Normally, friends outside your home cannot reach a world opened to LAN. Port forwarding can solve that, but it requires router access and exposes a listening port. A virtual LAN gives trusted friends private network addresses instead, allowing Minecraft's Direct Connection feature to reach the host.
Option 1: Share a single-player LAN world
- Install OrbitLan on each Windows PC. One player creates a room and sends the six-digit room code to the others.
- Confirm everyone is connected. The host's OrbitLan address will look like
10.69.0.x. - Open the Minecraft world. On the host PC, enter the world, press Escape, choose Open to LAN, select the options, and start the LAN world.
- Copy the port shown in chat. Minecraft displays a message such as “Local game hosted on port 54321.” The port can change whenever the world is reopened.
- Join with Direct Connection. A friend opens Multiplayer → Direct Connection and enters the host's OrbitLan IP plus that port, for example
10.69.0.2:54321.
Option 2: Use a dedicated Java server
Run the server on the host PC as usual. Unless you changed the default, friends can add the server using the host's OrbitLan address and port 25565, for example 10.69.0.2:25565. You do not need to publish that port on the router because the connection travels through the private virtual LAN.
Leave server-ip blank in server.properties unless you have a specific reason to bind it. A wrong binding can prevent the server from accepting connections through the virtual adapter.
Troubleshooting
Use Direct Connection even if the world is not listed
Minecraft's LAN discovery may not appear consistently across virtual networks. That does not necessarily mean the connection failed. Entering IP:port directly is the dependable test.
Allow Java through Windows Firewall
On the host, allow Java or OpenJDK Platform Binary on private networks. If you run a dedicated server with a different Java installation, Windows may prompt again for that executable. Do not disable the entire firewall.
Check versions and mods
All players need a compatible Minecraft version. Modded games usually need matching loaders, mod versions, and configuration. OrbitLan supplies the network path; it does not reconcile game installations.
Keep the room code private
The room code acts as a shared secret. Only send it to players you trust, and create a new room when you no longer want the old group to join.
Try OrbitLan Community for free
No account is required. Create a room, share one short code, and connect your Java world by private IP.