Minecraft server for friends: Java and Bedrock together

In almost every group of friends, someone plays Minecraft on a Switch, a tablet or a phone while the rest are on PC. Those are two different versions of the game, Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, and out of the box they can’t share a server. With the free Geyser plugin they can: Bedrock players connect to your Java server as if it were a Bedrock server. Here’s how to set it up and what to watch out for.

Java or Bedrock: who plays what?

Java Edition runs on computers with Windows, macOS or Linux and has the most plugins and mods. Bedrock Edition runs on Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iPhone, iPad and Android. Bedrock players can already play together, whatever their device.

Does everyone in your group play Bedrock? Then a regular Bedrock server is the simplest choice. With a mix of Java and Bedrock players, a Java server with Geyser is the answer.

How Geyser works

Geyser translates Bedrock’s network traffic into Java’s and back. You install it as a plugin on a Paper server. A Bedrock player sees a normal server, and your Java server sees a normal Java player. A second plugin, Floodgate, lets Bedrock players join without a paid Java account.

Some differences remain. Bedrock players can’t use Java mods, a few things look slightly different, and Geyser doesn’t support every Minecraft version at the same time.

Step by step on your own server

1. Pick a version Geyser supports. At the time of writing, Geyser supports Minecraft Java 26.2 and Bedrock 26.30 up to and including 26.52. The current list is on GeyserMC’s Supported versions page. If your server runs an older Java version, you’ll also need the ViaVersion plugin. You change your server’s version in the game panel under Versions.
2. Make a backup. Always a good idea before adding plugins.
3. Install Geyser and Floodgate. Download the Spigot builds, which also run on Paper, from geysermc.org and put them in the plugins folder. Restart the server so both plugins create their config files.
4. Connect Floodgate to Geyser. Open plugins/Geyser-Spigot/config.yml and set auth-type to floodgate.
5. Choose the Bedrock port. Bedrock uses UDP and Java uses TCP, so Geyser can use the same port number as your Java server. Set clone-remote-port to true in the same config. Alternatively, use the extra port listed under Network in the panel and enter it as port.
6. Restart and test. A Bedrock player adds the server on the Servers tab, using the address and port from the game panel.

Console players: Xbox, PlayStation and Switch

On consoles, Minecraft doesn’t let you add a server yourself; you only see the featured servers. According to GeyserMC, every console can still join with a workaround. The best known is BedrockConnect, where you change the console’s DNS setting. There are also apps that make your server appear as a LAN game on your home network. The steps for each console are on GeyserMC’s Using Geyser with consoles page.

With the DNS workaround, some of your traffic goes through a third-party service, so only use it if you trust that service. And keep in mind that, according to Mojang, online play on consoles requires a separate subscription from the platform.

A whitelist for Java and Bedrock players

If you only want friends on your server, turn on the whitelist. Since Minecraft 26.3 it’s even switched on by default on new servers. Add Java players with /whitelist add name. For Bedrock players, use Floodgate’s command /fwhitelist add name.

By default, Floodgate puts a dot in front of Bedrock players’ names so they don’t clash with Java names. In chat you might see .Sam next to Sam. You don’t need to type that dot when using /fwhitelist.

A Bedrock player can’t connect?

• Check the console. When it starts, Geyser reports whether it started properly and which port it’s listening on. If there’s an error, fix that first.
• Check the address and port. Bedrock players enter the address and port separately. Use the port Geyser listens on; with clone-remote-port that’s the same as your Java server’s.
• Check the version. If Minecraft Bedrock has just updated, Geyser often needs updating too. Put the latest Geyser in the plugins folder and restart.
• Check the whitelist. If it’s on, add Bedrock players with /fwhitelist add name.

Still no luck? Open a support ticket and include the error from the console.

Good to know before you start

• Geyser sometimes lags behind. After a big Minecraft update it takes a while before Geyser supports the new version. So don’t update your server to the latest version blindly if Bedrock friends play with you.
• Mods only work server-side. Bedrock players can’t load Java mods. And according to GeyserMC, Geyser for Fabric or NeoForge only works on the latest Minecraft version.
• Voice chat needs its own port. Voice chat mods use UDP as well. Let Geyser share your Java server’s port and give voice chat the extra port.