NetherNet Error in Minecraft Bedrock: Why You Can’t Join (and the Fix)
Bedrock 26.60 stopped connecting over RakNet on 27 October 2026. NetherNet needs TCP signaling plus UDP, so shared-port Geyser servers broke. What changed, the Geyser build you need, the exact config, and a symptom-by-symptom fix table.
October 29, 202610 min read
Share:
Share
On This Page
If a Bedrock friend suddenly can't join your server — it vanishes from their server list, or the join hangs and fails with a "NetherNet" error — you're not alone, and nothing is wrong with your world. Minecraft: Bedrock Edition changed how it connects to servers, and on 27 October 2026 the old way stopped working.
This guide explains what changed, why servers that worked last week broke, and exactly what to change to fix it — whether you run a Geyser crossplay server, a Bedrock Dedicated Server, or you're just a player trying to get in.
The short version
Bedrock 26.60 (released 27 October 2026) stopped connecting over RakNet, the UDP protocol Bedrock has always used for servers. Every Bedrock server now has to speak NetherNet.
NetherNet joins happen in two steps: a signaling request over TCP, then gameplay over WebRTC on UDP. RakNet was UDP only.
That TCP step is what breaks most Java + Bedrock crossplay servers: the Java server already owns the TCP side of its port, so Bedrock now needs a port of its own.
On Geyser, the fix is build 1273 or newer (Geyser 2.12.1) with NetherNet switched on. Build 1273 is the first that supports Bedrock 26.60.
The NetherNet code itself has been in Geyser since build 1237 — but switched off by default, which is why so many servers sailed past the warning and only broke on release day.
What NetherNet actually is
NetherNet is Mojang's newer Bedrock transport, built on WebRTC — the same technology browsers use for video calls. It was already the protocol behind Xbox Live sessions (joining a friend's world through your friends list); 26.60 makes it the only way to reach a server too.
Under RakNet, a Bedrock join was one thing: UDP packets to one port. Under NetherNet a join looks like this:
Signaling (TCP). The client makes an HTTP(S) request to the server's address and port to start the connection. The server list's message of the day and player count come through this step too.
Gameplay (UDP). The client and server set up a WebRTC connection and play over UDP.
So a Bedrock server now needs both TCP and UDP reachable. That single change explains almost every NetherNet error.
Why crossplay servers broke
For years the standard Geyser setup put Bedrock on the same port number as Java. Java uses only TCP, RakNet used only UDP, so clone-remote-port: true let both share — and Bedrock players typed exactly the same address as Java players.
NetherNet's signaling needs TCP on the Bedrock port. On a shared port, the Java server is already listening there, so Geyser's built-in signaling can't start. GeyserMC's own guidance is blunt: clone-remote-port does not work with built-in signaling. Geyser's fallback is to hand signaling to an external provider, which gives players a different, third-party address to connect to.
The practical fix is to give Bedrock its own port. That also means every Bedrock player has to update their saved server entry with the new port — the old entry points at the Java port and will never connect again.
How to fix it on a Geyser server
Check your build. Run geyser version in the console. You need build 1273 or newer for Bedrock 26.60 players. Anything older — even a NetherNet-capable build like 1254 or 1268 — tops out below 26.60, and updated players can't join.
Update Geyser (and Floodgate if you use it) for your platform: Paper/Spigot, Fabric, NeoForge, Velocity or BungeeCord.
Open that port for TCP and UDP — both, not just UDP as before. On a VPS that's a firewall rule for each; at home, a port forward for each.
Keep address on 0.0.0.0. A loopback address such as 127.0.0.1 stops NetherNet from starting.
Set your advertised address if the server is behind NAT or a proxy: your public IP or domain goes in the signaling advertise-addresses list.
Restart and test. Have a Bedrock player add the server with the new port.
If you still need older Bedrock clients for a while, transport: both accepts RakNet and NetherNet side by side — but then webrtc-port must be a separate UDP port from the Bedrock port.
Fabric and NeoForge servers: two extra traps
Fabric API is required. Geyser-Fabric and Floodgate-Fabric both depend on it, and Fabric refuses to boot without it. We hit exactly this crash moving a production Fabric server.
Not every Minecraft version has a NetherNet Geyser. On Paper and Spigot, NetherNet-capable Geyser builds cover Minecraft 1.20.5 and later. The Fabric and NeoForge builds that have NetherNet target newer Minecraft versions only — when we migrated our fleet, one Fabric 1.21.11 server simply had no NetherNet build to install. If that's you, the choice is moving to a newer Minecraft version, or to Paper.
Reading the symptoms
What the Bedrock player sees
Most likely cause
Server doesn't appear, or shows as unreachable, in the server list
TCP is blocked on the Bedrock port — the signaling step can't start
Server appears, but joining hangs then fails
UDP is blocked, or the server is advertising the wrong address
An outdated-server or version error
Geyser older than build 1273, or the player is on a Bedrock version older than 26.40
Worked yesterday, fails today, same address
The player's saved entry still uses the old shared port
A "Trust on first use?" prompt on first join
Normal — see below
On the server side, read the console right after Geyser starts. Current builds say in plain words when NetherNet is disabled, when built-in signaling can't use a port because Java already has it, or when RakNet and NetherNet have been given the same UDP port — each points straight at the config line to change.
The "trust" prompt is normal
Geyser's built-in signaling uses plain HTTP by default. When players connect by IP, or by a domain without HTTPS, Bedrock asks once whether to trust the server. For a server you know, accepting is expected — the game remembers it and checks it's the same server next time.
To make the prompt disappear, give built-in signaling a TLS certificate, put a reverse proxy with HTTPS in front of the signaling port, or use Warden, the free external signaling service run by Ziax (the team behind CubeCraft). External signaling also works when you can't open a TCP port at all — at the cost of players using the address Warden gives you, and a player count that updates periodically rather than live.
If you run a Bedrock Dedicated Server (no Java)
Mojang's own Bedrock Dedicated Server switched to NetherNet by default in 26.50, and in 26.60 its console warning about not using NetherNet becomes an error. Update BDS to the current release, make sure it is on NetherNet, and open the server port for TCP and UDP.
If you're just a player
If you get a NetherNet error joining someone else's server, the fix is almost always on their side — send them this page. On your side:
Update Minecraft. Servers on current Geyser support Bedrock 26.40 to 26.60; older versions can't join.
Re-add the server if the owner has given Bedrock a new port.
Try another network, such as a phone hotspot. WebRTC needs UDP, and some school, work and public networks block it.
On Xbox, PlayStation or Switch, there's still no built-in "add server" field for custom servers — that hasn't changed with NetherNet.
What we did, and what it took
On 22 October 2026 we moved every eligible Geyser crossplay server we host onto NetherNet: 19 servers in under an hour, each given a dedicated Bedrock port on the same IP and a Geyser config with transport: both, and each owner emailed their new Bedrock address. We hit two snags, and both are in the guide above — the Fabric API crash on one Fabric server, and one Fabric 1.21.11 server with no NetherNet Geyser build to install. Servers that were switched off stayed off; nothing was started without its owner.
That's what Minecraft crossplay server hosting does for you: switch on Crossplay in the dashboard and we install the right Geyser and Floodgate for your server software, reserve the Bedrock port, write the NetherNet config and restart. The dashboard shows the Java and Bedrock addresses side by side with a copy button, and after install it sends a real Bedrock ping to check Bedrock players can actually reach you. Crossplay costs nothing extra on any Minecraft server plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NetherNet error in Minecraft Bedrock?
It means your game couldn't complete a NetherNet connection to the server. Since Bedrock 26.60 (27 October 2026), NetherNet is the only way Bedrock connects to servers, and it needs TCP for signaling plus UDP for gameplay. Servers that haven't been updated, or that block one of those, produce the error.
Why can't I join a Java server from Bedrock anymore?
The server's Geyser is either older than build 1273 or still sharing the Java port. NetherNet needs a TCP port the Java server is already using, so Bedrock needs its own port, and every Bedrock player needs the new address.
Which Geyser version supports NetherNet?
Build 1237 was the first with NetherNet, switched off by default. For Bedrock 26.60 players you need build 1273 (Geyser 2.12.1, released 26 October 2026) or newer, which also makes NetherNet the default transport.
Do I need to open TCP and UDP for Bedrock now?
Yes. RakNet only needed UDP. NetherNet uses TCP for the signaling step and UDP for gameplay, so open both on the Bedrock port.
Can I keep RakNet for older Bedrock players?
Geyser's transport: both runs RakNet and NetherNet side by side, as long as webrtc-port is a separate UDP port. But Bedrock 26.60 clients won't use RakNet at all, so NetherNet has to be on either way.
Why does Bedrock ask me to trust the server?
Geyser's built-in signaling uses plain HTTP unless the owner adds HTTPS. The game asks once whether to trust the server and remembers your answer. Adding a certificate, an HTTPS reverse proxy or using Warden removes the prompt.