Understanding Minecraft authentication servers

So what is an authentication server?

When you launch Minecraft and connect to a multiplayer server, the game communicates with Mojang’s authentication servers to verify that your login credentials are valid.

If those servers aren’t reachable, Minecraft can’t validate your identity, meaning multiplayer features like joining servers or Realms will be unavailable.

You might see errors like:

• “Failed to login: The authentication servers are currently down for maintenance.”
• “Failed to login: The authentication servers are currently not reachable. Please try again.”
• Or similar.

An example of the error you may see

Why do authentication servers stop working?

There are several potential reasons for downtime:

• Unexpected server problems

  Outages can occur due to backend errors, high traffic, or infrastructure failures.

• Routine maintenance

  Mojang may temporarily take systems offline for updates or improvements.

• Client-side issues

  Sometimes the error is local—bad internet connections, corrupted cache, or outdated clients can trigger login failures, or even bad DNS.

Determining if the Minecraft authentication servers are offline?

Sometimes, the issue isn’t on your side—it’s Mojang’s infrastructure. The first step should always be to check the current status of their services.

Ways to check:

• Visit @MojangStatus on X (formerly Twitter) for live updates.
• Use status trackers like Minecraft Down Detector to see user-submitted reports.