Here’s What Unknown Host in Minecraft Means & How To Fix It
One of the best parts of Minecraft is that you can connect with a bigger community of like-minded players and take part in creating wonders in this vast world. To play with other players, you need to be on a server, and most of the time, the process of connecting to one is straightforward and effortless. But sometimes, various issues can arise from mistakes made on our side and from errors on the server side. One of the most common errors you will encounter is “Unknown Host, failed to connect.” let’s see what it means & how to fix it.
Editor’s Note: This guide has been updated on October 2, 2023, and reflects the most current state of the game.
“Uknown Host” is a pretty vague connectivity error
We’ve all been there. We’re trying to play some Minecraft with our friends only to be greeted by the message “failed to connect to the server, unknown host.” First, we check our internet connection and determine that everything is okay connection-wise. Then, we basically hit a wall when it comes to resolving it.
“Uknown Host” is one of the vaguest errors you can get, and it basically means that you can’t currently be properly forwarded to the server, and as far as your device is concerned, the server doesn’t exist, and you can’t share data with it.
So what could cause such a thing?
You might be getting an Unknown Host error if the server is online and malfunctioning
This is, unfortunately, the second most common thing that results in an “unknown host” error and it’s completely out of your hands. What you’re doing when you connect to a server, you’re basically connecting to another computer online. If that computer is offline, well, you can’t access anything on it, including your Minecraft world.
If you get this error and everything is alright on your end, try contacting the server admin to check out whether the server is even live at the moment.
Maybe you’ve entered the wrong name
Mistyping the server name or IP is the most common problem, and this is conveniently the easiest error to show. If you’ve repeatedly gotten an “Unknown Host” error, try checking your info. Maybe you’ve missed a number, a period, or a slash. Review your login info, and hopefully, you’ve mistyped something and will be able to redeem the issue in no time.
Your outgoing Minecraft connection might be blocked by a firewall
If you’re having Firewall issues, the chances are Minecraft won’t be the only game affected. If you’re experiencing similar issues with other applications, it could be a broader connection issue. While troubleshooting may not be straightforward, resolving it is as simple as following our next steps:
- Type Firewall into Windows Search.
- There should be a bunch of options that appear on a list. You should choose “Allow an app through Windows Firewall.”
- Locate Minecraft on the list of apps and check the “public” and “private” boxes.
- Save your current settings by selecting “OK.”
Unknown Host errors may sometimes be a result of incompatible game versions
Minecraft has tons of versions and subversions, and not all of them are compatible. In fact, most of them aren’t. For example, if you’re friend is running a Minecraft Bedrock Server and you’re trying to access the server with Java Edition Minecraft, you won’t be able to play with him.
Unfortunately, this error is not possible to resolve. The only thing you can do is switch to Minecraft Bedrock or your friend to Minecraft Java.
You might be having issues with your Custom Domain
If you have a Custom Domain and you’re facing this issue, and none of the above-mentioned steps work, it’s likely that you’re problems are specific and require case-by-case revision. Also, make sure that you’re Custom Domain hasn’t expired and that it’s still active.
lastly, contact the support team
If you’re playing on a platform and all the above-mentioned solutions turn out to be wrong, you should contact the support team. It might take some time and might result in some hassle, but ultimately the service provider is the only one who can both troubleshoot and resolve problems of a serious nature.
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