Minecraft Port Forwarding Not Working: How to Fix

If the Minecraft Port Forwarding Not Working error pops up when trying to make your computer accessible to other computers on the internet, it means you won’t be able to allow your families and friends to connect to your server. It also means that you won’t enjoy the lag-free experience that comes with the feature.

Luckily, the Minecraft Port Forward Not Working error is not a serious issue that is without a fix. In fact, there are several ways to correct this problem which you will find in this article.

minecraft port forwarding not working

Minecraft Port Forwarding Not Working: How to Fix

1. Refresh your network devices

Before you jump into a more complex solution, you might want to restart the modem and/or router and any other network devices. In some cases, the problem could be due to a software glitch that can be fixed by just power cycling your modem or router.

To properly power cycle your modem or router, unplug each device for about 60 seconds from the power source. This gives the system time to refresh and clear bugs that might be causing the port forwarding bug in your network.

2. Switch Network Profile to Private

One of the most common reasons for Minecraft port forwarding might be because your network is set to public. By setting your network profile to private, it allows the computer to find all of the devices connected to the network.

If you’re using a Windows PC, you can follow these steps below to make your settings private

  • Click on Network and Internet settings
  • Click on Wi-Fi
  • Select the option to view your Wi-Fi Properties menu
  • Select Private under the Network profile type
  • Select Yes if the User Account Control prompt appears
  • Check to see whether the Minecraft port forwarding has been fixed.

3. Allow Minecraft in your Windows Firewall

In some cases, your port forwarding process might be having problems due to firewall settings. This is pretty common as the Windows Firewall tends to cause conflict with other programs or games.

In this case, you might want to turn off your firewall temporarily. Doing this actually leaves you vulnerable so you should only use it as the last option. Using the windows search tool, look for Firewall settings. You can actually customize the Firewall settings and allow Windows Firewall to ignore certain programs.

To do these, follow these steps

  • Right-click on the Windows icon on the taskbar
  • Navigate to the Settings menu and click on it.
  • On the left panel, navigate to Privacy & Security and click on it
  • Under the Security section, click Windows Security
  • Navigate to Firewall network protection and tap on it to display the options
  • A new window will pop up, click Public network to open your computer’s network protection settings.
  • Click to toggle switch just below Microsoft Defender Firewall to turn it off.

Rather than turning off your Windows Firewall and leaving your computer unprotected, you can just let a few programs have unrestricted access to the internet. The best option would be to offer them a pass via the Windows Defender firewall rather than permanently removing network protection on your computer.

However, there are usually little or no hazards from programs that can bypass the firewall settings on your Windows 11 as long as you have other Windows security safeguards active.

If you’re using older Windows versions, then you might want to consider adjusting the settings rather than turning off network protection. You can also adjust these settings to withdraw the rights of approved apps.

To adjust the settings of your Windows Firewall to allow certain apps

  • Right-click on the Windows icon on the taskbar
  • Navigate to the Settings menu and click on it.
  • On the left panel, navigate to Privacy & Security and click on it
  • Under the Security section, click Windows Security
  • Navigate to Firewall & network protection and tap on it to display the options
  • A new window will pop up, click the line Allow an app through firewall
  • Click the Change settings button
  • You can check the boxes of the app you wish to allow unrestricted access through the Windows Firewall in either a public network or private.
  • If you can’t find the app, click Allow another app and locate the specific app on your computer
  • Once finished, click OK and close the windows.

This gives the program you’ve installed the permission to bypass the Windows Defender firewall.

4. Use a Private IP address

If the Minecraft Port Forwarding issue still exists at this point,  you can open Command Prompt to check if you’re using a private IP address.

To enter the Settings app, press the Win + I keys and go to the Network & Internet section

  • Scroll down the right sidebar of the Status page till you get to Advanced networking settings. Click on it.
  • Select your network type (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), then click on Hardware properties.
  • Write down your IPv4 address
  • You will have to change your IP Address, preferably to a private static IP address.
  • To enter Settings, press the Windows + I keys at the same time.
  • In settings, select Network & Internet from the sidebar on the left
  • Go to the bottom of the Network & Internet screen, select Advanced network options
  • Find and choose your network adapter from the list. Then choose View additional properties
  • Next to IP assignment, click Edit
  • From the Edit IP settings dropdown box, select Manual. Then toggle on the IPv4 option.
  • Select the IP address field and enter the static IP address to assign to your PC
  • Select the Subnet mask field and enter 255.255.255.0. Enter your router’s IP address in the Default gateway field. This should be 192.168.1.1,
  • Enter 9.9.8.8 in the Preferred DNS field. Enter 8.8.4.4 in the Alternate DNS field
  • Select Save at the bottom.

5. Delete and reinstall Minecraft

If all these fail, then you might want to delete and reinstall Minecraft. This has solved the issue for many users in the past.

6. Get help from your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

This doesn’t always happen, but chances are the port forwarding is disabled by your internet service provider. Some ISPs won’t allow the users to set the port forwarding. You can confirm this by trying out another ISP. If that’s the case, then you will have to contact your ISP.