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As of early 2018, Minecraft had sold more than 144 million copies, making it the second-best-selling videogame of all time.

Why is it so beloved? It's more than a videogame. It's an educational tool that teaches kids how to code, how to solve problems and how to exercise creativity. Mod developers can also expand the platform.

If you're new to the game go ahead and purchase it and get started. But if you want to enjoy the full Minecraft experience, you'll need to set up your own private Minecraft server.

This guide will walk you through how to set up a Minecraft server on Windows or Mac. If you already have a server from us, these steps will allow you to set it up and begin playing.

How to create a Minecraft server for Windows, Mac, or Linux

At the very core, these are the steps you'll need to follow to set up a Minecraft server:

1. Java 2 is the most recent version. Choose a location for your server 3. Download the Minecraft server software 4. Start the Minecraft server 5. Check to ensure that your server is accessible

Take a look at your options

If you want to run a Minecraft server from home, make sure you have a powerful system that allows it to run smoothly.

If you don't wish to host your server at your home for security reasons, or any other reason you have, you can use a provider that hosts game servers. A Dedicated Server from Heart Internet can be a great choice. It keeps your home network from being exposed to the world while also saving you the hassle of managing the server hardware.

Let's get to it!

Setting up a Minecraft server on Windows

Java - Get the most recent version

Minecraft is a Java-based video game. Make sure you have the most recent version of Java. Go to java.com/en/download to download the latest Java version and install it.

Next, you will need to select the location where you would like to set up and manage the server. We recommend creating a separate folder to store all the files.

Once you've chosen a location, go ahead and download the latest Minecraft server setup software from the official site.

It will be downloaded as a.jar. Double-click the file to start the server.

You must also agree to the EULA agreement. You can do that by editing the eula.txt file and changing eula=false to eula=true.

Now you're ready to start the Minecraft server.

Go to the Minecraft server folder where you installed the server files and initiate the server by executing this command:

Another option is to double-click the .jar file again to start the server. In this case, you might need to allow the Minecraft server through the firewall.

That's it. Now that your server is running, you can start inviting people to connect to your server via your local IP address or via your external/ public IP address.

Enter your IP address into the Minecraft Server Status Checker to check if your server is accessible.

Mac OS X: How to set up a Minecraft server

Java can be installed or updated

Java is included by default when you use a newer MacOS version. If you are using an older version of MacOS, you might need to download and install legacy Java version from Apple's website.

Create a dedicated folder for all your Minecraft server files so everything is organised and easy to find.

Download the Minecraft server setup software from the official website.

This downloads as an.jar file. Save it at the location specified in the previous steps.

Next, open TextEdit. Change the format to plaintext. Copy and paste these instructions into your file:

exec java -Xms1024M -Xmx1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui

Save the file as start.command in the same folder where the other Minecraft server setup files are located.

To make it work, you'll need to grant permission.

Open the Terminal and type chmod a+x with a space after the command. Drag and drop the start.command file to the terminal window and hit enter. Thinkofdeath

Start the server

Double-click the start.command folder to open a new terminal window.

You may get errors messages and/or missing file warnings when you first run the server. This is normal, and there's nothing to be alarmed about.

You are now done! Now your server is up and running.

Verify that your server has internet access

Don't forget to enter your IP address into the Minecraft Server Status Checker to check if your server is accessible.

Setting up a Minecraft server on Linux

As I mentioned, hosting a server at home is not something you want to do. Instead, you can opt for a game server hosting plan such as a Dedicated Server from Heart Internet.

For these next steps, you'll need to connect to your hosting with SSH. If you aren't familiar with the process, the support article explains it.

Once you have SSH'd into your host with the root user, enter these commands:

This will return a list containing the OpenJDK package that can be used to install Java. Let's select openjdk-7.jdk which is the OpenJDK 7 development kit.

Use the following command to update the list of packages from the remote repositories:

Next, install the selected software package:

Now simply press "Y" to authorise the required storage space for installation.

Choose a location for your Minecraft server files

Create a new folder on your host where you'd like to save all your Minecraft server files. Then go to that folder.