How to make a free Minecraft server

• Minecraft: Java Edition on a PC, Mac or Linux computer. Kiphost servers don't accept Bedrock players (phones, consoles and the Windows Bedrock app).
• A Discord account. You log in with it instead of making a new password, and it stops people from making hundreds of free servers.
• A name for your server and an address your friends will type, like friday.kiphost.top.

1. 1Go to the login page and choose Log in with Discord. Discord asks to share your username and email with Kiphost. Approve it.
2. 2On your dashboard, type a server name. It's only shown to you, so call it whatever you like.
3. 3Pick the address. It suggests one from the name, and you can change it. Use 3 to 24 lowercase letters, numbers and dashes. You can't change the address later, so pick one you're happy to share.
4. 4Choose Create server. Kiphost finds room on one of its machines, installs Paper, accepts the Minecraft EULA on your behalf and gets everything ready. That usually takes about a minute.

If every machine is full, your server waits in a short queue. Keep the dashboard open while you wait: a spot is only held for people who are still on the page.

When setup finishes, your server is napping. Choose Start on the dashboard, or just join it from Minecraft and it wakes up on its own. Starting takes around 30 seconds the first time because Minecraft has to generate the world.

1. 1Open Minecraft: Java Edition and choose Multiplayer.
2. 2Choose Add Server, paste your address into Server Address and choose Done.
3. 3Your server shows up in the list. Select it and choose Join Server.

If it says the server is waking up, wait half a minute and join again. The full walkthrough, including what to do when it doesn't connect, is in How to join a Minecraft server.

Every new server comes with 30 minutes of time. That's enough to look around and invite a friend. To keep it longer, watch a short ad from the dashboard: each one adds 6 hours. You can watch one ad an hour, and a server can hold up to 30 hours of time at once.

Time only counts down; it doesn't matter whether the server is running or napping. When it reaches zero the server stops and can't be started again. It's kept for 7 days so you can download your world, then it's deleted. Back up your world before that happens if you want to keep it.

• Make yourself an operator so you can use admin commands. See Minecraft server commands.
• Turn on the whitelist so only your friends can join. See Invite friends and keep strangers out.
• Change the difficulty, game mode or message of the day in server.properties.
• Add plugins like homes, land claims or WorldEdit. See How to install plugins.