The official Help Center article “Play Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on a Local Area Network (LAN)” states that LAN multiplayer works without an internet connection. However, in recent versions of Minecraft Bedrock Edition, LAN multiplayer no longer functions offline.
When the device has no internet connection, the Multiplayer Game option becomes grayed out, and Visible to LAN Players does not appear or cannot be enabled. As a result, other devices on the same hotspot or Wi-Fi network cannot see or join the world.
This issue occurs even after reinstalling the game, logging in with Microsoft accounts, and testing on multiple devices.
LAN multiplayer was previously a core feature, and its removal or breakage prevents offline play with family and friends.
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Steps to Reproduce
1. Disconnect all devices from the internet.
2. Launch Minecraft Bedrock Edition.
3. Create or open any world.
4. Pause the game → Settings → Multiplayer.
5. Observe that:
Multiplayer Game is grayed out and cannot be toggled.
Visible to LAN Players is missing or disabled.
6. On another device connected to the same hotspot/Wi-Fi network, check the world list — the host world does not appear.
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Expected Result
Multiplayer Game and Visible to LAN Players should remain available even without internet.
Local devices on the same network should be able to join via LAN, as stated by the official documentation.
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Actual Result
Multiplayer Game becomes grayed out while offline.
Visible to LAN Players cannot be enabled in-game.
LAN worlds do not appear on other devices.
Game incorrectly requires internet for offline LAN multiplayer.
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Suspected Cause
The game disables multiplayer-related settings whenever the device has no internet connection, even though LAN multiplayer should not require online services.
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Proposed Fix
1. Allow Multiplayer Game and Visible to LAN Players to stay enabled while offline.
2. Allow toggling these settings during gameplay.
3. Optional: Add a LAN password option to prevent unwanted players from joining when using a mobile hotspot.
Linked issues
is duplicated by 1
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