Minecraft: how Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch friends join your server

Crossplay servers show two addresses on the server card: a Java one and a separate Bedrock: row. They use different ports, and the Bedrock port is the one every friend below needs. Click the row to copy it.

Send your friends the Bedrock address and its port. Sending the Java port is the most common reason a Bedrock friend sees "Unable to connect to world".

1. Open Minecraft and go to the Servers tab.

2. Scroll down and choose Add Server.

3. Enter any name you like, then your Bedrock address and port.

4. Save and join.

That is the whole process. There is no DNS step on these devices, and nothing to install.

Consoles cannot type in a server address. That is a restriction Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo put on the console versions of Minecraft, not something we control, and every Minecraft host has the same limitation. The standard workaround is BedrockConnect: you point the console's DNS at a small helper service, and Minecraft's "Featured Servers" list is replaced with a menu where you can type an address.

Get the current DNS address from the BedrockConnect project. These are community-run servers, the list changes, and individual addresses do go offline, so always take the address from that page rather than from an older forum post or video. The project lists a main address plus regional alternatives; if one stops working, try the next.

Then, on the console:

1. Open the console's network settings and edit the connection you use. On PlayStation this is Settings > Network > Settings > Set Up Internet Connection, then pick your connection and choose Advanced Settings. Xbox and Switch have an equivalent DNS screen in their own network settings.

2. Set DNS Settings to Manual.

3. Set the primary DNS to the BedrockConnect address you copied above.

4. Set the secondary DNS to a normal public resolver, for example Google's 8.8.8.8. This one is not special: it is what the console uses for everything that is not Minecraft.

5. Save, then fully close and reopen Minecraft.

6. Open the Servers tab and launch any Featured Server. Instead of that server, you get the BedrockConnect menu.

7. Choose the option to add a server, and enter your Bedrock address and port.

After the first join the server stays in the list, so this is a one-time setup.

A whitelisted server rejects Bedrock friends even when their DNS and address are perfect, and the console just shows a generic connection failure. Bedrock players cannot be added with the normal whitelist, and they cannot currently be added from the dashboard's roster either, because Bedrock accounts are not Java accounts.

Check the Overview card's Security settings for Whitelist enabled and Enforce whitelist. If Whitelist enabled is on, open your server's Console and run:

fwhitelist add TheirGamertag

Use their Bedrock gamertag with no dot in front, even though they will appear in your player list as .TheirGamertag. If the gamertag contains a space, that command can fail; in that case the fastest path is the tip below.

Quickest way to test: turn Whitelist enabled off for a few minutes, have your friend join once so you can confirm the connection works, then turn it back on and run fwhitelist add. That separates a DNS problem from a whitelist problem instead of guessing between them.

• Using the Java address or port. Bedrock needs the Bedrock: row. This is the single most common mistake.

• Buying Minecraft Java for your console friend. Java Edition does not run on consoles at all. Crossplay exists precisely so they do not need it.

• Adding them to the whitelist from the dashboard roster. That writes a Java account entry, which will never match a Bedrock player. Use fwhitelist in the Console.

• Changing your server's Minecraft version. Version changes do not affect whether a console can reach the server, and downgrading below your world's version can stop the server from starting.

• Restarting the server repeatedly. If phones and PCs can join, the server is fine and the problem is on the console side.

Bedrock updates itself automatically on consoles. Occasionally a new Bedrock version ships before the crossplay layer supports it, and freshly updated console players see an "outdated" style error for a few hours. Java players are never affected. We refresh the crossplay layer daily, and a server restart picks up the fix once it is available.

Message us on Discord or at support@haptic.gg. Include which console your friend is on, the exact error they see, and whether phone or PC players can join.