Every server comes down to one thing: an address, like skyblock.spawnfort.host or 203.0.113.7:25565. Joining is typing that address into the right box on your device. The boxes are just hidden in different places, and the error messages are unhelpful, so here is the whole thing, device by device.
First: which edition is the server?
Java servers accept Java Edition (PC/Mac); Bedrock servers accept the Bedrock editions on phones, consoles and the Windows app. If the person who sent the address didn't say, ask, because typing a Java address into Bedrock just times out with no useful error. (Some servers run crossplay and accept both; then the same address works everywhere and any port shown matters only for Bedrock.)
Java Edition (PC and Mac)
- Main menu, then Multiplayer, then Add Server.
- Name: anything you like. Server Address: paste exactly what you were sent, with no spaces.
- Done, then double-click the server in your list. It stays saved for next time.
You almost never need a port on Java: bare addresses assume 25565, and hosted addresses like name.spawnfort.host publish their real port through DNS so the plain name is enough. Only type address:port if that is literally what you were sent.
Bedrock on phone, tablet or Windows
- Play, then the Servers tab, scroll past the featured servers to Add Server.
- Split what you were sent at the colon:
play.example.net:25607means addressplay.example.net, port25607. No colon means keep the default port19132. - Save, then tap the server to join.
Consoles (Switch, Xbox, PlayStation)
Console Bedrock has no Add Server button, only Mojang's featured list; that is a policy choice, not a technical limit, and there is a well-trodden workaround: point the console's DNS at a BedrockConnect server, open any featured server, and a server-list menu appears where you can type and save any address. The Switch guide walks through it click by click, including the dead ends (the LAN-proxy phone apps that work on Xbox do not work on Switch).
What the error messages actually mean
| Message | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Connection refused / timed out | Nothing is answering at that address | Server is off or the address has a typo; re-copy it and ask the owner if it's up |
Incompatible / outdated version | Your game and the server run different versions | Match the server's version (Java: pin it in the launcher) |
Not white-listed | Invite-only and you're not on the list | Send the owner your exact in-game name to add |
Unable to connect to world | Bedrock's catch-all, usually edition or port | Confirm it's a Bedrock/crossplay server and the port is typed in the port field |
If it still doesn't work
Nine times out of ten the address was retyped instead of copied. Before anything else, paste the address into the server status checker: it shows whether the server is reachable and, when it is not, why. The tenth time: your game version (see the table), a VPN or school network blocking game traffic, or on consoles a missing platform online subscription. Test against a big public server once; if that works, the problem is specific to your friend's server and its owner's to fix, likely with the whitelist.