Port Forwarding for Minecraft Explained
Port forwarding is what lets friends outside your home join a Minecraft server running on your PC. It tells your router to send traffic on this port to your computer. Here's what that means in plain English — and how to actually do it.
What is a port, and why 25565?
Your router has one public IP, but many devices behind it. A “port” is a numbered channel that routes incoming traffic to the right device and program. Minecraft's default port is 25565 — so when someone connects to your-ip:25565, the router knows to hand it to your Minecraft server.
When you actually need it
Only self-hosted servers need port forwarding. If you join a server from our server list, the host already did this for you. You only forward ports when you're the one running the server from home.
The basic steps
- Find your computer's local IP (e.g.
192.168.1.20) and give it a static lease in your router. - Log into your router (usually
192.168.1.1) and open the Port Forwarding section. - Create a rule: external + internal port
25565, protocol TCP/UDP, pointing to your PC's local IP. - Save, restart the router if prompted, and have a friend test the connection.
The dynamic-IP problem
Most home internet gives you an IP that changes periodically — so your friends' saved address stops working. The fix is Dynamic DNS: a service that keeps a fixed hostname pointed at your current IP. Read our Dynamic DNS guide for the simple setup.
Reviewed by the MC Monitor Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches server listings, verifies live status data, and keeps these guides current. Last review: June 2026.