What is causing the “LAN Not Working on Minecraft” error?
We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that they used to get around this particular problem. Based on what we gathered, there as several different scenarios that will end up triggering this particular error message: If you’re currently struggling to resolve this particular problem with Minecraft, this article will provide you with several troubleshooting steps that other users in a similar situation have used to get the issue resolved. If you want this process to be as straightforward as possible, we advise you to follow the methods below in the order that they are advertised. You will eventually stumble upon some steps that will help you resolve the error message.
Method 1: Ensuring that all the involved parties are connected to the same network
If you’re unable to host/join a LAN session, the first thing that you should check is if all the involved computers are connected to the same network. If one of the involved parties is a laptop, make sure that it’s not connected to a nearby Wi-Fi (different from the one intended). And even if all computers are connected to the same network, it’s preferable that you use the same form of connection. For example, if you are hosting the session on a computer with an ethernet connection, it is advisable to connect the laptop with cable rather than using the Wi-Fi network. If you’ve ensured that all involved computers are connected to the same network and you’re still encountering the same issue, move down to the next method below.
Method 2: Configuring your Firewall to allow Minecraft to be executed
Windows will ask for the necessary permissions required to run the online components. But this process will create some confusion for users because the UAC will ask permission for Java (since the game is executed by the Java program). If you’ve hit Cancel at the initial permission prompt, then your Firewall is already configured to block the network features of Minecraft. As you can imagine, this will end up breaking any attempt of establishing a LAN session. Fortunately, the steps of resolving the problem in this particular scenario are very simple. You’ll just need to ensure that you have administrative access. When ready, follow the instructions down below: If you’re still encountering the same issue, try to disable your Antivirus temporarily or edit your inbound rules for Minecraft to allow it completely through.
Method 3: Enabling Network Discovery
Several affected users have reported that they managed to resolve the issue after they discovered that although the network that they used was set to Public, Network discovery was disabled. This will end up breaking the LAN functionality of Minecraft since the game will not have the ability to listen to broadcasts. Fortunately, you can resolve this issue very easily by enabling Network Discovery. Here’s how to do this: If you’re still unable to host or join the Minecraft session, move down to the next method below. But before doing that, try to change your NAT type to be a bit less strict and it might allow your connection to be established with the servers. Try to allow ports if the issue is still persisting and make sure to disable any network encryption/security services that might be blocking the connection. Also, uninstall the “Hamachi” application because it is known to cause such issues.
Method 4: Using Direct Connect
Direct Connect is one of the most reliable ways of establishing a LAN session. Sure, the steps or doing so are a little more tedious than the traditional approach, but his feature has allowed a lot of users that we’re unable to play locally to finally create a LAN (Local Area Network) session. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:
Method 5: Disabling AP Isolation
This will no longer occur with newer router/modem models, but it’s possible that a security feature (Access Point isolation) is what ends up blocking the LAN session from being hosted. This security feature is typically only applied to Wi-Fi users and excludes Ethernet users. What happens with AP isolation – Connected users are isolated from each other. So everyone can connect to the internet from the same network, but they can’t connect to each other. This is typically referred to as AP isolation, but you might also see it as client isolation, user isolation or access point isolation. Some routers will apply this security measure automatically while others will include a dedicated option that enables users to turn it On or Off. There is a procedure that will allow you to confirm whether AP isolation is responsible for your Minecraft problem. Pinging both computers will help you determined if AP isolation is applied. If the involved computers fail the ping test, then you’ll need to access your router settings and look for a way to disable access point isolation. To make this whole process easier for you, we’ve created a step by step guide through the whole thing. Here’s what you need to do: If you get a Reply on your pinging attempt in both cases, it means that AP isolation is not the cause of your issue. In the event that you see a message telling you that the Destination host is unreachable, chances are you’re dealing with a case of AP isolation. If you’ve confirmed that you’re dealing with a case of AP isolation, follow the instructions below to disable it from your router settings:
Method 6: Selecting a Private Network
This issue is mostly triggered if the network from which you are trying to connect to the server is configured as a public network and due to the restrictions implemented on public networks, the game cannot detect the server. Therefore, in this step, we will be selecting the network as private. For that:
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