Fixing “Unable to Query Server Info” for Minecraft LAN Multiplayer: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you encountering the frustrating “Been logged in from another location!” error when trying to play Minecraft with your brother or friend on a local area network (LAN)? This issue, often manifesting as an inability to properly connect or seemingly “query server info,” can halt your multiplayer fun. You’re not alone. Many players face this hurdle when setting up a LAN Minecraft server, especially when using the same account or in offline environments.

Fortunately, there’s a straightforward solution to get you back to building and exploring together. This guide provides a clear, step-by-step process to resolve this “unable to query server info” problem and get your LAN Minecraft server running smoothly.

Let’s dive into how to fix this and get your Minecraft LAN party started!

Step-by-Step Solution to Resolve Minecraft LAN Server Connection Issues

This method focuses on configuring your Minecraft server for offline LAN play, bypassing online authentication that causes conflicts when multiple players on the same network use potentially similar accounts or when internet connectivity is unstable.

1. Accessing Server Properties

If you are using Minecraft_server.exe to run your server, the first crucial step is to locate and modify the server.properties file. This file holds the configuration settings for your Minecraft server.

• Navigate to the folder where you have your Minecraft_server.exe file.
• Within this folder, you will find a file named server.properties.
• Right-click on server.properties and choose “Open with” from the context menu.
• Select “Notepad” (or any plain text editor) from the list of programs. Ensure “Always use this app to open .properties files” is unchecked unless you specifically want Notepad to be the default editor for these files. Click “OK”.

2. Setting Offline Mode

The key to resolving the “logged in elsewhere” error in a LAN environment is to disable online authentication. This is done by changing the online-mode property in the server.properties file.

• Once server.properties is open in Notepad, look for the line that reads online-mode=true.
• Change true to false so the line becomes online-mode=false.

online-mode=false

• While you are in this file, you can explore other server properties to customize your game further, but for LAN setup, changing online-mode is the most critical step.
• After making the change, go to “File” in Notepad and click “Save” to save the modified server.properties file.

3. Disconnecting from the Internet (Crucial for LAN Mode)

To ensure your server operates purely in LAN mode and avoids online authentication conflicts, it’s essential to disconnect from the internet.

• Completely disconnect your computer from the internet. This means disconnecting your Ethernet cable or turning off Wi-Fi on your computer.
• Ensure you remain connected to your local network (LAN). Your computers still need to be connected to each other via Ethernet cables or a local Wi-Fi network (without internet access). This local connection is what facilitates the LAN game.

Disconnecting from the internet prevents Minecraft from attempting to authenticate your login online, which is the source of the “logged in elsewhere” error in LAN setups when using the same account or similar network configurations.

4. Finding Your Local IP Address

To connect to your server in LAN mode, you’ll need your computer’s local IP address. This is the address your brother or friend will use to join your server on the local network.

• For Windows 7 and later:

  • Click the “Start” button (Windows icon in the bottom-left corner).
  • In the search bar, type cmd and press Enter. This will open the Command Prompt window.

• For Windows XP:

  • Click “Start,” then “Run…”
  • In the “Run” dialog box, type cmd.exe and click “OK.” This will also open the Command Prompt window.

• In the Command Prompt window (the black box), type the command ipconfig and press Enter.

• Look for the section that corresponds to your network adapter (usually “Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection” or “Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi” depending on your LAN connection type).

• Find the line labeled “IPv4 Address.” This is your computer’s local IP address on the LAN. It will typically look like 192.168.1.XXX or 10.0.0.XXX.

• Write down this IPv4 Address. This is the address you will need to provide to your brother or friend to join your server.

5. Joining the Server in Minecraft Multiplayer

Now that your server is set to offline mode and you have your local IP address, you can join the server in Minecraft.

• Start your Minecraft game.
• Go to “Multiplayer.”
• Click “Direct Connect.”
• In the “Server Address” field, enter the IPv4 address you wrote down earlier.
• Click “Join Server.”

Your brother or friend on the LAN should follow the same steps to join your server, using your IPv4 address in the “Server Address” field. Since you are in offline mode and using the local IP, the “logged in elsewhere” error should be resolved, and you should be able to play together on your LAN server.

Warning: Potential Lag on the Server Host

Be aware that if you are running the Minecraft server and playing the game on the same computer, you might experience noticeable visual lag. This is because your computer is handling both server operations and game client rendering simultaneously, which can strain system resources. While the game should be playable, performance might be reduced compared to playing on a dedicated server machine.

Despite potential lag, this method provides a functional way to enjoy Minecraft LAN multiplayer and overcome the “unable to query server info” or “logged in elsewhere” issues.

Call for a Dedicated LAN Mode in Minecraft

While this workaround is effective, it highlights the need for a more streamlined and official LAN multiplayer option within Minecraft itself. It would be fantastic if Mojang could implement a dedicated LAN mode that simplifies server setup and eliminates these authentication-related issues for local network play. A true LAN option would greatly enhance the user experience for local multiplayer gaming.

Hopefully, future updates to Minecraft will include improved LAN support, making local multiplayer setup even easier and more user-friendly. Until then, this guide provides a reliable solution to get your Minecraft LAN server running and allow you to enjoy gaming with friends and family on your local network.