Host Minecraft with Paper, Geyser, and Floodgate on your PC

This is for someone who has never run a game server. You will put a Paper Minecraft server on a Windows PC, then add two free plugins so Java and Bedrock (phones, consoles, Windows Bedrock) can share one world. The PC has to stay on while people play.

1. Install Java

Paper needs a current Java (17 or newer). On Windows, download Temurin (Adoptium) Java for Windows from the Adoptium site, run the installer, and finish with the defaults.

2. Download Paper

1. On your Desktop, make a folder called MinecraftServer.
2. Open papermc.io/downloads and grab the newest stable Paper jar for the Minecraft version your friends play.
3. Put that jar in Desktop\MinecraftServer. You can rename it to server.jar so the next steps are easier.

3. Accept the EULA

1. Double-click server.jar once (or open a Command Prompt in that folder and run java -jar server.jar). It will stop after a few seconds and create files.
2. Open eula.txt in Notepad.
3. Change eula=false to eula=true. Save the file.

4. First start and basic settings

1. Start the server again the same way.
2. Wait until it finishes loading (you will see a line about Done).
3. In the server window, type stop and press Enter. Wait until the window closes.
4. Open server.properties in Notepad and set at least:

online-mode=true
white-list=true
enforce-whitelist=true
max-players=10
server-port=25565

If either whitelist line is missing on your build, add the one that is there. Leave everything else alone for now. Save the file.

5. Add Geyser and Floodgate

1. Inside MinecraftServer, make a folder called plugins if it is not there yet.
2. Open geysermc.org/download. Download the Geyser-Spigot jar and the Floodgate jar for Spigot/Paper.
3. Drop both jars into the plugins folder.
4. Start the server once, wait until it finishes loading, then type stop. That creates the plugin config folders.

6. Leave Geyser on the home defaults

Open plugins\Geyser-Spigot\config.yml in Notepad. For a home PC you can leave the defaults. Check that Bedrock listens on port 19132, clone-remote-port is false, and remote.address is auto. Floodgate is what lets Bedrock players join without owning Java Edition. Save if you changed anything.

7. Forward two ports

On your router, forward:

• TCP 25565 to this PC (Java Edition)
• UDP 19132 to this PC (Bedrock through Geyser)

Allow both ports in Windows Firewall for private and public networks too. Need a click-by-click router walkthrough? See Port forwarding.

8. Start the server and invite friends

Start the server again and leave the window open while people play.

• Java friends: Multiplayer → Direct Connection → your.public.ip:25565
• Bedrock friends (Windows Bedrock, phone, console): Servers → Add Server → same public IP, port 19132

Your public IP is the one your ISP gives the house (search “what is my IP” on that PC). It can change when the router restarts.

9. Whitelist before they join

Only people on the whitelist get in. A Java Minecraft name is not the same as an Xbox gamertag.

In the server window:

• Java friends: whitelist add TheirJavaName
• Bedrock friends (Floodgate): fwhitelist add TheirGamertag

Do not type Floodgate’s leading dot on the fwhitelist line. Use the gamertag only. Add people before they try to join.

If fwhitelist errors (Floodgate often cannot look someone up until they have joined a Geyser server before), temporarily type whitelist off, have them join once, then whitelist add ".Their_InGame_Name" (leading dot, spaces as underscores), then whitelist on.

If the server dies or friends bounce after an update

Only do this if you need it.

Out of memory / server vanishes: stop the server, then start it with more RAM using a batch file in the same folder. Create start.bat in Notepad with:

java -Xmx2G -Xms1G -jar server.jar
pause

Double-click start.bat instead of the jar. Raise 2G only if the PC has spare RAM.

Console friends bounce right after a Minecraft update: optionally drop ViaVersion into the plugins folder (same way you added Geyser). That helps older and newer clients talk to the same Paper build. Omnipass ships ViaVersion for that reason.

That’s enough for a small friends world at home. Your PC must stay on and connected. If you’d rather skip installing Java, plugins, and port forwards, omnipass.gg already runs Paper with Geyser and Floodgate on a Pass.

Not an official Minecraft product. Not approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft.