How to Fix the Minecraft ‘Server Connection Timed Out’ Error on Windows

Are you having problems with a ‘server connection timed out’ error on Minecraft? 

One of the best features of Minecraft is that it allows users to interact with one another through different servers. 

However, there could be times when users are unable to join any server on the game. This can cause problems as most users prefer to play the game online and interact with other users inside the same Minecraft world. 

The ‘server connection timed out’ error on Minecraft is often caused either by a firewall blocking the internet access of the game or third-party antivirus software that flags Minecraft as a suspicious program which restricts the game from connecting to its servers. 

 

 

In this guide, we are going to show you the most effective ways on how you can deal with this problem on your computer. 

Let’s get right into it. 

• 1. Check Minecraft Servers.
• 2. Reset Your Network Configurations.
• 3. Allow Minecraft on Your Firewall. 
• 4. Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus Software. 
• 5. Use Port Forwarding. 
• 6. Change Your Minecraft Version.
• 7. Use VPN Services. 

 

 

1. Check Minecraft Servers. 

If you are unable to join your favorite Minecraft server, the first thing that you should do is to check the status of the server. 

It is possible that the Minecraft server that you are trying to join is currently having issues that explain the connection timed out error message. 

To confirm this, you can follow the steps below to guide you on how to check the status of Minecraft servers. 

1. First, open your web browser and navigate to mcsrvstat.us, which is a free tool used for checking various Minecraft servers. 

 

2. Next, enter the IP of the server that you are trying to join. 
3. Lastly, click on the Get Server Status button. 

Now, wait for the result to come out and see if the server you are trying to join is indeed having issues as of the moment.

On the other hand, if the server is running normally, but you are still having problems connecting, then you can proceed to the next method below to try and fix the issue. 

 

 

2. Reset Your Network Configurations. 

Minecraft servers might be blocking your current IP address mistakenly, or you may have violated some of their guidelines which result in an IP ban. 

In this case, you can try resetting your network configurations so that you can obtain a new IP address on your network and fix any existing problems related to your network connection. 

Check out the steps below on how to do this:

1. On your computer, press on the Windows key + S and search for Command Prompt. 
2. After that, click on Run as Administrator to launch the Command Prompt as an admin. 

 

3. Now, inside the Command Prompt, execute the following commands one by one and hit Enter: 

• • ipconfig /release
  • ipconfig /flushdns 
  • ipconfig /renew
  • netsh int ip
  • netsh int ip set dns
  • netsh winsock reset

 

4. Lastly, close the Command Prompt and restart your computer. 

Once your computer has restarted, go back to Minecraft and try to join a server to see if the issue is already fixed. 

 

 

3. Allow Minecraft on Your Firewall. 

Just like what we said above, your firewall could be blocking Minecraft from accessing your internet connection which makes it impossible for the game to connect to its server, which results in an error message. 

To fix this, you should ensure that Minecraft is allowed on your firewall. 

1. On your keyboard, press on the Windows key + S and search for Windows Firewall. 
2. Next, click on Open.

 

3. After that, click on ‘Allow an App or Feature Through Windows Firewall’. 

 

4. Lastly, make sure that Minecraft is marked checked from the list of programs allowed to communicate through Windows Firewall. Click on Ok to save the changes. 

Now, restart your computer and try to connect to a Minecraft server once again to see if you would be able to join a server successfully. 

 

 

4. Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus Software. 

Third-party antivirus software works well in preventing malware and other types of viruses from infecting your system. However, these antivirus programs tend to be overprotective and flag down other programs on your computer as a suspicious application even if it’s not. 

Just like in the case of Minecraft, it is possible that your antivirus software blocks any form of connection to Minecraft when it attempts to join a public server on the game. In this case, what you can do is to disable your antivirus temporarily while playing the game to avoid any conflict with the game and your antivirus. 

Alternatively, you can permanently stop using any third-party antivirus program on your computer and just use the built-in Windows Defender on your system which works just as well to protect your computer from malware and viruses. 

 

 

5. Use Port Forwarding. 

Minecraft needs the port 25565 on your computer to be opened the whole time you are playing the game for it to function normally. Possibly, other programs try to use this port on your computer, which causes Minecraft to encounter error messages when connecting to a server. 

To fix this, you can try forwarding the port on your Firewall to keep it open the whole time. 

1. On your keyboard, press on Windows key + S and search for Windows Firewall. 
2. Next, click on Open to launch it. 

 

3. Inside the Windows Firewall, click on Advanced Settings. 

 

4. After that, click on Inbound Rules and hit the New Rule button. 

 

5. Now, select Ports from the selection and hit the Next button. 
6. Make sure that TCP is selected and click on Specific Local and type 25565 on the dialog box. 

 

7. Lastly, click on Next and make sure that Allow Connection is selected, then follow the prompts to save the changes. 

Once done, repeat the same steps but this time on the Outbound Rules. Restart your computer afterward and try to connect to a Minecraft server once again to see if the error message would still occur. 

However, if you are still having issues regarding the ‘server connection timed out’ error message on the game, you can proceed to the next method below to fix the problem. 

 

 

6. Change Your Minecraft Version. 

If you have experienced this issue after an update, then it is possible that the update on the game is problematic and may contain bugs or errors that cause problems with server connection on the game.

In this case, what you can try doing is to go back to the previous version of Minecraft that works well on your computer. 

1. On the Minecraft Launcher, click on the Installations tab. 
2. Next, click on the New button. 
3. Lastly, click on the Versions tab and select an older version of Minecraft. 

 

Now, the launcher will start downloading the version of Minecraft that you have selected. After completing the download, try to connect to a server using the older version of Minecraft to see if this fixes the issue on the game. 

 

 

7. Use VPN Services. 

Now for your last resort, you can try running a VPN service on your computer if you are still having issues connecting to Minecraft servers. It is possible that your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is blocking certain IP Addresses and websites that can cause conflicts with rules and regulations in your country. 

In this case, you can use a VPN service that can bypass these restrictions from your ISP so that you would be able to connect to your favorite Minecraft server. We recommend checking out our guide on the best VPN services that you can use, which also works well if you want to watch US Netflix outside the US. 

 

 

This sums up our guide on how to fix the ‘server connection timed out’ error message on Minecraft. 

If you know of any alternative solutions to this problem on Minecraft, feel free to share it below, and we will be sure to credit you with the solution the next time we update this post. 😀

 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂