This guide walks you through connecting to your Minecraft server hosted on Legion Hosting. It covers Java Edition, Bedrock Edition, and modded servers — including what to do when the connection fails.
Prerequisites
- An active Minecraft server with Legion Hosting
- Your server's IP address and port from GPanel (log in at gpanel.legionhosting.net, click your server, and note the
IP:Portshown on the Console page) - Your server must be in Running status before anyone can connect
- For modded servers: the same mod loader (Forge or Fabric) and the same mods installed on the client
Step 1 — Confirm Your Server Is Running
- Log in to GPanel and click your server.
- On the Console tab, check the status indicator in the top-right area of the panel.
- It must show Running. If it shows Offline, click Start and wait for the server to finish loading — this typically takes 30–90 seconds for a vanilla server and longer for modded.
- Copy the full
IP:Portaddress shown near the top of the Console page (for example,192.0.2.10:25565).
Step 2 — Connect from Java Edition
- Open the Minecraft launcher and start Minecraft: Java Edition.
- From the main menu, click Multiplayer.
- Click Add Server.
- In the Server Name field, enter any label you like (for example, My Legion Server).
- In the Server Address field, paste the full
IP:Portaddress from GPanel — for example,192.0.2.10:25565. - Click Done. The server will appear in your list.
- Double-click the server entry (or select it and click Join Server) to connect.
IP:Port format. Entering only the IP address will cause a connection failure because Minecraft will try port 25565 by default.
Step 3 — Connect from Bedrock Edition
Bedrock Edition uses a slightly different flow and separates the IP and port into two fields.
- Open Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (Windows 10/11 Edition, mobile, console, etc.).
- From the main menu, click or tap Play.
- Select the Servers tab at the top of the screen.
- Scroll to the bottom of the server list and click Add Server.
- In the Server Name field, enter any label you like.
- In the Server Address field, enter only the IP part (everything before the colon), for example
192.0.2.10. - In the Port field, enter only the number after the colon, for example
19132. The default Bedrock port is19132, but your server may use a different port — check GPanel. - Click Save, then click the server entry to connect.
Step 4 — Connecting to a Modded Server (Forge / Fabric)
Modded servers require matching setup on the client side. The connection process itself is the same as vanilla Java Edition, but the client must be prepared correctly first.
Install the Same Mod Loader
- Find out which mod loader your server uses — Forge or Fabric — and the exact version number. You can see this in GPanel on the Console page or by asking whoever set up the server.
- Download the matching loader installer:
- Forge: files.minecraftforge.net
- Fabric: fabricmc.net/use/installer
- Run the installer. It will add a new profile to the Minecraft launcher.
- Open the Minecraft launcher and select the new Forge or Fabric profile from the profile drop-down before launching.
Install the Same Mods
- Obtain the exact same mod files that are installed on the server. The mod names, versions, and Minecraft version must all match.
- Open your Minecraft mods folder:
- Windows: Press Win + R, type
%appdata%\.minecraft\mods, and press Enter. - macOS: Open Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G, and enter
~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/mods.
- Windows: Press Win + R, type
- Copy the mod
.jarfiles into the mods folder. - Launch Minecraft using the Forge or Fabric profile, then connect to the server using the same steps as Step 2.
Verification
After following the steps above, confirm the connection is working correctly:
- You should appear in the game world within a few seconds of clicking Join Server.
- Open the in-game player list (default key: Tab) — your username should appear.
- For modded servers, confirm the mods are active by checking for mod-specific items, blocks, or menu options in-game.
- If you are a server admin, return to GPanel and check the Console tab — you should see a log line such as
[Server thread/INFO]: YourUsername joined the game.
Troubleshooting
Connection timed out or refused
- Confirm the server status in GPanel shows Running. If it is starting, wait for it to finish fully loading.
- Double-check that you copied the full
IP:Portincluding the port number and that there are no extra spaces. - Try removing and re-adding the server in the multiplayer menu to rule out a cached bad address.
- If the server was just started or restarted, wait 1–2 minutes and try again.
"Can't connect to server" on the multiplayer list
This message appears when the client cannot reach the server at all. Common causes:
- The server is offline — start it from GPanel.
- The port number is wrong — verify the exact port in the Network tab of GPanel.
- You are trying to connect with Bedrock to a Java server (or vice versa) — they are not compatible.
Kicked with "You are not whitelisted on this server"
The server has whitelist mode enabled. A server admin must add your Minecraft username to the whitelist. In GPanel, go to the Console tab and run the command /whitelist add YourUsername. Alternatively, disable the whitelist entirely with /whitelist off.
Mod mismatch error on connection screen
Minecraft will display a list of mods that are present on the server but missing from your client, or mods you have that the server does not. Fix this by:
- Comparing your client mods folder to the server's mods folder (visible via SFTP in GPanel).
- Adding any missing mods to your client or removing any extra mods.
- Ensuring the mod loader version on the client matches the server exactly.
Wrong game version error
Minecraft requires the client and server to run the same game version. Check which version the server is running in GPanel (visible in the Console startup logs or the server egg name), then select that same version profile in the Minecraft launcher before connecting.
Bedrock players cannot see the server in the Friends tab
The Friends tab in Bedrock only shows Realms and locally discovered LAN servers. For a hosted server, players must always use the manual Add Server flow described in Step 3. The server will not appear automatically.