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How to Connect to a Minecraft Bedrock Server on Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch has no built-in Add Server field. This guide shows how to configure BedrockConnect DNS, enter a Bedrock server address and port, troubleshoot failures and restore automatic DNS.
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The Nintendo Switch version of Minecraft Bedrock does not provide the usual Add Server address box. To join an external server, configure a BedrockConnect DNS entry on your Switch, open the Servers tab in Minecraft, and use the BedrockConnect screen to enter the server address and port. The standard Bedrock port is UDP 19132 unless the server owner specifies another port.

What the Switch can and cannot do

On mobile, Windows, Xbox and other Bedrock platforms, the server browser normally includes a control for entering a server address. The Switch interface does not expose that control. You can see featured servers, but there is no built-in field for typing an independent hostname or IP address.

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The practical workaround is BedrockConnect. A DNS setting on the Switch changes where a featured-server request is sent. When you select a featured server in Minecraft, the request is routed to a BedrockConnect menu instead of taking you directly into that featured server. You then supply the server endpoint you actually want to use.

This is a network workaround, not a Nintendo or Mojang account feature. It depends on a separate DNS service remaining available and compatible with your Minecraft release, so it can stop working without notice.

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Requirements before you start

Confirm each of these items before changing network settings:

  • A Nintendo Switch Online membership. Online multiplayer on the console requires an active membership for the Nintendo account being used.
  • A Microsoft account signed in inside Minecraft. Bedrock online play requires the in-game Microsoft account connection to be complete.
  • The regular Minecraft Bedrock release. BedrockConnect is intended for normal public releases. Preview or beta builds are not expected to work with the redirect.
  • An online server and its exact endpoint. Ask the owner for the hostname or IP address and the port. Do not assume that a server is available merely because you have its name.
  • A compatible server type. A native Bedrock server can accept the Switch directly. A Java Edition server needs a Geyser installation configured to accept Bedrock clients. A Java-only server without that bridge cannot be joined from Bedrock on Switch.
  • A working internet connection. The console must be able to save the network change and reach the DNS service as well as the game server.

If the owner gives you only a server name and no address or port, obtain those details first. The Switch cannot discover an arbitrary private server from its name alone.

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Step 1: Change the Switch DNS setting

Apply the DNS change to the wireless network you will use for Minecraft. The labels below are for the original Switch menu.

  1. Open System Settings from the HOME menu.
  2. Select Internet, then Internet Settings.
  3. Choose the network you normally use. If the console is not connected, select the network and connect first.
  4. Select Change Settings.
  5. Open DNS Settings and change the value from Automatic to Manual.
  6. Set Primary DNS to 104.238.130.180.
  7. Set Secondary DNS to 8.8.8.8. Some BedrockConnect instructions use 1.1.1.1 as the secondary value instead; either is an alternative listed for this method.
  8. Save the settings and allow the Switch to test or reconnect to the network if it prompts you.

Only the selected network profile receives this change. If you use a different Wi-Fi network later, you must configure that profile separately or return the profile to automatic DNS.

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Which secondary DNS should you choose?

8.8.8.8 is the most commonly documented secondary value for this setup. 1.1.1.1 is an alternative used in other instructions. The primary value is the part that directs the featured-server request to BedrockConnect; the secondary value provides a fallback resolver. If one combination fails, try the other without changing the primary address.

Step 2: Open the BedrockConnect menu in Minecraft

  1. Launch Minecraft and wait until the Microsoft account is signed in.
  2. Select Play.
  3. Open the Servers tab.
  4. Select any featured server. You are using it as the trigger for the DNS redirect; you are not committing to that server.
  5. Wait for the BedrockConnect screen to appear, then choose Connect to a Server.

If the normal featured-server lobby opens instead, the DNS change has not taken effect for that connection. Close the attempt, verify the network profile and DNS values, and try again. A console restart or reconnecting to Wi-Fi can also clear an old network session.

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Step 3: Enter the server address and port

  1. In the BedrockConnect form, enter the hostname or IP address supplied by the server owner.
  2. Enter the port supplied by the owner. Bedrock’s default is 19132 over UDP, so use 19132 only when the owner has not assigned a different port.
  3. If you want the endpoint retained in the BedrockConnect interface, select Add to Server List before submitting.
  4. Select Submit and wait for the connection attempt.

Keep the address and port together when checking the details. A correct hostname with the wrong port is still a failed connection, as is a correct port paired with a mistyped hostname. Server owners sometimes expose a custom port for a particular world, proxy or hosting configuration; that custom value takes precedence over 19132.

What a successful connection looks like

After submission, BedrockConnect passes the request to the endpoint you entered. The normal result is a loading screen followed by the server’s world or lobby. The first connection can take longer while the game negotiates the session. If the menu returns immediately or reports that the server cannot be reached, use the diagnostic sequence below rather than repeatedly submitting the same values.

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Server compatibility and port decisions

Server situation Can a Switch Bedrock client join? What must be true
Native Bedrock server Yes The server is online, accepts Bedrock connections and provides the correct address and port.
Java Edition server with Geyser Potentially Geyser must be installed, running and configured to accept Bedrock players; use the Bedrock-facing address and port supplied by its administrator.
Java Edition server without Geyser No The Switch runs Bedrock and cannot speak directly to a Java-only endpoint.
Bedrock preview or beta client Not expected to work Use the regular public Minecraft release instead of a preview build.
Custom Bedrock port Yes, if supported by the server Enter the custom port exactly as supplied; 19132 is only the default.

Version compatibility matters on both sides. Minecraft may refuse a connection when the client protocol and server software are too far apart, even when the DNS redirect and endpoint are correct. Ask the administrator which Bedrock release the server supports and update the Switch copy of Minecraft when necessary.

Troubleshooting the most common failures

The BedrockConnect screen never appears

  • Return to System Settings → Internet → Internet Settings, select the active network, choose Change Settings → DNS Settings, and confirm that Manual mode contains 104.238.130.180 as the primary value.
  • Check that you changed the same network profile the console is currently using. Editing an old profile does not affect a different access point.
  • If the primary is correct, try 8.8.8.8 as the secondary value. If that does not help, test the documented alternative 1.1.1.1.
  • Reconnect to Wi-Fi or restart Minecraft so it creates a new network session instead of reusing a previous connection.
  • Make sure you selected a featured server from the Servers tab. The redirect is triggered by that action, not by entering a world from the Play or Friends tabs.

If the screen still does not load after these checks, the DNS service itself may be unreachable or temporarily unavailable. Because it is operated outside Nintendo’s built-in server system, there is no Switch setting that can repair an outage.

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The menu appears, but the server will not connect

  1. Recheck the address character by character against the value from the server owner.
  2. Recheck the port. Use UDP 19132 only as the default; replace it with the owner’s custom value when one is provided.
  3. Confirm that the server is running at the moment you try. A powered-off, restarting or maintenance server produces the same type of failure as a wrong address.
  4. Verify that the server accepts Bedrock players. If it is a Java server, ask whether Geyser is active and request the Bedrock-facing endpoint rather than the Java-only port.
  5. Check the Minecraft version on the Switch and the version supported by the server. Update the client if the administrator reports a newer required release.
  6. Confirm that the console has Nintendo Switch Online and that Minecraft is signed in to the Microsoft account used for multiplayer.

Change one variable at a time. For example, do not alter the DNS, address and port simultaneously; otherwise you cannot tell which correction solved the problem.

The connection worked previously and then stopped

First determine whether the endpoint changed or the service stopped. Ask the owner to confirm the current address, port and online status. Then test the DNS redirect by opening a featured server again. If the BedrockConnect screen no longer appears, the third-party DNS service or its current compatibility may be the cause. If the screen appears but the endpoint fails, the server, version match or supplied port is more likely at fault.

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Minecraft reports an outdated or incompatible client

Use the regular release channel, install the current update offered for the Switch, and ask the server administrator which Bedrock protocol is supported. Preview and beta builds are not expected to work with BedrockConnect, so leave a preview program before diagnosing address problems.

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Nintendo Switch 2 menu differences

The same DNS and BedrockConnect procedure is reported to work on Switch 2. Nintendo’s wording can differ: some Switch 2 screens use Settings and Saved Networks where the original Switch shows Change Settings and the selected network entry.

Follow the equivalent path: open the console’s network settings, select the saved Wi-Fi network, edit DNS, choose Manual, enter the primary and secondary values, then launch Minecraft and use the Servers tab. Menu wording may change with a system update, but the required values and BedrockConnect sequence remain the same.

Joining a friend’s server

Do not assume that a friend’s appearance in the Minecraft Friends list will bypass the address requirement. There is no confirmed procedure showing that the BedrockConnect DNS method lets a Switch player join a friend’s server directly from that list.

The reliable approach is to obtain the server’s actual address and port from the owner and submit them through Connect to a Server. Reports of bot-world routes or a companion iPhone application are not sufficiently established to treat them as dependable instructions, and some require both devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network.

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How to undo the workaround

  1. Open System Settings.
  2. Go to Internet → Internet Settings and select the network profile you changed.
  3. Choose Change Settings → DNS Settings.
  4. Set DNS from Manual back to Automatic.
  5. Save the profile and reconnect if the Switch asks you to.

Restoring Automatic DNS returns the profile to its normal resolver and removes the BedrockConnect redirect. You can switch back to the documented manual values later when you need to connect to an external server again.

Reliability and safety considerations

This method changes name-resolution behavior for one console network profile and relies on a third-party DNS service. Its availability, DNS address and compatibility can change independently of Nintendo or Minecraft updates. Keep the automatic-DNS restoration steps available, especially if the network stops resolving ordinary websites or game services after the change.

Use the method only on a network you trust and enter server details supplied by the administrator. The DNS workaround does not make an incompatible server compatible: it cannot convert a Java-only server into a Bedrock server, repair a closed port, or keep an offline world running.

For a first attempt, the shortest dependable sequence is: verify Nintendo Switch Online and Microsoft sign-in; confirm a live Bedrock or Geyser-enabled server; set the manual DNS values; open a featured server from Minecraft’s Servers tab; choose Connect to a Server; enter the supplied address and port; and restore Automatic DNS when you no longer need the workaround.

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