Ben Gillenwater, the Family IT GuyMinecraft: choose a setup for your child
Minecraft can give children room to build and explore. I’d start with single-player play, with chat and online multiplayer turned off, and play with them as they learn.
Where I’d start
A child who's new to Minecraft won't know yet what they'll want to do in it. Here's where I'd start, and what I'd add as my child shows me what they enjoy.
Single-player first
- Bedrock Edition, using the account settings below, in single player with chat and multiplayer turned off.
- Creative mode first: they can build with every block and fly, and nothing can hurt them.
- When they want more of a game, Survival mode on Peaceful difficulty: they gather materials and craft, and monsters don't attack.
- Play with them for the first sessions. On a Nintendo Switch, a second player can join on the same TV with split-screen, even with online multiplayer turned off.
What I'd add, one change at a time
- When they want to play with friends they know in real life: a private Realm that you create, where only the people you invite can join.
- Public servers come last. They let people your child doesn't know play and talk with them. Public servers require a conversation about sextortion. Sextortion is a serious crime that occurs when someone threatens to distribute a child's private and sensitive material if the child doesn't provide images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money. If my child isn't ready to have a very honest talk about that, they're not ready for public servers. If someone is threatening your child, see Sextortion: help for your child.
- Before each change, I'd look for the two things that come up throughout my guide. Does my child tell me the truth about what happens in the game? Do they come to me when something feels wrong?
I'd watch how my child uses each change before adding another, and keep play where I can see it. I'd also help my child practice stopping at the time we've agreed on, and talk with them about why we've chosen this setup.
Set up the child’s account
The child needs their own Microsoft account, connected to your Microsoft family group. Use that account in Minecraft so the controls you choose apply to the person playing.
For the single-player setup I recommend above:
- Open Microsoft Family with your parent account and add your child’s account to the family group.
- Open Xbox privacy and online safety settings, sign in with your parent account, and select your child’s profile. These settings are also used for Minecraft on devices other than Xbox.
- Under Online Safety, block joining multiplayer games, creating or joining clubs, and adding friends.
- Under Privacy, set “Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites” to Block. Also block voice and text communication outside Xbox where that setting appears.
- Save the changes. Sign out of Minecraft, restart it, and sign back in with the child’s account before checking the result.
Check the game your child will use
Open the child’s single-player world, then try the online features you intended to block. Check multiplayer, Realms, chat and adding friends. If one still works, check the signed-in account and its permissions before relying on that setup.
If you use the Xbox Family Settings app, also check the child’s settings under Content restrictions > Manage Minecraft. Its Multiplayer setting can allow Minecraft multiplayer even when the broader account setting blocks it.
Check which edition you have
Bedrock runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Java runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Windows can run either edition.
Java and Bedrock both use Microsoft accounts. Child-account settings can restrict multiplayer and communication. Hiding chat inside the game is a separate setting.
Java can run older releases and software called mods that changes the game. The parental controls do not cover modified copies or versions before 1.16.4.
What differs on your device?
The Microsoft account controls handle Minecraft’s online features. The device has separate controls for app access, purchases and time limits.
iPhone and iPad
Use your child’s Apple Account for Apple’s family controls and their Microsoft account inside Minecraft. Screen Time and Ask to Buy manage device use and eligible downloads and purchases; they do not replace the Minecraft account setup above.
For a broader iPhone setup, see the iPhone Parental Controls Masterclass.
Windows
I’d choose Bedrock for the starting setup described here.
Java also uses Microsoft account controls. Older or modified copies of the game need separate checks.
Mac
Minecraft on Mac is Java Edition. Use the account controls described above and check what the child can actually access.
For the Mac’s own restrictions, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Screen Time. If you manage your child through Family Sharing, choose them from the Family Member menu. Content & Privacy holds restrictions for supported apps and features; it is separate from Minecraft’s multiplayer permissions.
Android
Use the child’s Microsoft account inside Minecraft. If you manage the Android device with Family Link and want an app time limit, select your child, then Screen time > Time limits > App limits. Select Minecraft, tap Set limit, choose the time and tap Done.
Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch
Check the console’s family settings as well as the child’s Microsoft account. A console can have its own communication and purchase permissions.
On Xbox, open Profile & system > Settings > Account > Family settings > Manage family members. Select your child, then Privacy & online safety > Xbox privacy > View details & customize. Communication & multiplayer and Friends & clubs contain the relevant online permissions.
Playing together on the same TV is a different arrangement from joining an online server. The Nintendo Switch example above lets you play alongside your child.
When they want to play with others
Local multiplayer means playing with others on the same network. I’d use it for playing together with family or friends in your home.
A private Realm is a paid Minecraft server, a shared online world that stays available when its owner logs off. Java and Bedrock have separate Realms, so the players need compatible editions.
If I were setting one up for my child, I’d create and manage it myself, invite only friends they know in real life, and regularly review who can join.
To let your child join your Realm, return to their Xbox privacy and online safety settings. Allow joining multiplayer games and creating or joining clubs. Save the changes, then have your child sign out of Minecraft, restart it and sign back in.
On Xbox, also allow joining cross-network play under Communication & multiplayer in the console settings described above.
Enabling multiplayer for a Realm also enables other online multiplayer. It does not restrict your child to your Realm. Check which servers they can join, and supervise the people and content in the world you chose.
If you’re considering a public server
I’d first have the conversation about sextortion described above. Then I’d review the server’s rules and moderation with my child, start with a smaller moderated server, and make sure they know how to report a problem. For what to say, see Make it easy to ask for help.
A server’s “family-friendly” label does not tell you who will be there or what your child will encounter.
More questions parents ask
Can someone contact my child with chat turned off?
Chat is one way players communicate. Other people can also leave words and images in a shared world. That is why I’d check who can join and what the child can access, as well as the chat setting.
Choose who can contact your child explains the broader contact choices and conversations.
How can I check where my child plays?
Ask your child to show you the worlds, servers and people they play with. Open them together. A saved server list is not a complete history of their activity.
What about mods and extra content?
I’d review a download’s content and features before adding it. A new world, character skin or modification is another choice about what the child will encounter.
Modified copies have different control limitations. Recheck the setup after adding one.
What about Minecraft videos?
Choosing a game and choosing videos about it are separate decisions. Watching together lets you see the creator’s language and behavior. For selecting the videos a child can open, see Choose the videos your child can watch.
How much supervision does my child need?
I'd keep play where I can see it. In our family, my son plays games we've selected on a TV in my office, where I can see what's happening while I work. Over the years the job shifts from monitoring to mentoring, with fewer controls and more conversations.
Keep checking as the setup changes
I’d check the controls again after changing the account, device, game version or multiplayer arrangement. Playing together also gives you a chance to see what the settings allow.
Pay attention to how gaming fits with sleep, school and time together. My family time plan can help you discuss the time you want to spend without devices.