Minecraft server won't start: common causes and fixes
Your Minecraft Java server on Schokr stops during startup or will not boot? Work through the most common causes, from the EULA to Java versions and bad plugins.
Updated · 2 min read
If your Minecraft server stops during startup, the console shows why in the last lines before it stops. Read those lines, then match them against the causes below. Most failed starts are one of a handful of problems.
Step 1: read the console
- Start the server and keep the console open.
- When it stops, scroll up to the first
ERRORor exception. - If the console clears too fast, open
logs/latest.login the file manager. See how to read crash reports and logs.
Common causes
The EULA was not accepted
You need to agree to the EULA in order to run the server.
Minecraft servers require accepting Mojang's EULA. The console links to it on first start. Accept it, or set eula=true in eula.txt, and start again.
Wrong Java version
java.lang.UnsupportedClassVersionError ... class file version 65.0
The server jar or a plugin needs a newer Java than the server is running, or an old version of Minecraft is being run on a Java too new for it. See Java version mismatch errors.
Port already in use
**** FAILED TO BIND TO PORT!
See fix "Failed to bind to port".
Not enough memory
The server stops with OutOfMemoryError, or just stops without an error while memory usage is at its limit. Give it more memory from your team's pool. See memory and JVM flags.
Disk is full
Errors mention No space left on device, or files fail to save. Your team's free package has 10 GB of disk shared across all servers. Delete old worlds, logs/*.log.gz, old crash reports and unused backups or jars, then start again.
Missing or wrong server jar
Error: Unable to access jarfile server.jar
The jar named in your Startup settings does not exist. Check the file name in the file manager matches the jar file variable exactly, including capital letters. Re-running the template installation (reinstall) also restores the jar, but take a snapshot first.
A broken plugin or mod
If the last errors mention a plugin or mod name, move that jar out of plugins or mods (for example into a new folder named disabled) and start again. If you are not sure which one, disable half of them, test, and narrow it down.
For Forge, see mod and version mismatch errors and client vs server-side mods.
Broken config file
An error mentioning server.properties, bukkit.yml, spigot.yml or a Paper config file, often with a YAML message like mapping values are not allowed here, means a config has a typo. Fix the line it points to, or rename the file so the server creates a fresh default.
Corrupted world
Errors while loading the world, such as Failed to load level or chunk read errors, point at the world data. See recover corrupted chunks.
Server starts but the panel says it is still starting
The panel marks the server as online once it sees the normal startup completion line in the console. Large modpacks and plugins that do heavy work on startup can take several minutes to reach it, so wait a little. If the server already responds to commands such as list, it is running.
Still not starting?
Restore a snapshot from before the problem started if you have one, or share your latest.log (through a paste site) in the Schokr Discord. Also check the status page for any ongoing incident.