Can Java and Bedrock Play Together? How Crossplay Works

Every way to play together, and which ones work

Mojang's guide to the two editions puts it plainly: both support online multiplayer, but they use different servers, so Java and Bedrock players can't play together. Here is what that means for each route a mixed group usually tries.

Why the two editions can't connect on their own

Java Edition runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Bedrock is the edition on consoles, phones and tablets, and on Windows too, which is how most groups end up split between them.

They look like the same game, but they are two separate programs, and each client talks to its own kind of server in its own network language. No setting in either game changes that. What bridges them is a translator running next to the server, and that is Geyser.

How Geyser and Floodgate make it work

Geyser translates Bedrock into Java

Geyser is a free, open-source project that translates every packet in both directions. It presents each Bedrock player to the server as a Java client, so the server treats them like anyone else, and redstone, farms and commands behave exactly as they do on Java.

It installs as a plugin on Paper or Spigot, a mod on Fabric or NeoForge, a plugin on a Velocity or BungeeCord proxy, or as a standalone program. Bedrock players connect over UDP, on port 19132 by default, while Java players keep the address they already use.

That makes the practical answer for a mixed group your own Java server running Geyser and Floodgate. Java players join on the usual address, Bedrock players add the same address with the Geyser port, and everyone plays in one world.

Versions matter more than usual here. On 30 September 2026, Geyser supports Bedrock 26.30 to 26.51 and joins the server as a Java 26.2 client, so the server has to accept 26.2 players. Mojang released Java 26.3 on 15 September, so check Geyser's supported versions page before you update. A Paper or Spigot server on an older version needs ViaVersion, and one older than 1.20.5 can't run the Geyser plugin at all.

Bedrock updates itself on every platform, and Geyser only accepts the Bedrock versions it lists, so update Geyser whenever a new Bedrock version comes out.

Floodgate removes the Java account requirement

Without Floodgate, every Bedrock player has to sign in with a paid Java Edition account to get past the server's login. Floodgate, a second plugin from the GeyserMC team, lets them join with their Bedrock account alone and shows their Bedrock skins to Java players.

Floodgate puts a dot in front of Bedrock names by default, so a player called Alex appears as .Alex. Use that full name in commands, and whitelist Bedrock players with /fwhitelist add followed by their Bedrock name once they have joined a Geyser server.

What Bedrock players can and can't do on a Java server

Everything that runs on the server works the Java way. The gaps are where the Bedrock client has no matching feature, and GeyserMC lists these as unfixable without changes from Mojang:

• Clickable links in chat
• The glowing effect
• Sweeping Edge and custom enchantments
• Telling left and right clicks apart in inventories
• Banner layers past the sixth
• Tab completion in the chat box

Mods are the bigger limit. Geyser only works with server-side mods, so a modded server that needs mods installed on every player's client can't take Bedrock players. Simple Voice Chat is out as well: it runs on Java Edition only, so anyone joining through Geyser plays without it.

When Java and Bedrock players lag at the same moment, look at the server itself. A spark profile read in our Spark report analyzer shows which plugin is taking up each tick, Geyser included.

To see what your Bedrock friends will get before you set anything up, GeyserMC runs a public test server: test.geysermc.org, port 19132 from Bedrock or 25565 from Java.

Phones and PCs join directly, consoles need a workaround

On a phone, tablet or Windows PC, a Bedrock player opens Play, goes to the Servers tab, picks Add Server and enters your address and the Geyser port.

Xbox, PlayStation and Switch have no field for a custom server address, so console players need one extra step. GeyserMC's console guide lists the usual workarounds: set the console's DNS to a BedrockConnect server, or broadcast the server as a LAN game from a phone or PC app such as BedrockTogether or MCCompanion.

Setting it up on your own server

Our Geyser setup guide walks through the install in the panel. On a Paper or Purpur server it comes down to five steps:

1. 1Run the server on a Java version Geyser supports, or add ViaVersion as above.
2. 2Open Plugins in the panel, search for Geyser, install it and restart the server.
3. 3In the Network tab, click Add to get a second port for Bedrock players. Put that number after port: in the bedrock section of plugins/Geyser-Spigot/config.yml. It carries UDP traffic, so it can't be the port Simple Voice Chat already uses.
4. 4Download Floodgate-Spigot from GeyserMC's download page, upload it to the plugins folder in the File Manager and restart. Then set auth-type to floodgate in Geyser's config.yml and restart again.
5. 5Run the connection test below in the server console, then have a Bedrock player add your address and the new port.

geyser connectiontest <your-address> <bedrock-port>

The server counts every Bedrock player as a Java player, so size it for your whole group rather than the Java half. The RAM calculator does that from your player count and server type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where to go next

If your group hasn't settled on an edition yet, our Java vs Bedrock comparison covers the other differences that matter for a server. If you already run a Java server, the setup above is two plugins, one extra port and a couple of restarts.