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Is Minecraft Cross-Platform? How to Set Up a Crossplay Server

Java and Bedrock are separate Minecraft editions, but a Paper or Spigot server running Geyser and Floodgate can let both play together. Follow the port, plugin, authentication and troubleshooting steps in this guide.
Length9 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Minecraft is cross-platform only with the right setup. Java Edition and Bedrock Edition are separate editions and do not connect to one another natively. To let Bedrock players join a Java server, run a compatible Java server such as Paper or Spigot with Geyser translating Bedrock traffic and Floodgate handling Bedrock authentication. You must also expose a Bedrock UDP port; opening only the usual Java TCP port is not enough.

Is Minecraft cross-platform?

There is no edition-wide crossplay switch. Java Edition and Bedrock Edition use different server protocols, so a normal Java server accepts Java clients and a normal Bedrock server accepts Bedrock clients. A Java player and a Bedrock player can share a world only when an additional bridge translates the Bedrock connection for a Java server.

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Connection Works by default? What is required
Java client to Java server Yes A normally configured Java server
Bedrock client to Bedrock server Yes A normally configured Bedrock server
Bedrock client to Java server No Geyser plus Floodgate on a supported Java server, with a Bedrock UDP port
Java client to a Bedrock Dedicated Server No The standalone Bedrock server does not provide the Java bridge described here

For most mixed-edition groups, the practical design is therefore a Java server running Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Pufferfish or Folia, with Geyser and Floodgate installed as plugins. This is an add-on layer, not native communication between the editions.

What Geyser and Floodgate each do

Geyser translates the connection

Geyser converts the Bedrock client’s network protocol into the Java protocol understood by the server. It is the part that allows a Bedrock client to address a Java server at all. Geyser-Spigot is designed for supported Bukkit-family server software; it is not a plugin for a vanilla, Forge or Fabric server.

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Floodgate supplies Bedrock authentication

Floodgate lets a Bedrock player authenticate without owning or presenting a Java account to the Java server. It does not replace Geyser. A public mixed-edition server normally needs both components: Geyser for protocol translation and Floodgate for the Bedrock login path.

Floodgate changes the identity that the Java server sees. Bedrock usernames receive a prefix, a dot by default. That altered name is important when you configure a whitelist, permissions, bans or other name-based controls: use the Floodgate-visible, dot-prefixed identity rather than assuming the unmodified Bedrock name will match.

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Check compatibility before installing anything

Supported server software

Java server software Geyser-Spigot route Implication
Paper Supported Use the plugin installation steps below
Spigot Supported Use the plugin installation steps below
Purpur Supported Use the plugin installation steps below
Pufferfish Supported Use the plugin installation steps below
Folia Supported Use the plugin installation steps below
Vanilla Not supported by Geyser-Spigot Choose compatible server software or a different Geyser deployment
Forge Not supported by Geyser-Spigot Do not place the Spigot plugin in a Forge server
Fabric Not supported by Geyser-Spigot Do not place the Spigot plugin in a Fabric server

Access and network prerequisites

  • You need filesystem or host-panel access to the Java server’s plugins directory and configuration files.
  • Get the Java server running normally before adding crossplay. The setup guides use TCP port 25565 for the Java connection as the starting point.
  • You need a second externally reachable path for Bedrock traffic: Bedrock uses UDP, not just the Java TCP connection.
  • On a shared host, check which ports your allocation actually provides. The commonly used Bedrock default, 19132, may already belong to another service.

How to set up a Geyser-Floodgate crossplay server

The following route assumes Paper or another supported Spigot-family server. Perform the first launch before editing generated files so that the server and plugins create their configuration directories.

1. Start the Java server on its own

  1. Install and launch your Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Pufferfish or Folia server using its normal startup procedure.
  2. Confirm that Java players can connect on the server’s configured Java address and TCP port. The commonly used starting port in these guides is 25565.
  3. Stop the server cleanly before adding or changing plugins. Crossplay troubleshooting is much easier when the underlying Java server already works.

2. Download and place both plugins

Download the current Geyser and Floodgate plugin JAR files from the official GeyserMC distribution and place both files in the server’s plugins folder. Do not put them in a client-side mods folder and do not install only one of the two for a public Bedrock-to-Java connection.

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Start the server once after copying the files. This first restart lets each plugin generate its configuration and key material. Read the startup log for load errors, then stop the server again before editing settings.

3. Point Geyser at the Java server

Open Geyser’s generated configuration while the server is stopped. Depending on the Geyser version, the Java destination section may be labelled remote or java; follow the label present in your file rather than adding a second, obsolete section.

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  • Set the destination address to the Java server address used by the local installation.
  • Set the destination port to the Java server’s listening port, commonly 25565 in this setup.
  • Set auth-type to floodgate.

The destination is the Java endpoint behind the bridge. It is not the public Bedrock port that players will enter later.

4. Choose and reserve the Bedrock port

Geyser needs its own Bedrock listener. You have two practical choices:

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Configuration How it works When to use it
Clone the Java port Set clone-remote-port: true. Bedrock uses the same port number as the Java endpoint, but over UDP. Useful when the host permits both TCP and UDP on that allocation.
Separate Bedrock allocation Leave cloning disabled and set the chosen number in the Geyser bedrock section. Required when the provider assigns a distinct UDP port or when sharing the Java number is not allowed.

Do not assume that 19132 is available on a shared host. If another instance already owns it, select the UDP allocation assigned to your server and use that number when connecting.

5. Open the UDP path

Create the firewall and, when applicable, router forwarding rule for the Bedrock port selected above. The protocol must be UDP. A rule that allows TCP 25565 can keep Java players online while every Bedrock attempt times out, because the protocols are different.

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For a home-hosted server, forward the selected UDP port from the router to the machine running Geyser and allow it through the operating-system firewall. For a hosted server, add the UDP allocation in the provider’s panel and then permit the same port in its firewall controls.

6. Restart and test

  1. Save the configuration and start the Java server.
  2. Watch the console for Geyser and Floodgate load messages and for any configuration error.
  3. One setup guide reports a geyser connectiontest console command. If that command exists in your installed version, use it to check reachability; command availability can vary by release.
  4. From a Bedrock client, enter the public server address and the Bedrock UDP port, not merely the Java port.
  5. Keep a Java client connected during the first test. That separates a general server outage from a Bedrock-specific listener or authentication problem.

Java and Bedrock ports at a glance

Purpose Transport Typical value in this setup Who uses it
Java server listener TCP 25565 Java clients and Geyser’s Java-side destination
Bedrock listener UDP Cloned Java number or a separate allocation such as 19132 when free Bedrock clients connecting through Geyser

The numbers are examples from the setup guidance, not universal requirements. Your host, router and server configuration determine the public values. What cannot change is the transport distinction: Java’s endpoint is TCP, while the Bedrock listener must accept UDP.

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Proxy networks: where Floodgate belongs

If players connect through BungeeCord, Waterfall or Velocity instead of directly to one backend, install Floodgate on the proxy and on every backend that receives the translated connection. Enable IP forwarding in the proxy. On Spigot backends, set bungeecord: true in spigot.yml.

This arrangement keeps the Bedrock identity and forwarding information available as a player moves between servers. Installing the authentication component only on one backend can produce a login that works at the proxy but fails when the player is sent onward.

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Identity, permissions and security

Account names are not identical

Floodgate’s default dot prefix is visible to the Java server. Apply that exact prefixed name when adding a Bedrock player to a whitelist or assigning a permission. A rule written for the unprefixed spelling can appear correct while still denying access.

Protect the Floodgate key

In a standalone Geyser installation, the Floodgate key file allows Bedrock accounts to bypass the Java account-authentication path. Treat it like a credential: restrict file permissions, do not publish it in a download, and do not send it to players. If you migrate the server, copy the key only through a trusted administrative channel and verify that the destination has the intended file.

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Troubleshooting: why Bedrock players cannot join a Java server

The connection times out immediately

  • Check that the player is using the Bedrock port selected in Geyser, not automatically assuming the Java port.
  • Confirm the firewall rule is UDP and targets the machine running Geyser.
  • On a home network, verify router forwarding and the server machine’s local address.
  • On shared hosting, confirm that the assigned UDP allocation is active and that another server has not claimed the default port.

The plugin starts, but Bedrock authentication fails

  • Confirm both Geyser and Floodgate loaded on the same server path.
  • Check that Geyser’s authentication value is exactly floodgate.
  • Review the startup log for a missing, unreadable or mismatched Floodgate key.

The server rejects the plugin or never creates a configuration

Geyser-Spigot requires one of the supported Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Pufferfish or Folia environments. A vanilla, Forge or Fabric server will not load this particular plugin route. Move to compatible server software or use a deployment designed for the software you actually run; do not keep retrying the same JAR in an unsupported environment.

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Java players connect, but Bedrock players are kicked after an update

Geyser follows the newest Java version. If your Paper or Spigot server is older than the Java protocol that Geyser expects, the setup may need ViaVersion so the server can understand the newer connection. Version compatibility is release-sensitive, so check the current Geyser and server documentation before changing protocol plugins.

A whitelisted Bedrock player receives an access-denied message

Look up the name as the Java server sees it. Floodgate normally adds a dot prefix, and whitelist or permission entries must use that prefixed identity.

A proxy connection works at the lobby but fails at a backend

Check the proxy arrangement: Floodgate belongs on the proxy and all relevant backends, IP forwarding must be enabled, and each Spigot backend must have bungeecord: true in spigot.yml.

A guide tells you to disable secure profiles

A dated Nitrado guide for Minecraft 1.19.1 and newer advises setting enforce-secure-profile=false in server.properties for Bedrock access. That instruction is version-sensitive and has not been established as a current universal requirement. Treat it as a troubleshooting experiment only after checking the setting against the versions you run; do not disable it automatically.

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Can you use Floodgate on a standalone Bedrock server?

No. Floodgate is not compatible with the standalone Bedrock Dedicated Server, which does not run plugins. That server type therefore cannot use the Paper/Spigot Geyser-Floodgate procedure described here. Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players joining a Bedrock server require a separate setup, and the configuration is not documented by the guides used for this procedure.

Keeping a crossplay server working after updates

  • Record the Java server version, Geyser version, Floodgate version and the two port assignments before updating.
  • Back up the Geyser and Floodgate configuration directories and the Floodgate key before replacing files.
  • Stop the server before editing configuration or swapping plugin JARs.
  • After an update, test a Java login first, then a Bedrock login, then whitelist and permission checks using a dot-prefixed Bedrock identity.
  • Recheck the remote/java section name because configuration keys can change between Geyser releases.
  • If the Java server remains on an older release while Geyser tracks a newer one, evaluate ViaVersion rather than assuming the bridge itself is broken.

Configuration checklist

  • Java server software is Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Pufferfish or Folia.
  • The Java server accepts normal Java connections before crossplay is added.
  • Both Geyser and Floodgate are in the correct plugins directory.
  • Geyser points to the Java server address and port.
  • auth-type is set to floodgate.
  • A Bedrock port is selected, either by clone-remote-port: true or through a separate bedrock allocation.
  • The selected Bedrock port is open for UDP through every firewall and router layer.
  • The Floodgate key remains private.
  • Whitelist and permission entries use Floodgate’s dot-prefixed names.
  • Proxy installations have Floodgate on the proxy and backends, IP forwarding enabled, and bungeecord: true where required.

With those pieces in place, the result is a Java server that accepts native Java players while Geyser translates Bedrock players into the same world and Floodgate supplies their authentication path. Without the bridge, the editions remain separate.

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