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Minecraft Play Offline Not Working

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Are you seeing the issue of Minecraft LAN not working on your Windows PC while playing the game? If so, then you don't have to worry about it because it is a common occurrence and can be fixed by some methods on your own.

Minecraft is quite a popular and old game. However, it is quite probable to come across certain issues while gaming at times. For instance, when you face the problem that Minecraft can't connect to LAN, then players are unable to establish connection with each other to play the game. There is no impact to the internet connectivity of the players though.

What is Causing the 'Minecraft LAN Not Working' Error?

Minecraft server problems will impact many platforms and while this game is basic in graphic design, you will find a Pocket Edition on Android, iOS, and other mobile devices to a console version. I purchased Minecraft, but it is not appearing in my Google Play Family Library. In the Google Play Store app, navigate to ‘My apps & Games'. Within the Minecraft details page turn on ‘Family Library'. I just figured out why minecraft wasnt working, it wasnt because of the firewall, but because in C: Windows System32 drivers etc i found a file called 'hosts' and when I opened with notepad, it showed a code to make minecraft offline and after that, I deleted the file for good and minecraft works just as good. To play offline just dont be connected to the internet and then play offline. Multimc gives you an option on startup to play offline however.

If you are wondering what leads to this abrupt problem then, the usual reasons behind it are:

  • All the gaming computers are not in the same network.
  • The Windows Defender Firewall is blocking the Minecraft game.
  • Other reasons.

Play Minecraft Offline Pc

We have therefore gathered some tips, tricks and troubleshooting methods to resolve the trouble of Minecraft LAN not showing up.

Troubleshooting Tips For Minecraft LAN Server Not Showing Up Error:

Following are the methods to resolve this issue effortlessly.

1. Check Windows Firewall

Sometimes your Windows Defender Firewall or third-party firewall may interfere with the Minecraft game and block it. This may cause LAN Minecraft to not work on your Windows PC. How can you check first of all if it's your Windows Firewall that's causing the issue and secondly, if it is then what can you do?

  • First go to Windows Defender Firewall from the Control Panel.
  • Next click on the option which says, 'Allow an app for feature through Windows Defender Firewall.'
  • This will open a new window where you have to verify if the 'javaw.exe' box is checked or not.
  • If not, then check the box by clicking the Change Settings button in the top.
  • Also, check other boxes if they are 'javaw.exe' entries along with the Private box and Public box.
  • Also, ensure to check the boxes next to Java (TM) Platform SE Binary and Minecraft.exe.

This should fix your problem, if not then move onto the next fix.

Read More: How to Fix Discord Screen Share Audio Not Working [Solved]

2. Check For Potential Issues

To identify why Minecraft LAN isn't working, ensure the following:

A.) Are All the Gaming Computers on The Same Network?

This is rather a simple step to perform when you get an error like 'Minecraft LAN is not working.' For playing the game with your friends, it becomes mandatory to connect all the gaming computers to a single network.

You can re-verify this and if this turns out to be the issue, then re-establish the connection to the same network.

B.) Are All Gamers Running The Same Version of Minecraft?

Once again if you run across the Minecraft LAN isn't showing up error, then it may be due to varying versions of the game used by different participants.

If you are running an older version and others are using a more recent version of the Minecraft game, then chances are that you will face the above-mentioned error.

To change the version details you can use the following path:

Minecraft Launcher > Edit Profile > Use version (From Dropdown Menu).

Now you can manually change the version to what others have been using and resolve the error for once and all.

C.) Do All Participants have the Same IP Address?

Another probable scenario when Minecraft can't connect to LAN error happens is when the mistakenly users are connected to a wired as well as wireless connection simultaneously.

This leads to the computer having more than one IP address. Therefore, connect to a single type of connection to prevent the occurrence of IP address variation from interrupting your gaming experience.

3. Try Direct Connect

If the above methods did not resolve the problem of Minecraft LAN not working, then perhaps the direct connect method may help.

Direct connect is possible by manually entering the IP address and game port number.

Wondering how to get the game port number? Read ahead to find it out:

  • Launch Minecraft and look at the bottom of the screen to spot the game port number.

The IP address of your system can be obtained easily and if you aren't already familiar with that then here's how to locate the IP address:

  • Open Command Prompt.
  • Type 'ipconfig' in the new window and press Enter.
  • Note down the IPv4 address of the associated network.

Finally, use the below steps to use the Direct Connect option:

  • Choose the Multiplayer option and click on Direct Connect on your computer to connect it to the LAN.
  • Enter the IPv4 address and game port number separated by a colon.

This should help you get the desired result.

4. Update Network Drivers

Now this is quite an obvious thing that outdated drivers mostly lead to common issues with PC performance and errors with games. Outdated, missing, and corrupted drivers lead to PC slow downs, crashes and freezing issues, and of course, Minecraft LAN not funcional issue.

Device drivers are a specific type of software that form a conjugation between the hardware or external programs and the operating system of the computer. Naturally, if the device drivers end up having some fault, then games, hardware devices, audio and video systems start malfunctioning.

Therefore, it is highly recommended by experts to have the device drivers up-to-date all the time.

System drivers can be automatically updated by installing a third-party driver update software that can initiate scans to check the status of the existing drivers, and if it detects any out-of-date driver software, then it will automatically look for the latest compatible genuine drivers online and install them on your system.

This way such driver updater tools are capable of maintaining the health of your PC and ensure that you are absolutely able to enjoy your games and videos on your machine.

Many smart driver updater programs can also backup and restore your device drivers.

5. Disable Antivirus Program

The antivirus software of your system ensures that you are safe from malware, hackers, and a plethora of online cyber threats. But sometimes, the antivirus solution in your PC may be the very cause of distress and issues.

Antivirus solutions sometimes interfere with the normal performance of the PC and may cause problems with system start up and games. If you see that Minecraft is not able to connect to LAN, then you can disable the antivirus program temporarily to see if that fixes the problem.

If this particular trick seems to be effective, then you can uninstall the particular antivirus tool from your system and try installing a more compatible program to defend your system.

6. Disable AP Isolation

This method of fixing Minecraft LAN not functioning issues is possible only when you are on Wi-Fi. Access Point Isolation is a security feature of some routers.

When this particular security feature is enabled then, it prevents devices connected to the wireless network from communicating with each other directly. Thus, your computer fails to communicate with the systems of other gamers.

Therefore, you can check if this security feature is enabled on your Wi-Fi router. If so, then, disable it and see if the problem is resolved completely.

Read More: What is Modern Setup Host and How to Fix It?

7. Try playing Minecraft without Mods

Our next suggestion to resolve the Minecraft LAN not working issue is to disable Mods if you are using them. Mods make players appear different in the game but occasionally they might be behind the abrupt problem.

8. Enable Network Discovery

Another ultimate solution to deal with Minecraft LAN not showing up is to enable the Network Discovery, so that Minecraft can listen to broadcasts.

  • Open Control Panel and go to the Network and Sharing Centre.
  • Click on 'Change advanced sharing settings.'
  • 'Turn on network discovery' feature located under the Private tab.

Concluding Words

With this I am wrapping up the article on Minecraft LAN not working problem. Hopefully, you found some of the above-suggested methods useful to deal with the LAN Minecraft not working issue.

If nothing seemed to be effective, then you can once try uninstalling and reinstalling the Minecraft game as this could ultimately fix this issue.

Do let us know if you are aware of any more methods, or if you have any other suggestions or ideas in the comments section below.

Summary :

When you encounter the Minecraft LAN not working issue on Windows 10, you are unable to play with your friends locally. How to fix it? Don't worry. This post from MiniTool will show you some fixes to Minecraft LAN not working.

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About Minecraft LAN Not Working Issue

Minecraft is a sandbox video game that has millions of players. It is a fantastic game that is available on various platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Xbox One, Switch, and PlayStation. It allows users to play with friends in multiplayer mode.

However, many players have reported Minecraft LAN not working issue which is one of the common problems of Minecraft in Windows. When this issue occurs, players can access the internet but cannot use the LAN connection to join friends to play the game.

The LAN not working Minecraft issue might come up when you are trying to open up the session to LAN after launch a single player world in the game. The LAN gaming sessions will not show up within the game and thus you cannot play Minecraft with your friends locally.

Why do you come across this problem? Generally, the LAN not working Minecraft can be caused by following reasons.

  • Computers are not in the same network.
  • Firewall blocked the incoming & outgoing connections of Minecraft.
  • Your antivirus program is interfering the LAN connection.
  • The AP Isolation feature is blocking the connection.

Minecraft Play Offline Not Working Remotely

What an irritating problem for you players, right? Then, what can you do if you are experiencing the same issue? In the following contents, you will learn about several specific solutions focusing on different reasons.

Related article: Minecraft System Requirements: Minimum and Recommended

Fix 1. Make Sure that Every Computer Is Connected to the Same Network

When you are unable to join a LAN session, check if every involved computer is connected to the same network. It's possible that you and other players are not connected to the same network, thus causing Minecraft LAN not working issue.

So, if you encounter Minecraft LAN not working, the first thing you should do is to check if you and other players are using the same network.

Fix 2. Check If Minecraft Is Blocked by Windows Firewall

The Minecraft LAN not working issue could occur when Minecraft is blocked by Windows Firewall. You can check Windows Firewall settings to ensure the Minecraft executable file is allowed in Firewall.

Step 1. Type control in the Windows 10 Cortana search box and click the best match Control Panel to open it.

Step 2. Set View by large icons. Then find and click the Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 3. Then click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.

Step 4. Click on Change Settings and start scrolling down the list. You need to make sure that the boxes next to javaw.exe, Java (TM) Platform SE binary, Minecraft are checked.

Step 5. Click OK to confirm the operation.

Minecraft Play Offline Not Working

After that, you can open your Minecraft and check if you can join LAN session successfully. If Minecraft LAN not working issue still exists, you can try disabling Windows Defender Firewall before playing the game, which has resolved the issue for some players.

To do that, just open Control Panel and enter Windows Defender Firewall interface again. Then, click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off in the left pane, and check Turn off Windows Defender Firewall option for both Private and Public network settings. Click OK to save the changes.

If you can play Minecraft LAN game now, it's nice. But if you still encounter Minecraft open to LAN not working, you might need to re-enable firewall and try the following solutions.

Fix 3. Try Direct Connect

You can try a direct connect by manually entering the IP address and the game port number. Now follow the steps below to get your IP address and game port number and then try a direct connect.

Step 1. Type CMD in the Windows 10 Cortana search box and click the best match Command Prompt to open it.

Step 2. In the command prompt window, type ipconfig and hit Enter.

Minecraft Play Offline Not Working Pc

Step 3. Find the network that you're currently connected to. Then note down the IPv4 address associated with the network.

Step 4. Launch Minecraft on the host computer. Note down the game port number at the bottom of the screen which shows Local game hosted on port xxxxx.

Step 5. On the computer that is trying to join the LAN party, choose Multiplayer and then click Direct Connect.

Step 6. Then enter the IP address and the game port number to make a direct connect. The two groups of number should be separated by semicolon, like '192.168.14.1:24960'.

In this way, the Minecraft LAN not working issue should be fixed.

Fix 4. Enable Network Discovery

As mentioned before, if the Network Discovery is disabled, it could give rise to Minecraft LAN not working issue, because this prevents Minecraft from listening to broadcasts. In this case, you can enable Network Discovery by following the steps below.

Step 1. Type Control in the Windows 10 Cortana search box and hit Enter. Click the best match Control Panel to open it.

Step 2. Click on Network and Internet and then click on Network and Sharing Center.

Step 3. Click on Change advanced sharingsettings.

Step 4. Expand the Private tab and check the Turn on network discovery feature. Minecraft pe for windows 8.

Step 5. Expand the Public tab and check the Turn on network discovery feature in the same way.

After that, try joining the Minecraft session again and check if the Minecraft LAN not working issue gets fixed.

Fix 5: Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus Software

Sometimes, certain antivirus applications might block your Minecraft from connecting LAN, according to the reports from users. So, you can try disabling them temporarily. If you are using the built-in Windows Defender antivirus, disable it as well. You can refer to the steps below:

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings app.

Step 2: Go to Update & Security > Windows Security and click Virus & threat protection in the right pane.

Step 3: Click Virus & threat protection settings and then toggle off the button under Real-time protection section in the new window.

After disabling all your antivirus programs, you can go to check if Minecraft open to LAN not working issue is fixed.

Fix 6: Turn off AP Isolation

If you are using Wi-Fi connection, perhaps your router applies the security feature AP (Access Point) Isolation. With this feature, users can connect to the internet from the same network, but they are unable to connect to each other. So, if AP Isolation is applied, you are very likely to encounter LAN not working Minecraft issue.

In this case, you just need to turn off AP Isolation feature. Here's how to do it.

Step 1: Find the IP address of your router/modem. Just execute the command ipconfig in Command Prompt, and the value of Default Gateway is the address of your router.

Step 2: Open your browser and type the IP address of your router/modem in the address bar and press Enter.

Step 3: Input your user credentials and log into your router's configuration page.

Step 4: Locate AP Isolation option and disable it. Note that this option might also be described as access point isolation, user isolation, client isolation, or enable wireless access point.

After disabling this security feature, you can restart your router and check if you can join LAN session in Minecraft now.

Fix 7: Update Your Network Drivers

In addition, it has been proven that outdated network driver might also lead to Minecraft Lan not working issue. So, your can try fix the problem by updating your network driver. A simple guide is displayed here for you.

Step 1: Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager to open the utility.

Step 2: Double-click Network adapters to expand it. Right-click your network driver and choose Update driver.

Step 3: Choose Search automatically for updated driver software option. Then, your Windows will search your computer and the Internet for the latest driver software for your device.

You just need to follow the onscreen instructions to completed the process. Once any available updates are download and installed successfully, restart your device and you should be able to play Minecraft LAN game now.

If you failed to update your network driver in this way, you can download the latest update from the official website of the driver and install it on your computer manually. Alternatively, you can also use a professional third-party program to detect any problematic drivers and update them automatically.

Related article: Top 5 Methods to Fix Windows 10 Network Adapter Missing

Fix 8: Try Playing Minecraft Without Mods

Some users would like to play Minecraft with mods which can make the gaming more fun. But this may cause certain problems such as unable to use LAN connection in Minecraft.

Minecraft Play Offline Not Working Windows 10

Therefore, you can try removing all the mods from the game to fix the problem. And you should make sure both you and your friends are not playing the game with mods.

Fix 9: Reinstall Your Minecraft

If the methods above fail to fix Minecraft LAN not working issue for you, perhaps there are certain problems with your Minecraft application itself.

To fix the problem in this case, you might need to completely uninstall your Minecraft, download the latest version from the official website, and reinstall it. To uninstall a program from your computer, you can refer to this post. Then, reconnect every involved computer and check if the issue has been removed.

Bottom Line

After reading this post, have you fixed the Minecraft LAN not working issue? Which method works for you? If you have better solutions, please don't hesitate to share them with us. You can leave a message in the comment zone below, or directly contact us via [email protected].

Minecraft LAN Not Working FAQ

There are several factors that should be responsible for Minecraft LAN not working issue, including:

  • Computers are not in the same network.
  • Firewall is blocking Java.
  • Network Discovery is disabled.
  • Antivirus software is interfering the LAN connection.
  • The AP Isolation feature is enabled.

Can t buy minecraft java edition. To play LAN on Minecraft, you just need to:

  1. Go to the Settings of Minecraft and click Open to LAN.
  2. Note down the displayed IP address.
  3. Choose Multiplayer and click Add server
  4. Input the server name and the IP address.

If you are unable to use the Multiplayer mode on Minecraft, the possible reasons are:

  • The Multiplayer Game option is disabled.
  • There are some problems with your network connection.
  • A certain program is blocking outgoing connections.
  • The server is full are offline.




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