In Minecraft Java Edition, players can either jump into a world on their own and explore it, or they can join their friends in a multiplayer world and play together.

Use the in-game settings to add friends in Minecraft Java (Image via Mojang Studios) The second and free method to play Minecraft with a friend involves hosting your own LAN server.

Discover various ways to enjoy Minecraft multiplayer with friends, from local LAN play to online servers and Mojang-hosted Minecraft Realms. Explore different setups like free server hosting with ...

If you want to play Minecraft with just your friends, the easiest way to do so is to run your own server.

We show you how you can play Minecraft Cross-Platform between Windows PC and Xbox and invite your friends to play.

You can add friends in "Minecraft" through their Microsoft account's gamertag, regardless of which platform they use to play the game.

Technically, yes — you can run a Minecraft server on Mac. Download the server jar from Mojang, run it with a Java command, port-forward your router, and hope your internet doesn’t choke.