Kind of

  • Minecraft Realms is a paid service that you can connect with other users. It's like owning a server, but Mojang manages all the background processes and keeps it running. You may not be able to use plugins, but it will provide a platform that both of you can use.
  • Some existing servers with large plotworlds allow you free reign over terrain, and you don't have to do any work to keep them up. They still count as servers, but they may be open enough for you to consider.
  • LAN connections will work in lieu of a server if you're close enough to share a wifi router.

Why not use a server though?

Other people do the work of keeping them up, they're free, you and your friend can be far away from each other, and you can edit your builds while the other person is offline. They require minimum maintenance, but still connect you.

Answer from Zxyrra on Stack Exchange
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Quora
quora.com › How-do-I-play-Minecraft-with-friends-far-away-on-a-PC
How to play Minecraft with friends far away on a PC - Quora
Answer (1 of 27): In minecraft, there are so many different options to play multiplayer. Some depend on your platform, some depend on how far away you want to play, some depend on weather you want to play with strangers, and more. Here I'll cover all platforms of Minecraft. for Java Edition, read...
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How can I play Minecraft with someone miles away without a server? - Discussion - Minecraft: Java Edition - Minecraft Forum - Minecraft Forum
I have heard of something called a direct connect. Is that something to do with servers, or does it let you use the ip address of another computer so you can... More on minecraftforum.net
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minecraft bedrock edition - How far away can you be to play MCPE with someone? - Arqade
My friend and I live quite close, but I'm not sure if we are close enough to play together on MCPE multiplayer. Is there a certain distance or does it depend on something else? If there is a certain More on gaming.stackexchange.com
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Minecraft- Connecting with a friend far away - Arqade
Me and my cousin want to connect when shes at her house and im at mine. Is there a possible way we can connect More on gaming.stackexchange.com
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minecraft bedrock edition technical issues - Is it possible to play with someone who lives far away on MCPE? - Arqade
Me and my friend live far away and both of us have Minecraft PE. We've only been able to play together while connected to the same wi-fi, which doesn't happen often. I'm trying to find a solution, so More on gaming.stackexchange.com
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November 9, 2021
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1 of 3
4

Kind of

  • Minecraft Realms is a paid service that you can connect with other users. It's like owning a server, but Mojang manages all the background processes and keeps it running. You may not be able to use plugins, but it will provide a platform that both of you can use.
  • Some existing servers with large plotworlds allow you free reign over terrain, and you don't have to do any work to keep them up. They still count as servers, but they may be open enough for you to consider.
  • LAN connections will work in lieu of a server if you're close enough to share a wifi router.

Why not use a server though?

Other people do the work of keeping them up, they're free, you and your friend can be far away from each other, and you can edit your builds while the other person is offline. They require minimum maintenance, but still connect you.

2 of 3
0

Yes! There is a way to do this. However it is slightly complicated. Even though most people think that LAN worlds only work on the same internet connection, it is possible to get someone farther away to connect.

Step 1: Getting the port When you first start the LAN world, it displays the port in the chat. Write down this number

Step 2: getting your ip: Follow the instructions here: http://lifehacker.com/5833108/how-to-find-your-local-and-external-ip-address Scroll down to the local ip section for now. Your ip should look something like this: 192.168.1.# where # is any number, any size.

Step 3: Forwarding In order to allow your friend to get on your world, you need to tell your internet router (the thing that gives all of your devices internet access) to listen for connections on that port. To do this, go to your router by connecting to 192.168.1.1 in your browser (those numbers is the ip of your router. Type it where you would type the address to a website). Then, navigate to port forwarding (on my router it is under firewall). You will need to add a new port to forward, and then select the ip of your computer that we found in step 2, and type in the port from step 1. You need to add this and save your changes (if necessary)

Step 4: Connecting Now you need your friend to connect. You need to give him your external ip found in the link in step 2 (external, not internal. It should sook similar to your internal but with different numbers everywhere). You also need to give him the port. He should connect to you by entering this in direct connect from within minecraft: 100.20.30.400:12345 (where the "100.20.30.400" is YOUR external ip and "12334" is the port. You need to include the ":").

ISSUES: The problem with this solution is you have to do this every single time you open the minecraft world. I would do some searching to find how to force minecraft to use a certain port every time for LAN, so you never have to change the forewarding. Also, your external ip changes sometimes (mine seems to change once every 1-2 months). This will require you to check your ip to make sure your friend is connecting to the correct one. Another issue is security. It isn't good to open too many port connections on your router. You should be deleting the ones you no longer use. (But don't delete anything that is already there)

EDIT: you may need to use Hamachi. See this link: https://minecraft.wiki/w/Tutorials/Setting_up_a_server

I also agree with zyxrra. Servers are the real way to go. They can run on your own computer with minimal configuration. They do need to be port forwarded however, but the port always stays the same. (25565 I believe, but I could be wrong.) servers can stay online when you are not in the world, so your friend could work while you are not there. You would need to keep your computer on and awake for it to work though.

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AleForge
aleforge.net › home › blog › how to play minecraft with friends far away on pc
How to Play Minecraft With Friends Far Away on PC
October 15, 2020 - If you only want to play with a few friends on occasion, you probably will only need Creeper tier or even less. No need to pay for the power you won’t use! On the other end of the spectrum, we have options for folks who want to play with dozens of other players with our Enderman and Dragon tiers. If you’re looking to have a server that you’d need a huge, beefy machine to run, we’ve got you covered. We hope these tips on how to play Minecraft with friends were useful.
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Apex Hosting
apexminecrafthosting.com › guides › general › how-to-play-minecraft-with-friends
How to Play Minecraft with Friends - Apex Hosting
May 12, 2025 - There are many ways to play with friends, including LAN servers which allow you to connect with players who are on the same internet as you, Realms which allow you to play across the globe, and servers which is by far the most popular option ...
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Playbite
playbite.com › home › how to play minecraft with friends far away on pc
How to Play Minecraft with Friends Far Away on PC - Playbite
March 8, 2024 - The simplest way to play Minecraft with friends across the globe is by joining a Minecraft server. Servers are like individual worlds online where you and your friends can join together, regardless of physical location.
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MiniTool Partition Wizard
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How to Play Minecraft with Friends on PC? [Full Guide] - MiniTool Partition Wizard
July 6, 2023 - ... How to play multiplayer on Minecraft? The first and most common way is to create a LAN world. The specific steps depend on you are playing Minecraft with JAVA edition or Windows 10/Xbox.
Find elsewhere
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MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › gaming › how to play minecraft with friends: 5 different ways
How to Play Minecraft With Friends: 5 Different Ways
August 22, 2023 - While servers are the best way to play Minecraft with friends who are far away, a LAN (Local Access Network) connection is an easy way to craft with friends who are nearby.
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Wikihow
wikihow.com › hobbies and crafts › games › video games › pc games › online games › minecraft › minecraft servers › 6 ways to play minecraft multiplayer - wikihow
6 Ways to Play Minecraft Multiplayer - wikiHow
June 26, 2025 - Have the host teleport all of the players together. Once all of the players have joined, they may find themselves far away from the host, especially if the host has done a lot of exploring in the game already.
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SeekaHost™
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How to play Minecraft with friends on PC at home? | SeekaHost
November 1, 2021 - Go to the bottom of the list. Here you will find listing LAN World containing the username of your friend followed by the world name · If you are a serious Minecraft player and looking for a premium experience then it is advisable to buy a Minecraft server.
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Quora
minecrafts.quora.com › How-to-play-Minecraft-with-friends-far-away-on-a-PC
How to play Minecraft with friends far away on a PC - Everything Minecraft 2.0 - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): Java: for Java you need to join a friend's server, or play on a server with your friend. Or you can play on your friends realm. Bedrock: for bedrock you need to be friends with that friend, and he can invite you to the world, or leave it open to join ( this also works with frien...
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Stealthy Gaming
stealthygaming.com › home › discussion › how to play minecraft pe with friends far away
How to play Minecraft PE with friends far away - Stealthy Gaming
December 7, 2021 - Tap on the name of your friend with whom you want to play or want to add. Right-click and send an invite to the friend you want to add. Follow through the next procedures to accept an invite on Minecraft PC:
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CodaKid
codakid.com › home › blog › minecraft › how to play minecraft with friends | the complete guide
How to Play Minecraft with Friends | The Complete Guide - CodaKid
October 28, 2024 - Good option if … your friends live nearby (i.e., the same street or neighborhood) or they’re in the same place you are (like a school setting or community lot setting) and are connected to the same WiFi. LAN is short of Local Area Network, and ...
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Quora
quora.com › How-do-I-play-with-friends-on-a-Minecraft-PC-without-the-same-WiFi
How to play with friends on a Minecraft PC without the same WiFi - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): you can try to make your own Minecraft server if you want. There are free and paid plans available. I would personally suggest http://aternos.org if you want to get free experience being a server admin. You can switch to paid version once you have a good idea about how servers wo...
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Quora
playinggames.quora.com › https-www-quora-com-How-do-I-play-Minecraft-with-friends-far-away-on-a-PC-answer-Roni-407-1
How to play Minecraft with friends far away on a PC - Playing Games - Quora
Quora is a place to gain and share knowledge. It's a platform to ask questions and connect with people who contribute unique insights and quality answers.
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Stack Exchange
gaming.stackexchange.com › questions › 251059 › how-far-away-can-you-be-to-play-mcpe-with-someone
minecraft bedrock edition - How far away can you be to play MCPE with someone? - Arqade
So to answer your question, you can play with anyone regardless of how far away they are, as long as you both have a connection to the internet.
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How To Play Minecraft With Friends: Java Edition (PC) - YouTube
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Published   July 13, 2023