Top 5 ways to fix cannot connect to server error in Minecraft

Minecraft servers can be fiddly things, and due to their highly delicate nature problems can often arise. One of the most common issues players have with Minecraft servers is establishing a connection to them.

There are several reasons why players might not be able to connect to a Minecraft server, and luckily most of them can be easily resolved.

This list will highlight 5 of the most common reasons players may not be able to join a server in Minecraft and the easiest ways to rectify such issues.

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5 most common reasons players are unable to connect to Minecraft Servers and how to fix it

#5 Typo in the IP Address

This might sound trivial, but it happens more often than one might expect. Players need to ensure that the IP of the server they are trying to join is typed in correctly.

Common mistakes include using the wrong domain extension, for example, using .com instead of .net will cause a failed connection.

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#4 Authentication servers down for maintenance

Minecraft authentication servers down for maintenance error (Image via Minecraft)

The infamous “The authentication servers are currently down for maintenance” message is somewhat misleading, and in most cases just means that a cracked client is trying to join a Minecraft server that does not accept cracked players.

The easiest way to fix this issue is simply to buy Minecraft, officially from Mojang and try to rejoin the server through an official Minecraft account.

Using an official Minecraft account also comes with a plethora of other advantages like changing skins. Not to mention that Minecraft is a great game and the developers deserve to be supported for their work.

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#3 The Minecraft Server is actually down

Sometimes the Minecraft server itself can be offline without players realizing (Image via Minecraft)

This might seem obvious, but players shouldn’t always assume that their inability to join is automatically an issue on their end. In some cases, the server that the player is attempting to join might just be offline at that time.

This theory is also easily tested by asking other players of the server, or checking the server forums or discord group.

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#2 Firewall issues

For those unaware, firewalls are simply network rules that determine which network connections are allowed and which ones are denied.

This can obviously present a significant problem if setup incorrectly either on the server's side or on the player's side. Players can make sure there are no firewalls potentially blocking their connection to the server they are trying to join by following the short video tutorial above.

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#1 incorrect version/ client

The biggest and most common reason for not being able to join a specific Minecraft server is due to a client mismatch. This most often comes in the form of a version mismatch, when players are trying to connect to the server with a version of Minecraft that it doesn’t support.

A common error message for this issue is : “Outdated server! I’m still on {version}”. If players see this message, they should try to downgrade their client to a version that the server they are trying to join supports.

It should also be noted that some servers require that certain mods be installed on the player’s Minecraft client in order for them to be able to join. Typically, a list of the required mods can be found in the server discord group or web forums.

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