MCUtility

How to check if a Minecraft server is online

Enter the server address in Server Status and choose Java or Bedrock. If the server answers, it shows as online with its version, player count and MOTD: the same details the in-game server list receives.

Java and Bedrock Edition · Published

Steps

  1. Copy the address you would type into the game, for example play.example.com, play.example.com:25566 or an IP address.
  2. Choose the edition. Java and Bedrock servers answer status checks in completely different ways, so the wrong choice always looks offline.
  3. Run the check. Leave the port off if the server uses the default: 25565 for Java, 19132 for Bedrock.

For Java addresses without a port, the check also looks for an SRV record, just like the game. That’s how play.example.com can point to a server on another port. The Minecraft server ports reference explains SRV records.

Reading the result

FieldWhat it tells you
OnlineThe server answered a status request. It doesn’t guarantee you can join: the whitelist, bans and version still apply.
VersionText the server sends. Proxies and plugins often replace it with a range or a custom label, so it isn’t always a real version number.
PlayersOnline and maximum player counts, plus a few names if the server shares them.
MOTDThe message under the server name in the server list, with its colours.
LatencyMeasured from MCUtility’s status service, not from your computer.

Why a running server can look offline

  • Wrong edition or port. A Java server won’t answer a Bedrock check. Custom ports must be included.
  • The port isn’t reachable. A firewall, a router without port forwarding, or a host that only allows its own IP range blocks the check.
  • Status replies are turned off. With enable-status=false in server.properties, a Java server accepts players but doesn’t answer the server list.
  • The server is still starting. It only answers once the world has loaded.
  • A proxy or DDoS protection filters pings. Some protection services only answer the real game client.
  • The server is behind Cloudflare. MCUtility’s Java status service runs on Cloudflare and can’t connect to servers on Cloudflare’s network. The result says so rather than calling them offline.

Checking your own server from home

If you host a server on your home network, checking your public address from the same network can fail even when everything works, because many routers don’t send traffic back into the network they came from. An online status check from outside, like this one, is a better test of whether friends can reach you.

How Java and Bedrock checks differ

Java Edition servers answer a status request on their normal TCP game port with a JSON description of the server. Bedrock servers answer a small UDP ping on their game port, and don’t use SRV records. MCUtility makes the Java request itself and fetches Bedrock status through the mcstatus.io service.