How to make a Minecraft server for kids
To make a Minecraft server for kids, choose the edition they play, then lock the server to invited players before anyone else hears the address. It takes 6 steps:
- Check the devices. Kids on a PC play Java, kids on phones, tablets and Windows can play Bedrock, and a crossplay server takes both. Consoles have no Add Server button, so for Switch, Xbox or PlayStation read the Realms section below first.
- Order a small plan: 4 GB is enough for up to five players on vanilla Minecraft.
- Turn on the whitelist and add every child's username, as the next section shows.
- Set the game rules for the age of the players: PvP off, items kept after death, Peaceful or Easy difficulty.
- Share the address with the parents, not in a public chat or a video, and ask each of them to allow multiplayer for their child.
- Schedule a backup, so a burnt house is one restore away. Our guide to Minecraft server backups shows how.
How to keep strangers off a kids' Minecraft server
To keep strangers off a kids' Minecraft server, put every child on the whitelist: 2 console commands on Java, whitelist on and whitelist add <name>, or allowlist add <name> on Bedrock. Anyone who finds the address but is not on the list cannot get in. Add enforce-whitelist=true to server.properties, so a player you remove is kicked right away.
Since Java 26.3 the whitelist is already on in a new server, so add yourself as well. Our guide to the Minecraft server whitelist covers every command, including Floodgate's for Bedrock players on a crossplay server.
How to set up parental controls for Minecraft multiplayer
Parental controls for Minecraft multiplayer sit in the child's Microsoft account, not on the server: a child account, which is every account for someone under 16 in the US and the EU, can only join a server once a parent allows it. Minecraft's own guide describes 3 steps:
- Sign in at account.xbox.com/settings with the parent account and choose the child's account.
- Under Online Safety, choose Allow for “You can join multiplayer games”.
- Under Privacy, set “Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites” to Everyone, Friends or Block.
These settings follow the child to every device, because Java, Bedrock and Realms all use the Microsoft account. Minecraft's parental controls guide has the details, and Nintendo and PlayStation have their own controls on top.
Best Minecraft server settings for kids
The best Minecraft server settings for kids are 4 game rules and 1 line in server.properties. Type the game rules in the console on Java 1.21.11 or newer:
gamerule pvp false: players cannot hurt each other.gamerule keep_inventory true: nobody loses their things when they die.gamerule mob_griefing false: creepers no longer blow holes in builds.gamerule tnt_explodes false: TNT no longer explodes.difficulty=peacefulin server.properties for the youngest players, ordifficulty=easyonce they want some danger.
Older Java versions spell the rules keepInventory and mobGriefing, and before 1.21.9 PvP is switched off with pvp=false in server.properties. On Bedrock the same rules are called pvp, keepinventory, mobgriefing and tntexplodes.
Is a Realm better than a server for kids?
A Realm is better than your own server for kids who play on Switch, Xbox or PlayStation, because consoles join a Bedrock Realm straight from the game, while a custom server needs a workaround. A Bedrock Realm costs US$3.99 a month for you and 2 friends, and Realms Plus US$7.99 for you and 10, in the US store.
Your own server wins when the group is bigger, when kids on Java and on Bedrock want to play together, or when you want plugins such as land claims. Our pages on the Realms alternative and on a Minecraft server for Xbox, PlayStation and Switch compare both in more detail.
How to keep chat safe on a kids' Minecraft server
Chat on a kids' Minecraft server stays safe with 3 layers: the whitelist keeps strangers out, each parent's Privacy setting limits who can talk to their child, and Java's Player Reporting tool, there since 1.19.1, works on private servers too. From the pause menu, Player Reporting lets a child hide another player's messages or report them to Minecraft's moderators.
Keep enforce-secure-profile=true, the default, in server.properties. Without it chat messages are unsigned and cannot be reported.
How much RAM does a Minecraft server for kids need?
A Minecraft server for kids needs about 4 GB of RAM for up to five players and 6 GB for up to ten on vanilla, by the finder's rule. Land claims and a few other plugins add a little, and a crossplay server needs the same memory as a Java one.
| Server | Players online | RAM needed | Plan size | Lowest price for that size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siblings and a friend | 2 to 5 | 4 GB | 4 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Starter, €3.20 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| A group of friends | 6 to 10 | 6 GB | 8 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus, €6.40 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| Friends with land claims | 6 to 10 | 7 GB | 8 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus, €6.40 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
Best Minecraft server hosting for kids
The best Minecraft server hosting for kids is a 4 GB crossplay plan, so kids on a PC, a phone or a tablet play in one world:
For 2 to 5 players with vanilla Minecraft on Java and Bedrock in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Cheapest Minecraft Hosting Starter: 4 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €3.20 a month when you pay monthly. The best plans at the other two hosts are Astroworld Mini Crossplay at €16.70 and Lodehost Starter Crossplay at €17.95.