Why You Can't Join LAN Worlds in Minecraft and How to Fix It

You’re sitting in the same room. Both laptops are humming. One of you hits "Open to LAN," and then... nothing. The other player stares at a scanning screen that never finds a soul. It’s one of the most frustrating rites of passage in gaming. Learning how to join lan worlds in minecraft should be as simple as plugging in a toaster, but between firewall hiccups, version mismatches, and the chaos of IP addresses, it rarely is.

Minecraft has changed a lot since Notch first released it, but the way it handles local networking still feels stuck in 2011. You aren't doing anything "wrong" necessarily. Most of the time, the game is just talking to your router in a language the router doesn't want to hear.

Let’s get the basics out of the way first. LAN stands for Local Area Network. This means you and your friends must be on the same Wi-Fi or connected to the same physical router via Ethernet cables. If you're trying to play with someone three houses down, you aren't looking for a LAN setup—you’re looking for a server or a Realm.

The Actual Steps to Hosting a Local Game

Most people know the button exists, but let's walk through the sequence because the order actually matters for your PC’s visibility.

First, the host needs to load into their single-player world. Once you’re standing in your dirt hut or mega-mansion, hit Escape and click Open to LAN. Here, you’ll pick the game mode (Survival, Creative, etc.) and whether you want to allow cheats. When you click Start LAN World, Minecraft will spit out a five-digit port number in the chat box.

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Write that number down. Seriously.

Now, on the second computer, you go to Multiplayer. In a perfect world, the game appears at the bottom of the list under a "LAN Games" header. You click it, you join, and you start punching trees together. But we don't live in a perfect world. We live in a world where Windows Defender exists.

Why Your Friend’s Game Isn't Showing Up

If the scanning process fails, it’s usually because of a "handshake" error. Your friend's computer is shouting "I'm here!" but your computer has its fingers in its ears.

Ninety percent of the time, this is a Firewall issue. Windows is notoriously overprotective of Java. When you first installed Minecraft, a little box probably popped up asking for permission to use Public and Private networks. Most people click "Cancel" or "Public only" because they’re in a rush. That's the killer.

To fix this, you have to go into your Control Panel, find System and Security, and look for Allow an app through Windows Firewall. You need to find every instance of "javaw.exe" or "Java(TM) Platform SE binary" and make sure both the Private and Public boxes are checked. If you have three or four versions of Java listed, check them all. It’s messy, but it’s the only way to be sure.

The Direct Connect Trick (The Fail-Safe)

If the game still won't show up in the list, stop waiting for the auto-scan. It’s unreliable. You need to use the Direct Connect button. This is the "brute force" method of how to join lan worlds in minecraft, and it works when everything else fails.

To do this, the host needs to find their IPv4 Address. On Windows, you do this by:

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1. Pressing the Windows Key + R.
2. Typing cmd and hitting Enter.
3. Typing ipconfig in the black box and hitting Enter.
4. Looking for the line that says "IPv4 Address." It usually looks like 192.168.1.XX.

Now, the person trying to join goes to the Multiplayer menu and clicks Direct Connect. They need to type the host's IPv4 address, followed by a colon, followed by that five-digit port number the host saw earlier.

It should look something like this: 192.168.1.15:54321.

This bypasses the game’s "discovery" phase and tells your computer exactly where to go. If this doesn't work, you likely have a third-party antivirus like Norton or McAfee blocking the connection, or your router has "AP Isolation" turned on, which prevents wireless devices from talking to each other.

The Version Mismatch Trap

Minecraft is picky. If the host is running Version 1.20.1 and the guest is running 1.20.4, it won't work. Even a tiny sub-version difference can break the connection. Honestly, it’s best to just ensure both players are using the exact same installation profile in the Minecraft Launcher.

Mods complicate this even further. If you're using Forge or Fabric, both players need the exact same mod list. If one person has "Just Enough Items" and the other doesn't, the server might let you in, but it’ll probably kick you the moment you open an inventory. For a smooth experience, use a pre-built modpack or sync your mods folders via a USB drive before you start.

AP Isolation and Router Settings

Sometimes the problem isn't the PC at all. It’s the router. Some modern routers—especially those provided by ISPs—have a feature called Access Point (AP) Isolation.

This is a security feature meant for public Wi-Fi. It makes it so that even if you and I are both on the same "Starbucks_WiFi," my laptop can't see yours. In a home setting, this is annoying. You’ll need to log into your router’s admin panel (usually by typing 192.168.1.1 into a browser) and make sure "Wireless Isolation" or "AP Isolation" is disabled.

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What About Bedrock Edition?

Joining LAN worlds on Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (Consoles, Mobile, and Windows 10/11 version) is much, much easier than on Java Edition. Since Bedrock uses Xbox Live accounts as a backbone, you don't usually have to mess with IP addresses.

As long as you are "Friends" on Xbox Live and on the same Wi-Fi, the world should simply pop up under the Friends tab in the Play menu. If it doesn't, check the "Visible to LAN Players" toggle in the world settings before you launch the map. It’s a simple on/off switch that people often forget to flip.

The VPN Problem

Are you using a VPN? Turn it off.

VPNs like NordVPN or ExpressVPN create a virtual network adapter that confuses Minecraft. The game might try to host the LAN world on the VPN’s network instead of your actual home network. If your IP address starts with something weird because of a tunnel, your friend's PC won't be able to find you. Disable the VPN on both machines before trying to connect.

Essential Checklist for a Connection

Before you give up and play separately, run through this mental list.

• Are both PCs on the same Wi-Fi network? (Check if one is on the "5G" version and one is on the "2.4G" version—sometimes routers treat these as separate networks).
• Is the host’s game actually open to LAN?
• Did the guest try typing the IP and Port manually into Direct Connect?
• Is the Windows Firewall set to "Allow" for Java on both Public and Private?
• Are the version numbers in the bottom left of the main menu identical?

If you've done all that and it's still failing, there might be a deeper network conflict, but 99% of players will find success with the Direct Connection method.

Actions to Take Now

To get your LAN game running right now, follow these definitive steps:

1. Sync Versions: Both players should restart their launchers and ensure they are selecting the same "Latest Release" or specific version number.
2. Verify the Network: Ensure no one is on a "Guest" Wi-Fi network, as these usually block local device communication.
3. Find the IP: Use the ipconfig command on the host machine to get the IPv4 address immediately.
4. Open the Port: The host opens the world to LAN and keeps the chat window open to see the port number.
5. Direct Join: The guest uses the IP:Port format in the Direct Connect menu to bypass the buggy auto-discovery feature.
6. Firewall Check: If the connection times out, go to Windows Firewall settings and manually allow "javaw.exe" for all network types.

By following this manual override approach, you bypass the automated systems that usually cause Minecraft's networking to hang. This ensures a stable connection for hours of building and exploring without the game "dropping" the local host.