How to join a Minecraft server on Xbox

To join a Minecraft server on Xbox, open Minecraft, go to the Servers tab and pick one of the featured servers, or join a Realm from the Worlds or Friends screen. Joining any other server by its IP address takes a third-party workaround, because Xbox, like the other consoles, doesn't let you add custom servers in the normal game.

That second part trips up a lot of people, and some websites still claim there's an "Add Server" button on Xbox. There isn't. Below is every option that actually works on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S at the time of writing (September 2026), what each one costs you in effort, and how to undo it.

Before you start: the three things Xbox needs

• An online subscription. Xbox Support says you need at least Xbox Game Pass Essential (the tier formerly called Core) to play online with others on a console. Check the current requirement on Xbox Support.
• A Microsoft account signed in to Minecraft. Every Bedrock server and Realm uses it.
• Multiplayer allowed on the account. Child accounts need a parent to allow "join multiplayer games" in Xbox Family Settings. If the Servers tab is greyed out or joining fails with a permissions message, this is almost always why.

Your options at a glance

"Bedrock servers" includes Java servers that also accept Bedrock players through GeyserMC. Those are the ones marked with a Bedrock address on our site; our crossplay guide explains how that works.

The built-in ways: featured servers and Realms

These need nothing but the game and your online subscription.

Option 1: The featured servers in the Servers tab

1. Open Minecraft and choose Play.
2. Switch to the Servers tab. (It was briefly renamed "Discover" earlier in 2026 and changed back to "Servers" in June.)
3. Pick a server and press Join Server. The first join downloads that server's resource pack, which can take a minute.

The featured lineup is chosen by Mojang and changes over time; minecraft.wiki's featured server page keeps the current list. These are big, busy networks with minigames, SMP-style modes and events, and they're the only servers an unmodified Xbox can reach without Realms.

Option 2: Realms (the official private server)

A Realm is Mojang's own hosted server for you and your friends. On Xbox you can buy one from inside Minecraft, or accept an invite from someone who has one. At the time of writing Bedrock Realms is about $3.99 a month, and Realms Plus about $7.99 a month for you plus 10 friends with Marketplace content included (check minecraft.net/realms for current prices).

Realms is the easiest "server" for a friend group on Xbox, and it's the answer to "how to make a Minecraft server on Xbox." The trade-offs: no plugins, no mods, and you can't raise the player limit past what Realms allows.

How to join a Minecraft server on Xbox using an IP address

For any server outside the featured list, you need one of three community tools. None of them is made or endorsed by Microsoft or Mojang, so read each project's own instructions before you start.

Option 3: BedrockConnect (join any IP by changing DNS)

BedrockConnect is a free, open-source community project, not made by Mojang or Microsoft. It works by redirecting some featured servers to its own server-list screen. You change your Xbox's DNS to BedrockConnect's DNS server; then, when you click one of the supported featured servers, you land in a menu where you can type in any server address and port.

1. Read the project page first. The DNS addresses and the list of supported featured servers are on the BedrockConnect GitHub page. Use the values listed there today, not ones copied from an old video.
2. Write down your current DNS settings. Press the Xbox button, then go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Network settings > Advanced settings > DNS settings. If it says Automatic, that's what you'll go back to.
3. Choose Manual and enter the DNS addresses from the project page (a primary and a secondary). At the time of writing, the README lists 104.238.130.180 as the main primary DNS for Xbox and 8.8.8.8 as the secondary.
4. Restart Minecraft, open the Servers tab and join one of the featured servers the README says is redirect-compatible.
5. Add your server in the BedrockConnect list: a name, the server address, and the port (Bedrock's default is 19132). It's saved for next time on that BedrockConnect instance.

Option 4: BedrockTogether (a phone app, no DNS changes)

BedrockTogether is a third-party phone app for iPhone and Android. It makes a server show up on your Xbox as if it were a LAN game in your house. Its own FAQ says it isn't affiliated with Microsoft, Mojang or Xbox, and that the app is free with ads.

1. Put your phone and Xbox on the same Wi-Fi.
2. Type the server address and port into the app and tap Run.
3. Open Minecraft on the Xbox and go to the Friends tab. The server appears in the LAN games list.
4. Join it. Once you're in, the app's instructions say you can close it.

You'll repeat this each session, but nothing on the Xbox changes, which makes it the easiest workaround for most families.

Option 5: Phantom (a PC does the relaying)

Phantom is an open-source command-line tool for Windows, macOS and Linux. It runs on a computer on your home network and makes a remote Bedrock server appear as a LAN game, the same trick as BedrockTogether but with a PC instead of a phone. The project page lists Xbox One and PS4 as supported and gives the command format (-server followed by the address and port). Your firewall needs to allow it, and the PC has to stay on while you play. It's the most technical of the three, so it suits players who are already comfortable with a terminal.

Finding servers worth joining on Xbox

Any Bedrock server works through the workarounds above, and so does any Java server that runs GeyserMC. On our site, servers where we've confirmed a working Bedrock address show it on their page, found by a daily Bedrock probe. We currently see 221 crossplay servers online.

For more, browse all Bedrock servers or the crossplay list. Popular Xbox picks tend to be Bedwars, SMP and Skyblock, and every listing shows the live player count we measured, so you can skip empty ones.

When it doesn't work

Quick questions