How to Fix "Failed to Verify Username" in Minecraft

Fixing Failed to Verify Username In Minecraft

The "Failed to verify username" error means Minecraft could not confirm your account with the login servers before letting you onto a server. Almost always it comes from a stale login session on the player's end, and the fix takes under a minute: fully close the game, log out of the launcher, log back in, then reconnect. That refreshes your session, which clears the error in most cases.

Before you connect to any server that verifies accounts, Minecraft checks that your login session is genuine. When that check does not go through, you get this message (or the closely related "Invalid Session"). The trap is assuming it is your server's fault. Nine times out of ten it starts with the player, not the host, so try the quick refresh below before changing any settings.

Quick fix (try this first)

minecraft failed to verify username error

If you are the player seeing the error, do this before anything else:

Close Minecraft completely, including the launcher.
Open the launcher and log out of your Microsoft account.
Log back in through the official sign in screen.
Start the game and join the server again.

This verifies your account with the login servers again, which is all that is needed the vast majority of the time. If it worked, you are done. If not, work through the causes below.

Fixes for players

If the quick refresh did not solve it, run through these in order.

Refresh your login session. Fully close the game, log out of the launcher, log back in, and rejoin. A recent username change is fixed the same way, since logging back in pulls your updated profile.
Check whether the login servers are down. If Microsoft and Mojang's authentication services have an outage, nobody can join a verified server and there is nothing to fix on your side. Check the Mojang status page or the @MojangStatus account, wait roughly 10 to 20 minutes, and try again.
Make sure you are only logged in once. A second device or a second launcher using the same account can invalidate your session, because only the most recently launched instance stays authenticated. Close the others and retry.
Check your firewall, antivirus, and connection. If any of these block the launcher from reaching the login servers, verification fails before it starts. Allow the launcher through and confirm your connection is stable. A quick router restart helps if it has been flaky.
Confirm you are on an official copy. Unofficial or cracked clients cannot authenticate, so any server that verifies accounts will reject them with this error. Signing in with a genuine account is the only fix on a verified server.

Fixes for server owners

These apply when the problem is on your side rather than one player's. A quick tell: if a single player gets the error while others join fine, it is that player's account. If everyone is blocked at once, look here.

Restart the server. If the server itself cannot reach the login servers, it fails to verify anyone, and a reboot usually clears it. If affected players can still join other public servers but not yours, the problem is your server. See how to restart your Minecraft server.
Confirm the server can reach the login servers. It needs a working outbound connection to the authentication services. If a restart does not help and the status pages look healthy, ask your host to check networking on their end. On ElixirNode this is handled for you, so contact support if it persists.
Check your proxy setup (BungeeCord or Velocity). This is the most common cause on networks with more than one server. Each backend behind the proxy must have online-mode=false with IP forwarding configured on the proxy, and be firewalled so only the proxy can reach it. A backend left on online-mode=true throws this error for everyone. .
Only turn off verification on purpose, and carefully. Setting online-mode=false in server.properties switches off account verification entirely, so anyone can join under any name and impersonate your players or staff. Only do it for a private LAN game or a knowingly cracked server, and pair it with a login plugin (see our recommended Minecraft server plugins) and an anticheat (see Top 5 Best Minecraft Server Anticheats). Keep online-mode=true on any public server.

Causes at a glance

Cause	Who it affects	Fix
Stale login session	One player	Log out of the launcher, log back in, rejoin.
Recent username change	One player	Same refresh. Logging back in pulls the new profile.
Login servers down	Everyone, everywhere	Check the status page, wait 10 to 20 minutes.
Multiple logins at once	One player	Close other copies using the same account.
Firewall or antivirus blocking the launcher	One player	Allow the launcher through, check the connection.
Unofficial or cracked client	One player	Use a genuine account on a verified server.
Server cannot reach the login servers	Everyone on your server	Restart the server, then contact your host.
Proxy backend left on `online-mode=true`	Everyone on your network	Set backends to `online-mode=false` and enable forwarding on the proxy.

Frequently asked questions

Is "Failed to verify username" the same as "Invalid Session"?
They share the same root cause, a login session that could not be verified, and the same first fix. If you see either one, refresh your session by logging out of the launcher and back in.

I changed my Minecraft username and now I get this error. What do I do?
Log out of the launcher and log back in. That refreshes your profile so the login servers recognise the new name, and the error clears.

Only one player gets the error and everyone else joins fine. Why?
That points at that player's account or session, not your server. Have them run the quick refresh, confirm they are on an official copy, and check they are not logged in somewhere else at the same time.

Everyone on my server gets it at the same time. What now?
That is a problem on the server. Either your server cannot reach the login servers (restart it, then contact support) or, on a proxy network, a backend is wrongly set to online-mode=true (switch it to offline mode with forwarding configured on the proxy).

Should I just set online-mode=false to make it go away?
No, not on a public server. It turns off account verification completely and lets anyone join under any name, which opens the door to impersonation and griefing. Keep online-mode=true and fix the real cause instead.

Last updated: 13 August 2026.