I'm having issues on enabling multiplayer mode on Minecraft

Question

I'm having issues on enabling multiplayer mode on Minecraft

unai guedes jimenez 0

After enabling the setting to be able to play multiplayer on the xbox configuration page, it still doesn't work even after rebooting my PC.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Thomas4-N 23,170 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello unai guedes jimenez,

Happy to help you get multiplayer working — before I point you at the fix, a couple of quick things would help, since the cause is usually different depending on the account setup:

Are you playing on PC or an Xbox console, and is it Java or Bedrock?
Is this account a child account, or is it (or was it ever) part of a Microsoft Family group?
What's the exact message you see when multiplayer fails?

In the meantime, the setting that actually matters lives here:

Go to Privacy & online safety > Xbox privacy > View details & customize > Communication & multiplayer
Set "You can join multiplayer games" to Allow (and "play with people outside Xbox" / cross-network too if relevant)
Then fully sign out of Minecraft and restart it — the change tends to need a fresh sign-in before it sticks, though it's usually minutes, not hours

Note that if the account is (or used to be) in a Family group, the organizer has to make that change, and sometimes the restriction lingers a bit even after the account's removed.

Thomas4-N 23,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-10T15:26:09.8+00:00

Hello unai guedes jimenez,

Just check in to see how things are going. Let me know if you need anything.
Emily 0 Reputation points

2026-11-08T17:54:22.3033333+00:00

I have the same problem. My account IS a child account; however, I was able to get my privacy settings changed to allow everything. When I open Bedrock and Java on my computer, it still tells me I can't access it because of parental controls. It has been 24 hours; I've restarted my computer, I've signed in and out of my Minecraft and Xbox account, and it still won't work.

Answer 2

Based on similar issues, multiplayer permission changes in the Xbox/Microsoft account settings can take time to propagate and may not apply immediately after toggling the setting or rebooting the PC.

A working pattern reported is:

Ensure the organizer (parent) account has set the child’s Xbox privacy/online safety setting “You can join multiplayer games – Play games with others in Xbox multiplayer” to Allow.
Sign out of Minecraft and any Xbox-related apps on the child’s device.
Wait up to 24 hours for the setting change to propagate across Xbox services.
After that period, sign back into the child’s account in Minecraft and try joining multiplayer again.

If the account is part of a Microsoft Family group and restrictions persist, another reported workaround is:

Add or keep the account in Microsoft Family Safety.
In Family Safety, disable all features and activity reporting for that member.
Sign in to the Xbox profile for that account and set all relevant Xbox and Windows 10 devices Online Safety options to Allow.
Sign out of Xbox games (such as Minecraft) on the PC, then restart the device and sign in again.

These steps have resolved cases where multiplayer remained blocked even after enabling the setting.

References: