Troubleshooting Minecraft port forwarding issues.
Troubleshooting Minecraft port forwarding issues.
Someone assist a sibling who spent too much time on this task. A router is linked to an access point using Ethernet, and then from the access point to your PC via Ethernet. You configured inbound and outbound rules on Windows Defender for TCP and UDP on port 25565. The router has port forwarding set for 25565 to the access point and vice versa. Your access point is also forwarding 25565 to your PC. You don’t have antivirus software installed. The Minecraft server operates on a local network when you don’t assign an IP address. When you set it to your IP (researched your IP), you encounter the error: [00:16:04] [Server thread/WARN]: **** FAILED TO BIND TO PORT! [00:16:04] [Server thread/WARN]: The exception was: java.net.BindException: Cannot assign requested address: bind [00:16:04] [Server thread/WARN]: Maybe a server is already running on that port? There are no servers running on that port. I have a static IP for my router, access point and PC. I can’t see what I’ve done wrong and troubleshooting by changing the port forwarding settings around, reinstalling the server and rebooting the router and access point has given me no results. Can someone guide me to resolve this?
The server.properties file should have the port configured as 25565 by default. Verify its value there.
This is not a port forwarding issue. Something on your machine is currently using port 25565. I seriously doubt there is not already a server running; either that, or you have some wack config, in which case we can't help unless you post it. Can you try with a vanilla Paper server?
Avoid configuring an IP address in server settings. Keep the default file unless you're certain of your actions.
If you don’t share your IP address with the server, others outside your local network won’t be able to join, which is why we need to enter it—this is exactly the purpose behind port forwarding.
Don't interfere with the server settings file. Focus on the local IP and port forwarding instead. It simplifies things by letting traffic flow in and out without needing constant adjustments. Keeping the local IP reserved helps avoid repeated changes after reboots. Just open the necessary ports and ensure 25565 is accessible through the firewall if needed. Avoid touching server properties unless you're certain.
The site led me astray by asking for my public IP address, which I should have used instead. My port forwarding isn’t functioning because the port checker shows it as closed, and I’m only able to reach the server via LAN. This suggests a problem with how my network is configured—specifically, I have my own router in my room. I require a stable connection with ample bandwidth for wireless VR, so my PC connects through an access point instead of directly to the router. The external MC client reports: "io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException: Connection timed out: no further information" and confirms the port is closed.
After extensive adjustments, it seems your PC is preventing connections because the server attempts to join and then immediately blocks the connection by closing the port. I set up rules in Windows Defender, but I’m unsure why that didn’t resolve the issue.