Someone sent you a Bedrock server address. Where you type it depends entirely on the device in your hands: phones and Windows have a button for it, consoles do not, and Java servers need something extra on their end. Here is the map, device by device.
Address and port: what you actually need to type
A Bedrock server has two parts: an address (a hostname like yourname.spawnfort.host or a raw IP) and a port (a number). If you were sent something with a colon in it, such as yourname.spawnfort.host:25600, the bit before the colon is the address and the number after it is the port. Bedrock always needs both, which is the single biggest difference from Java, where a bare name is usually enough.
Why hosted servers are rarely on 19132
Bedrock's default port is UDP 19132, and the game pre-fills it. A self-hosted server on someone's PC is often on that port. A hosted server almost never is: hosts run many servers per machine and give each one its own port. If you leave 19132 in place for a hosted address you will get a timeout, so copy the exact number from the panel.
SpawnFort addresses on Bedrock
A SpawnFort server's address is name.spawnfort.host. Java clients can use the bare name because a DNS SRV record carries the port for them. Bedrock ignores SRV, so Bedrock players type the name and the port shown on the server's overview page. Crossplay servers use the same port number for both editions.
Phone and tablet (iOS, Android)
- Open Minecraft, tap Play, then the Servers tab.
- Scroll past the featured servers and tap Add Server.
- Server Name: anything. Server Address: the address. Port: the number.
- Save, then tap the entry to join. It stays in your list.
Windows 10 / 11
Identical to phones: Play, Servers, scroll down, Add Server. This applies to "Minecraft for Windows" from the Microsoft Store or the unified launcher, which is Bedrock Edition. If you have Java Edition, the join screen is different and covered in the general join guide.
Consoles: why there is no Add Server button
The Xbox, PlayStation and Switch builds of Bedrock ship without the button. Their Servers tab shows Mojang's featured partners only. It is a policy decision, not a technical one, and two community workarounds exist:
- BedrockTogether: a free phone app on the same Wi-Fi that advertises the server as a LAN world, so the console joins it like a neighbour's world and is transferred. Best on Xbox and PlayStation. Full walkthrough in the BedrockTogether guide.
- BedrockConnect: set the console's DNS to a community instance so that opening a featured server loads a menu where you type any address. Works on all three consoles and is the primary method on Switch, which never shows LAN worlds.
Xbox
App first, DNS second, Game Pass Core required. Step by step for Xbox.
PlayStation
Same as Xbox, plus a PlayStation-specific DNS quirk and a PS Plus requirement. Step by step for PS5 and PS4.
Nintendo Switch
DNS first; the app's LAN mode cannot work here, and its friends-broadcast beta is the fallback. Step by step for Switch.
Joining a Java server or SMP from Bedrock
Geyser and Floodgate
Java and Bedrock speak different protocols, so a Bedrock client pointed at a plain Java server times out with no useful error. The bridge is GeyserMC, which runs on the Java server and translates every packet in real time, plus Floodgate, which lets Bedrock players sign in with their Microsoft account instead of buying Java. Ask the owner whether the server runs Geyser and which port it listens on, then add that port as above. On SpawnFort, ticking Enable crossplay at creation installs both.
Whitelists and the dot prefix
Floodgate gives Bedrock players a . prefix on their name so the server can tell them apart. If the SMP is whitelisted, the owner has to add you with that prefix (or Floodgate's own whitelist command), otherwise the join fails with a whitelist message even though your name looks right.
Joining a friend's world instead of a server
If your friend is simply hosting a world from their own game rather than running a server, there is no address at all. They go to their world's settings, turn on multiplayer and friend-of-friends visibility, and you join from the Friends tab in Play. That works across every Bedrock device including consoles, with no workaround, but only while their game is open. The moment you want it up when they are offline, it becomes a server, and you are back to this page.
Common errors
| Message | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Unable to connect to world | The server refused or never answered | Check address and port, ask if the server is up, check the whitelist, confirm it is Bedrock or has Geyser. |
| Outdated client / outdated server | Version mismatch | Bedrock updates itself, so the server is usually the one behind; ask the owner to update. |
| Servers tab says “Coming Soon” | A known Minecraft bug, most common on Switch | Sign out of the Microsoft account and back in, reload the tab, or restart the game. |
| Join hangs, then times out | Almost always a Java-only server or the wrong port | Confirm the server speaks Bedrock and re-copy the port. |
| Not whitelisted | Your exact name (with the dot prefix on crossplay servers) is not on the list | Send the owner your in-game name and ask them to add it. |
The general join guide covers the Java side of all this, and the crossplay guide explains what Geyser can and cannot translate. Whichever device you are on, the address that never changes is the one that comes with a hosted server.