How to let Bedrock players join your Java server

Half the people you want to play with are probably on a phone, a console or Windows 10 and 11, which means the Bedrock edition of Minecraft. Your Java server does not speak their language out of the box. This guide shows how to make it do that, and what to tell your friends.

What you need

A Paper server. Geyser is a plugin, so Vanilla cannot run it.
About 2 GB of memory or more. Translating between the two editions costs a little on top of the game.
Two plugins: Geyser, which accepts Bedrock connections and translates them, and Floodgate, which lets Bedrock players sign in with their own account instead of needing Java Edition.

Switching it on at Saryno

When you make a server, open the add-ons step and press Bedrock players. For a server you already have, open its Plugins tab, find Bedrock players under Join from anywhere, and press Add. The game restarts once.

Saryno installs both plugins, tells Geyser to use Floodgate for sign-in, and picks a UDP port for your server. You will find the address and port on the Overview tab under Bedrock players.

What your friends do

Open Minecraft (the Bedrock edition), then Play, Servers, Add Server.
Type a name, then your server's address and the port from the Overview tab.
Save, and join.

Java players keep using the normal address. Everyone ends up in the same world.

Names, whitelists and ranks

Floodgate puts a dot in front of Bedrock names, so Steve on Bedrock becomes .Steve. That stops a Bedrock player from taking a Java player's name. Use the dotted name whenever you whitelist someone or give them a rank, for example /lp user .Steve parent set member. You can change the prefix from Floodgate's Manage screen, but do not leave it empty.

If the server is asleep

A Saryno server sleeps when nobody is on, and wakes when someone joins. Bedrock cannot be held on the line while a server wakes the way Java can, so the first attempt after a sleep starts the server and may fail with a message about not being able to connect. Wait a few seconds and press Join again. In the server list the entry reads Asleep, join to wake it up until then.

When someone cannot connect

"Unable to connect to world": the server was probably asleep. Try again in ten seconds.
It never connects: check the port. The address is the same as the Java one, but the port is different, and it must be the one on the Overview tab.
Consoles: Xbox, PlayStation and Switch do not let you type an address in the server list. Players use a free helper such as a "BedrockConnect" server to add a custom address, or an app on their phone to add it to their friends list. Check what your players' consoles allow before you promise cross-play.
Wrong version: Geyser follows Minecraft closely, but a brand new Bedrock update can arrive before Geyser is ready. Updating the add-on fixes it.

What works and what does not

Building, mining, mobs, chat and most plugins work. Menus from plugins look different on Bedrock, a few Java features have no equivalent, and a few plugins do not suit Bedrock players, so try the ones you depend on with a Bedrock device before you open the server.

Want to read more? See can Java and Bedrock players play together for how it works underneath.