If you are a Minecraft player, there’s a chance you have experienced that annoying error message saying authentication servers are down. This error means you cannot log in to the Minecraft game.
Minecraft servers can go down at any time thus preventing you from playing the game. When you are in this situation, it can be quite frustrating.
An example of an error that Minecraft displays is the following:
Failed to log in: The authentication servers are currently down for maintenance
If you’ve been struggling to get into your Minecraft servers, this article is for you. You’ll find all the different ways you can fix the “Minecraft servers down” or any other error related to authentication.
Table of Contents
How to Fix Minecraft Authentication Servers Are Down
The most common reason most users get the Minecraft authentication servers down error message is when there are issues with Mojang’s servers that prevents players from connecting to servers or signing into the game. You can check the Mojang Status page on Twitter to check if there are any ongoing issues with their servers or look at the user reports on DownDetector.
If it looks like the Minecraft servers are fine, here are some other fixes to resolve the issue.
1. Try to log in after some time
The main issue behind this is that there are millions of users playing Minecraft, so sometimes the servers aren’t able to handle all the requests that come in at once; and when this happens, the authentication servers for Minecraft will go down and stop you from logging in until it’s fixed.
This could be a temporary issue, and it may resolve itself if you wait a while before trying again.
2. Check the Minecraft status
As mentioned earlier, you should always check Minecraft’s server status to see whether or not a problem is occurring on their side.
You can check the Mojang Status page on Twitter which is the official account for Minecraft downtime notifications. In addition, you can look at the user reports on DownDetector to find out if there is an ongoing problem.
3. Check your internet connection
If you cannot log in to the launcher at all, please ensure that your internet connection is working properly on your computer and that your firewall/router is not blocking Java from accessing the internet.
Check your connection signal if you’re playing on Wi-Fi. You can try to restart your router and sign in again to see if it fixes the problem.
If you’re using an ethernet connection and still can’t connect to Minecraft, then check that your computer is still connected to the network and not only receiving an ethernet signal but also an internet connection.
If all else fails, try signing into Minecraft from another computer or device to see if it works fine or not. This will help isolate where the issue lies.
4. Update to the latest Minecraft version
Outdated versions of Minecraft may cause problems with logging into the game.
Minecraft is constantly being updated with new features and bug fixes. As such, they often make changes to their authentication servers to support the latest version of the game.
Therefore, check if there’s a new update available and install it.
- Visit the Microsoft store.
- Tap on the three-dots at the top right corner.
- Click downloads and updates.
- Select Get Updates.
5. Flush DNS Cache
Sometimes cached DNS can cause errors with connecting to websites and servers, so you can try flushing your DNS cache.
To flush DNS cache:
On Windows:
- Open Command Prompt.
- Type ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt and press the Enter key.
- Your DNS cache will now get flushed.
On Mac:
- Open Terminal.
- Type sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder and press Enter.
On Linux
- Open a Terminal window.
- Type the following command: sudo /etc/RC.d/init.d/nscd restart
- Press Enter.
6. Restart Your Computer
Restarting your computer often solves some of the most common problems people encounter with Minecraft. Before trying anything else, close all other applications and restart your computer.
Once restarted, open Minecraft and check if you can log in or connect to a server without seeing the Minecraft servers down error.
7. Reset Your Computer’s Timezone
Make sure your computer’s time zone is set properly. When the time zone on your computer doesn’t match up with the time zone that Minecraft uses, it could cause problems connecting to Minecraft worlds or Mojang’s servers.
Wrapping Up
Most commonly, users get authentication errors in Minecraft when the Mojang servers are down and having issues.
Players can check the Minecraft server status through the Mojang Twitter account or DownDetector website.
If that is not the case, the alternative solutions listed in this article should help you fix the problem.
