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Can your PC host a Minecraft server?

Tell us what the PC has and how many kids will be on it. We will tell you whether it can host, how many players it realistically holds, and how much memory to give the server — including the part most guides skip, which is leaving enough for Windows and for the kid who is hosting and playing on the same machine.

Nothing you pick here is sent anywhere or saved. The maths runs in your browser.

How to actually create the server

Six steps. A parent should do steps 1 and 5; a kid can happily do the rest.

  1. Install Java

    The Java edition server needs a current Java runtime — Temurin or Microsoft’s OpenJDK build are both free. Recent Minecraft versions want Java 21 or newer. The Minecraft launcher bundles its own copy for the game, but the server needs one installed system-wide.

  2. Download the server file

    Get server.jar from the official Minecraft site, and put it in its own empty folder. It will fill that folder with world data and config files on first run, which is why it wants a folder to itself.

  3. Run it once and accept the EULA

    Start it, let it fail, then open the eula.txt it created and change eula=false to eula=true. This is normal and expected — it is Mojang making you look at the licence once.

  4. Start it with a sensible memory limit

    Use the start command the planner above generates rather than defaults. The -Xmx figure is the ceiling and -Xms the starting pool.

  5. Turn on white-list — the safety step

    In server.properties set white-list=true and leave online-mode=true. Then only accounts you have explicitly added can join, and each is verified against Mojang. Add players with /whitelist add <name> in the server console. Do this before anyone outside the house connects, not after.

  6. Connect

    On the same home network, kids join using the host PC’s local IP address. That needs no router changes and keeps the server off the public internet, which is the right default for a family server.

Where these numbers come from

They are conservative rules of thumb, not benchmarks: the memory a server type typically wants, plus an allowance per additional player, minus what Windows and the game client need on the same machine. We deliberately round in the cautious direction, because the failure mode of an under-provisioned server is a corrupted world rather than a slightly lower frame rate. Your mileage varies with the specific modpack, world size and render distance — treat the output as a starting point, not a guarantee.

If you want the hardware side of this rather than the software side, our how much RAM Minecraft needs page covers the client, and the mod planner handles modpacks specifically.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special PC to host a Minecraft server?

No. Any reasonably modern desktop hosts a small server for a handful of friends. What matters is spare memory and single-core processor speed — not a powerful graphics card, which the server does not use at all. The planner above accounts for the memory Windows needs and, if you tick it, the memory the game client needs when the same kid hosts and plays on one machine.

Can my kid host a server and play on the same PC?

Yes, and most kids do. It roughly doubles the memory you need, because Windows, the server and the game client all want their own share. Set the "playing on the same PC" option above and the planner adjusts for it. If the result is tight, hosting on a second, older PC in the house is usually the cheaper fix.

Is it safe to let my kid run a server?

It is, with two settings. Turn white-list on so only named accounts can join, and leave online-mode at true so accounts are verified against Mojang. Both are one line each in server.properties. The section below walks through it. The bigger question is who your kid invites, which is a conversation rather than a setting — our Minecraft parental controls guide covers the account side.

Do I have to open ports on my router?

Only if people outside your home need to join. Kids on the same home Wi-Fi can connect using the host PC’s local address with no router changes at all, which is the safest arrangement and covers most families. Port forwarding exposes the server to the public internet; if you go that route, white-list is not optional.

Why does giving the server more RAM sometimes make it worse?

Java reclaims unused memory in passes, and the bigger the pool, the longer a pass can take — which shows up in-game as a freeze. Allocating a sensible amount with headroom beats allocating everything you have. The planner suggests a figure and the matching start command.

Does this work for Bedrock (the Windows 10/11 and console edition)?

Partly. The memory maths above is for the Java edition, which is what most self-hosted family servers run. Bedrock has its own dedicated server that is lighter on memory but supports fewer mods. If your kid plays on console or the Microsoft Store version, they are on Bedrock — Realms is usually the simpler answer there.

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