How to fix "Failed to verify username" in Minecraft
"Failed to verify username!" is the server saying it could not confirm that a player owns the account they are using. The cause is usually simple, and it nearly always falls into one of five groups. Work through them in order, because the quick checks come first.
What the message means
On a normal server, online-mode=true makes the server ask Mojang's authentication service whether the name and session of each joining player are genuine. If the check fails, the player is turned away. So the message can come from a problem with the player, the server, the network between them and Mojang, or a proxy in front of your server.
The related messages are worth knowing:
- "Failed to verify username!" means the check failed or timed out.
- "Invalid session (Try restarting your game)" means the player's login token is out of date.
- "Authentication servers are down for maintenance" means exactly that, and nothing on your side will fix it.
Fix 1: restart the game and the launcher
For the player, this fixes most cases. A session token that has gone stale is replaced when the launcher logs in again.
- Close Minecraft completely, including the launcher.
- Open the launcher and make sure you are signed in to the right account. Log out and in again if it is not working.
- Join again.
If the player recently changed their username or password, signing in again is required.
Fix 2: check whether Mojang's services are up
If many players get the error at once, the cause is probably outside your server. Mojang's authentication and session services have occasional outages, during which nobody can join an online-mode server. Check an official status page or a community status tracker. If they are down, wait. Do not turn off online-mode as a workaround on a public server, because that lets anyone join under any name, including an operator's.
Fix 3: the same account is already connected
A server does not allow two connections with the same name. If a player disconnected badly, for example when their connection dropped, the old session can linger for a short time. Waiting a minute and trying again usually works, and you can run /kick name from the console to clear a stuck session. The server console is where to do that.
Fix 4: the server's connection
The server itself has to reach Mojang to check players. If it cannot, every join fails. This happens when:
- The server's network is blocked or misconfigured, for example a firewall that blocks outgoing traffic. If you manage the machine yourself, see Set up a firewall on your VPS with UFW and confirm outbound traffic is allowed.
- The server's clock is badly wrong, which breaks secure connections.
- DNS on the server is not resolving names.
On managed hosting you cannot change this yourself, so if it affects everyone, open a ticket and say you cannot reach the authentication services. See How to open a support ticket on Discord.
Fix 5: a proxy is in the way
If you use a proxy such as Velocity or BungeeCord, authentication happens there, not on the backend servers. The usual setup is:
- The proxy runs with online mode on.
- The backends run with
online-mode=false, but only reachable from the proxy.
If the modes are the wrong way round, players are rejected with this message or with forwarding errors. See How to connect several Minecraft servers with a Velocity proxy for the correct arrangement.
Players on cracked or non-Mojang launchers
Players using launchers that do not log in with a real account cannot join an online-mode server, and this message is exactly what they see. The safe answer is for them to use an account they own. Turning online mode off to let them in is a serious security risk, so only consider it for a private, whitelisted server behind a proxy, as in the Velocity guide.
Quick checklist
| Check | Who | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Restart game and launcher, sign in again | Player | Try again |
| Others can join normally | Admin | If not, check the server's connection |
| Mojang services are up | Admin | Wait |
| No duplicate session | Admin | Kick the name |
| Online mode set correctly with a proxy | Admin | Fix the mode |
If everything seems right and one player still fails, have them test on another server. If that fails too, the problem is their account or network, not yours. And if you see other errors in the same moment, How to read your server logs will point to the cause.
Still stuck? Open a ticket on Discord - run /ticket in any channel, pick a department, and include your Server ID or Invoice ID so we can jump straight in.