Minecraft is love! Minecraft is Life! That’s the motto of our Minecraft army, so when you can’t join your friend’s Minecraft world, it’s a serious bummer. Hello to everyone, whether you’re a casual Minecraft player or someone who lives and breathes the game. Chances are you’ve probably seen the dreadful error of doom of being unable to connect to the world.
If you have encountered this problem, worry not! We’ll tell you everything you need to know to rectify the situation. You’ll return shortly to join your friend’s Minecraft world and play the game with them. However, before looking at the possible solutions to the constant error, let’s first see the probable causes.
What’s Preventing You From Joining Your Friend’s Minecraft World?
So here’s a small breakdown of all the possible scenarios stopping you from joining your friend’s Minecraft world.
1. You Don’t Have Permission For Joining Your Friend’s Minecraft World
The first place to start is with the things you can quickly fix that are obvious. Often, people overlook this because they take it for granted, which you should never do. Anyway, one of the major reasons for seeing the connection error is that you don’t have permission to join their world’s server.
As for why permission isn’t allowed, external servers contain potentially harmful content that can damage your device. The default option on most devices denies permission to external Minecraft world servers.
How Do You Gain Permission To Join Your Friend’s Minecraft World To Fix The Error?
For Windows
- For Windows, you must log in to your Minecraft Account and head to the Profile Page.
- From the Profile Page, players must select the Privacy Settings menu.
- Within the Privacy Settings, players must scroll to find the Windows Online Safety and click on it.
- Inside Windows Online Safety, look for the option You Can Play Outside The Windows, and check Allow.
Following the above process will grant permission to join your friend’s Minecraft world on Windows.
For Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Consoles
The process for Xbox and PlayStation consoles and Nintendo Switch is similar, with minor differences.
- After logging into the Xbox Live account, PlayStation Network account, or My Nintendo account head to the Privacy settings.
- Jump into the Privacy Settings from the main Settings menu, find the You Can Join Multiplayer option, and select Allow.
- Also, choose Allow for the option of You Can Play Outside Of Xbox Live/PSN/My Nintendo.
2. Windows Firewall & Ant-Virus Software Are Preventing Access To The Game’s Multiplayer Servers
Windows firewalls and Anti-virus software tend to be restrictive and block multiplayer access to game servers. Perhaps if you’ve allowed permissions, and are still unable to connect, then the Windows Firewall settings and Anti-virus are to blame for preventing you from joining your friend’s Minecraft world.
Also, this issue will only arise for PC players, so all console owners can rest easy.
How To Gain Access To Multiplayer Servers From The Windows Firewall & Anti-Virus Software?
To stop Windows Firewall from interfering in your Minecraft multiplayer sessions, follow these 3 simple steps.
- After opening the Windows Firewall Settings, click on Allow An App Through The Firewall option.
- A list of Apps will show up; search for Minecraft. If Minecraft isn’t showing in the list, manually add it by clicking Add New App.
- Click OK and exit.
If you’ve followed the steps correctly, Windows Firewall will no longer stop you from connecting to your friend’s Minecraft World.
Now, let’s see how to deal with the pesky Anti-virus software that is butting in on your fun. In our experience, most Anti-virus software are finicky, so disabling them during your play sessions is better. Here’s how to do it.
- Open the Windows Updates & Security Panel, and head to Virus & Threat Protection settings.
- Click On Real-Time Protection to make sure it’s turned Off.
- After the Real-Time Protection is Off, close the settings and restart your PC.
3. The Minecraft Server You’re Trying to Join your Friend’s World On Is Blacklisted, Or You’re Blacklisted To Join A Specific Server
One of the many reasons you aren’t able to connect to your friend’s Minecraft world is that the server they’re using isn’t safe. All blacklisted servers in Minecraft automatically face connectivity issues to prevent any harm or malicious software from entering users’ PC or consoles.
On the flip side, it could be that you’re the one who’s blacklisted from joining a server. This could be because of a mistake or someone who doesn’t want you to join their server.
How To Fix The Issue Of Server and Personal Blacklisting?
Honestly, there is no direct way to fix the blacklisting of a server. Instead, you and your friend should create a new server that complies with the community standards of Minecraft. You should easily be able to connect to your friends’ new Minecraft world.
As for the issue of your own blacklisting, if it’s intentional, then nothing can be done about it. However, you can contact the Minecraft admin community and hosts of servers to see if you can be removed from the blacklist. As your friend, if they haven’t accidentally added you to the blacklist.
4. Outdated Versions Of Minecraft Or Drivers
Sometimes, players experience long connection lag when attempting to join their friend’s Minecraft world because they haven’t updated the game or the drivers on the PC. That’s right, it’s shocking to hear, but it’s true; some people don’t bother with updates. For whatever reason, if you’re one of them, maybe that’s why you’re not able to join your friends in Minecraft.
Another variation of this problem arises when one is using the latest version of Minecraft and the other isn’t. Connectivity problems can happen if that’s the case.
How To Fix Outdated Drivers & Minecraft Version?
The obvious way to deal with outdated versions of Minecraft and drivers is to look for all updates to the game as well as drivers and install them. Usually, the latest update will patch up the deficiencies, and you can start playing the game by joining your friend’s Minecraft world.
5. Friend-List Problems
In rare cases, if you’re still having trouble connecting to your friend’s Minecraft world, and it isn’t any of the prior discussed issues above, then it’s probably an error in the friend list of Minecraft.
Basically, either you or your friend, or maybe both, haven’t added the username correctly to the friends list in Minecraft. However, there are also times when the username is correctly added, but there are still problems.
How To Correct Friends List Problem?
If you haven’t added the proper username to the friends list in Minecraft, do it now. On the other hand, if you’ve done everything right and still facing problems, then remove the friend, and re-add them to your friend list.
Ask your friend to repeat this process, and 9 times out of 10, this will solve the issue of being unable to join your friend’s Minecraft world.
6. The Server You’re Joining Is Full, Is Invite Only, Or It Needs A Refresher
Sometimes, things are a hassle, and the explanation is so utterly bland that it’s embarrassing. In Minecraft, millions of players play the game with their friends daily.
Likely, the reason you aren’t able to join your friend’s Minecraft world is that it’s full. Another probable explanation is that your friend’s got a private server with invite-only entry.
However, there is a third possibility that the world you’re joining is neither full nor is it invite only. Under all three situations, there’s no error on your part, just slight oversights.
What To Do If The Minecraft Server Of Your Friend Is Full Or Invite-Only Or When Nothing Seems Wrong?
There’s nothing to do except wait for someone to leave the full server and keep trying until you’re in. As for the invite-only situation, you can ask your friend to send you an invitation that you can use to join them in their Minecraft world.
If neither of the two issues is causing the connectivity problem, and everything seems to be in order, then ask your friend to relaunch the world. Reconnect to your friend’s Minecraft world from your end, and you should be good to go.
Final Thoughts
Well, there you go, our two cents on why you can’t join your friend’s world in Minecraft. Let us know your thoughts and share your opinions on other problems gamers face in Minecraft. We love to hear from you, so talk to us in the comments below.
If you enjoy seeing similar content about games like Minecraft, we have plenty of things on offer. In particular, you’ll enjoy our list of The 8 Best Base-Building Games You Can Play Today.
