Welcome to this tutorial on connecting to a Minecraft server. Minecraft servers allow players to join multiplayer worlds where they can play together. To get started, first launch the Minecraft game. Once the game is open, you'll see the main menu. From here, click on the Multiplayer button, which is highlighted on the screen.
After clicking on Multiplayer, you'll see the server list screen. Since we want to add a new server, click on the 'Add Server' button. This will open a dialog where you can enter the server information. First, give your server a name - this can be anything you want to help you remember the server. Next, enter the server address, which is either an IP address like 192.168.1.1 or a domain name like mc.server.com. This address must be provided by the server owner. Once you've entered both pieces of information, click the 'Done' button to save the server to your list.
After adding the server, it will appear in your server list. Select the server by clicking on it - it should be highlighted with a yellow border. Then click the 'Join Server' button at the bottom of the screen. The game will now attempt to connect to the server. You'll see a loading screen while the connection is established and the world data is downloaded. This may take a few moments depending on your internet connection and the server's performance. Once connected, you'll be playing in the multiplayer world! You might see a welcome message in the chat, and you'll be able to see and interact with other players on the server.
There are alternative ways to connect to Minecraft servers. One option is Direct Connect, which is useful when you just want to quickly join a server without saving it to your list. To use this method, click 'Direct Connect' from the multiplayer screen, enter the server address, and click 'Join Server'. It's that simple. There are also different types of Minecraft servers you might encounter. Public servers are open to anyone and often host large communities with thousands of players. Private servers require you to be on a whitelist, which means the server owner must add your username before you can join. Finally, LAN servers are only available on your local network, like when someone in your house is hosting a game that you want to join.
Let's summarize what we've learned about connecting to Minecraft servers. First, you launch Minecraft and click on the Multiplayer button from the main menu. Then, you can either add a server to your list using the Add Server button, or use Direct Connect for a one-time connection. When adding a server, you'll need to enter a server name of your choice and the server address, which must be provided by the server owner. Once the server is in your list, you select it and click Join Server to connect. Remember that there are different types of servers: public servers that anyone can join, private servers that require you to be on a whitelist, and LAN servers that are only available on your local network. With these steps, you should be able to successfully connect to any Minecraft server and start playing with friends or in online communities.