How to make a Minecraft server for free in 2026

You want a place to play Minecraft with your friends that is not your own PC left running all night. There are three ways to get a free server, and they are very different in how much work they take and what you give up.

The three ways to get a free server

1. Host it on your own computer. This is free if you ignore the electricity. You download the server software from Mojang or Paper, open a port on your router, and give your friends your IP address. It works, but the server is only online when your PC is on, your home address changes now and then, and you have opened your home network to the internet. More on that in hosting at home versus a hosted server.

2. Use a free hosting service. Several companies give you a small server for nothing. They pay for it in different ways: some show ads, some make you wait in a queue when they are busy, and some limit how many hours a day the server may run. Read the small print before you pick one, because the limit decides whether the server is still there when your friends log in.

3. Use a host with a free tier that sleeps. This is what Saryno does. You get 1 GB and one server for free, with no ads and no queue. To keep it free, the server goes to sleep when nobody is online and wakes when someone joins. You can read how that works in how Saryno puts servers to sleep without losing your world.

Set up a free server in five steps

These steps use Saryno because that is what I built, but the same ideas apply anywhere.

1. Create an account. You only need an email address. No card is asked for.
2. Press New server and pick the software. Choose Paper if you want plugins, or Vanilla if you want the official game exactly as Mojang ships it. If you are not sure, read Paper, Vanilla, Purpur or Fabric. Paper is a good default.
3. Pick a version. Choose a version that every one of your friends can run. If your friends use the newest launcher version, pick the newest. If you want older PvP, you can go all the way back to 1.8.
4. Accept the Minecraft EULA and create the server. Mojang requires you to accept its end user license agreement to run a server.
5. Share the address. Your server gets a name like yourserver.play.saryno.com. Your friends open Minecraft: Java Edition, choose Multiplayer, Add Server, and paste it.

Keep strangers out

A new server is open to anyone who finds the address. If it is only for friends, turn on the whitelist in the dashboard and add their usernames. The whitelist guide shows what else to switch on.

What 1 GB is good for

A free 1 GB server is comfortable for a small group of friends on a vanilla or lightly modded Paper server. If you add many plugins, a big map, or ten or more players at once, you will want more memory. The guide to how much RAM a Minecraft server needs gives rough numbers.

When free is not enough

If you outgrow the free server, you add memory and pay for exactly what you use: $3 per GB a month, or $27 per GB for a year, which is three months free. Paid memory stays awake with no time limit, and you can split it across as many servers as you have GB. You can change the amount whenever you like.

Frequently asked questions

Do my friends need to pay? No. Only the owner has an account. Friends need their own copy of Minecraft: Java Edition.

Can Bedrock players join? A Java server does not accept Bedrock clients on its own. There are community plugins, such as Geyser, that let Bedrock players connect to a Java server.

Can I take my world with me? Yes. Your world is a normal folder. Open the file manager and download the world folder (it comes as a .tar.gz archive), and you can run it anywhere.