Minecraft Connection Troubleshooting
Systematic fixes for connection timed out, refused, server not showing, and auth errors.
Connection Timed Out
This means traffic isn't reaching the server. The server might be running fine, but something between the player and the server is blocking the connection.
Check: Is the server running? Look for green "Online" status on the Dashboard.
Check the address. Copy the "Server Address" row from the Overview tab exactly - an IP address and a port together, such as 203.0.113.10:28100. Your port is assigned by the platform, so it is not 25565 and it always has to be typed.
Check the player is pasting the whole thing into the multiplayer "Direct Connection" field, port included.
If the player can connect from the same network but friends can't, it's usually a port forwarding or NAT issue. On GameGrid, we handle port forwarding - if this happens, contact support.
Connection Refused
This means the server isn't listening on the expected port. The server is either not running or is running on a different port.
Check the server status on the Dashboard. If it's "Starting," wait for it to finish. If it's "Failed," check the Console tab for errors.
Verify the address on the Overview tab. The port is part of it and is not optional.
Server Not Showing in Browser
The server list uses the query protocol to find servers. If your server doesn't appear:
Make sure enable-status is true in server.properties (default is true).
Wait 2-3 minutes after server startup. The server list takes time to refresh.
If players still can't find it, have them use "Direct Connect" with the IP:Port instead. This bypasses the server list entirely.
Failed to Verify Username
This happens when online-mode is true and the server can't reach Mojang's session servers to verify the player's account.
Check if Mojang's session servers are down: visit status.mojang.com or check community forums.
If you're running a standalone server (not behind a proxy), online-mode should be true. Don't set it to false - that allows anyone to join with any username.
If you're behind a proxy (BungeeCord, Velocity), the proxy should have online-mode=true and the backend servers should have online-mode=false. This is the correct setup for proxy networks.
When to Contact Support
If you've tried all the steps above and still can't connect, create a support ticket. Include:
Your server IP and port (from the Overview tab).
The exact error message the player sees.
The player's Minecraft version and client (Vanilla, Forge, Fabric, etc.).
Whether it affects all players or just one.
Whether direct connect works but the browser doesn't, or neither works.
A note on the Players count: the Overview tab reads it from the server itself with a Server List Ping, the same query the in-game multiplayer list uses. It shows a dash only when that ping gets no answer - for example if enable-status has been turned off in Settings. Run "list" in the Console tab to see who is actually connected.