A long-desired social feature for Java Edition is finally here, complete with adding friends and peer to peer! So, today, we explore the Minecraft Java friends list, its new features, and how to connect to friends in their singleplayer worlds.

Minecraft Java Friends List Overview

After loading into Minecraft Java Edition, a new row of three buttons can be found below “Minecraft Realms” and above “Options” and “Quit Game.” The first of the three buttons, depicting the heads of Steve and Alex, is the option to open the new Java friends list. Upon clicking it, a window will open with a “Friends” and “Requests” tab at the top. The “Friends” tab has the option to add new friends alongside a list of those already added, showing their current online status. Meanwhile, the “Requests” tab shows any pending friend requests that have been received and offers the option to either accept or decline them.

Adding Friends on Minecraft Java Edition

Adding a friend to your Minecraft Java friends list requires only their Minecraft Java username. Once obtained, the steps below can be followed:

1. Open Minecraft Java Edition.
2. Select the “Friends” button.
3. Enter your friend’s username into the text box under the “Friends” tab.
4. Click the small letter icon to the text box’s right.
5. Wait for a response.

Should the added user accept, a new name will appear under the “Friends” tab, showing their current online status.

Peer to Peer Connections

Once a friend has been added, they can be invited to your singleplayer world by opening the friends list in-game with the “O” key and selecting invite. Alternatively, a request to join a friend’s singleplayer world can be made through the friends list on the main menu or by also clicking “O” in-game. When either occurs, the singleplayer world is turned into a temporary server that functions only while the owner is online. Once they leave, no one else can continue playing the world.