How to make a Minecraft server on Windows

So you want your own Minecraft server on the Windows PC you already own, one you and your friends can hop onto whenever you like. Here is the good news: the easy way is genuinely easy. A free app called SpawnBox sets the whole thing up for you, with no command line, in a few minutes. We will show you that first. And if you would rather build it by hand (or just want to understand every piece), the full manual way is here too, further down.

The easy way: let SpawnBox do it

SpawnBox is a free Windows app (Windows 11) that does every step of running a Minecraft server for you, without ever opening a command line:

• It runs your server with the correct Java already built in for your Minecraft version, so you never install or update Java yourself.
• It downloads the server and handles Minecraft’s EULA with a single toggle, not a file you hand-edit.
• It opens your router automatically on most routers (using a technology called UPnP), and walks you through it when your router will not cooperate.
• It gives you a friendly address to share, like your-server.mc.spawnbox.app, so nobody has to memorize an IP number, and it is free.
• It keeps your server running around the clock, even when the app is closed and after you reboot your PC.
• It adds a whitelist you click instead of edit, automatic backups, and a one-click browser for mods, plugins, and datapacks (powered by Modrinth), all free.

Most people go from downloading SpawnBox to “my friends are online” in a few minutes.

And it does not stop once the server is up. SpawnBox quietly turns running the server into a game of its own: watch every player live with more than two dozen real-time stats and animated 3D avatars (free on every tier), plus deeper tools like a live world map and automatic cheating detection when you want them. Being the person who runs the server becomes part of the fun, not a chore to get through.

Prefer to do it by hand? The full manual way

SpawnBox does everything in this section for you. But if you enjoy tinkering, want to learn how every piece fits together, or you have decided SpawnBox is not for you, here is the entire manual way, start to finish. Think of it as a look at exactly what SpawnBox is handling behind the scenes. Setup details are current as of July 2026.

1. Install the right Java

Minecraft servers run on Java, so that comes first. Which version you need depends on your Minecraft version: as of July 2026, Minecraft 1.21 needs Java 21, and the newer 26.x versions need Java 25. (The Minecraft Wiki keeps the current list if you are unsure.)

Grab a free build. The two most common are Eclipse Temurin from adoptium.net, the most popular open-source build, and the Microsoft build of OpenJDK, which is the one the Minecraft launcher itself uses. Either is fine. On Windows you may need to make sure Java can run from the command line before moving on.

2. Download the server file

Go to the official page at minecraft.net/download/server and download the server file. Make a new, empty folder somewhere easy to find (this folder will hold your world and all your settings), and save the file inside it as server.jar.

3. Run it once and accept the rules

Open Command Prompt, move into your folder, and run:

$ java -jar server.jar --nogui

It will start, then stop, and leave behind a file called eula.txt. Open that file in Notepad and change eula=false to eula=true, then save. That line is you agreeing to Minecraft’s End User License Agreement, so read it once if you like.

4. Start it and change your settings

Run the same command again and your server boots up for real. To rename your world, set the difficulty, or turn on a whitelist, open server.properties in Notepad and edit the values there.

5. Play on the same PC

In Minecraft, choose Multiplayer, then Direct Connect, and type localhost. That connects you to the server running on your own computer.

6. Let friends on your wifi join

For friends in the same house, find your PC’s address: open Command Prompt, run ipconfig, and look for the IPv4 Address (something like 192.168.1.20). They connect to that address with :25565 on the end.

7. Let friends over the internet join

This is the fiddly part. For friends who are not on your wifi, you have to open a door in your home router, a step called port forwarding: you point port 25565 at your PC’s IPv4 address. Every router’s menu looks different, so search your router’s model name plus “port forwarding” for the exact clicks.

The moment your server is reachable from the internet, protect it. Turn on the whitelist so only players you invite can join, and consider running it on a port other than the default. As the Minecraft Wiki warns, “griefers often scan vulnerable Minecraft servers by their public IP.” A whitelist shuts that down.

Why the manual way gets fiddly

None of the steps above are impossible, but they add up. Doing it by hand, you are on the hook for:

• Keeping Java updated as Minecraft changes versions.
• The command line, plus hand-editing eula.txt and server.properties.
• Router port forwarding, and keeping your server safe once it is exposed.
• The big one: your server stops the instant you close that command window or reboot your PC, and backups are entirely up to you.

Every one of those is a thing SpawnBox simply does for you.

So which should you do?

• Use SpawnBox if you want a server that just works and stays on, without the command line or the upkeep. It is free to start, and everything in the manual section above is what we handle for you.
• Do it by hand if you enjoy tinkering, want to understand every piece, and do not mind babysitting the server yourself. It is free, and it is a genuinely good way to learn.

Either way, it is your server, your world, running on your PC. Have fun with it.