabric servers.
Bedrock Edition is the console, mobile and Microsoft Store version. It runs on Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS and Android.
The two don't speak the same network protocol: Java uses TCP, Bedrock uses UDP. A Bedrock client cannot join a Java server, even with the right address. It isn't a missing setting, it's a fundamental incompatibility.
How to tell which one you have
- You bought the game on
minecraft.netand use the official launcher: you have both, and you pick at startup. - You play on console or phone: it's Bedrock, with no alternative.
- You install mods with Forge or Fabric: it's Java.
- Your title screen has a "Marketplace" button: it's Bedrock.
"What about Geyser?"
There is a bridge, Geyser, which translates the Bedrock protocol to Java and lets console players join a Java server. It works, and plenty of large communities rely on it.
Let's be straight though: it isn't magic. Some recent blocks, some mod interfaces and a share of plugins behave differently on the Bedrock side, and diagnosing a bug gets a lot more tedious once two protocols coexist. For a first server among friends, sticking to one edition saves a great many wasted evenings.
Choosing, in practice
If someone in the group plays on console or phone and can't switch, that's your constraint and it decides for you. Otherwise Java is the default: it's where the mods, modpacks, anti-grief plugins and most of the documentation you'll find online actually live.
Our servers are Java servers. That's stated here rather than buried in a footnote: better to know before ordering than after. If you're still unsure which exact version to install, the article on choosing a version picks up from here, and the pricing page is waiting once you've decided.