Why do it say IO netty channel Abstractchannel Annotatedconnectexception connection timed out?

Some people say that they meet “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException connection timed out” issue when they play Minecraft. If you are one of them, you can read this post from MiniTool to find some solutions to fix the issue.

When you play Minecraft, you may receive the “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException connection timed out” error message. The reasons for this issue can be incompatible software, firewall, IP issue as well as the outdated Java.

Now, let’s see how to fix the “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException connection refused” issue.

Solution 1: Restart Your Router

The first solution for you to fix the Minecraft io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException issue is restarting your router. You need to make sure that the cables are in the right place. If you are using Wi-Fi, you can restart your router. If this doesn’t work, move to the next solutions.

Solution 2: Check the Firewall’s App Permissions

If Minecraft’s server connection is blocked by Windows Defender Firewall, the “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException connection timed out” issue can also appear. Thus, you can also try to check the firewall’s app permissions to fix the issue. Here is how to do that:

Step 1: Open Control Panel and click the Windows Defender Firewall part.

Step 2: Then, you need to click the Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall option.

Step 3: Now, you need to click Change settings. Then check all the Public and Private boxes for Java (TM) Platform SE binary and click the OK button.

Now, you can check if the Minecraft io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException connection timed out issue has been fixed.

Solution 3: Turn off Windows Defender Firewall

You can turn off Windows Defender Firewall to ensure it can’t block Minecraft’s server connection. Thus, turning off Windows Defender Firewall can be helpful to fix the “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException connection timed out” issue. You can try it with the following steps.

Step 1: Open the Run application on Windows and input firewall.cpl, then click OK to open Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 2: Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off to open the Customize Settings.

Step 3: Check both the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall(not recommended) options and press the OK button.

Now, check if the “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException connection refused” issue still appears.

Solution 4: Add the IP Address and Port Manually

If your Internet connection uses a dynamic IP address and not a static IP, then the Minecraft io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException issue may appear. You can add the IP address and port manually to fix the issue. 

Step 1: Type Command Prompt in the Search box and right-click it to select Run as Administrator.

Step 2: Type ipconfig and take note of the IPV4 Address.

Step 3: Open File Explorer and go to Minecraft Servers folder>Maxwell (some random numbers)> MinecraftServer. Then open the Server Properties text document.

Step 4: Take note of the Server Port number. Open Minecraft and navigate to the Play Multiplayer option.

Step 5: Click the server that you want to join and select Edit. The Address needs to be the IPV4 address.

Now, the “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException” issue should be fixed.

Final Words

In this post, you can know how to fix the “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException” issue on Windows 10. If you encounter the same issue, you can refer to this post and try the methods above to fix that.

Quite recently a lot of reports have been coming in of users encountering the error “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException: Connection refused: no further information” while trying to connect to a server. This error is not limited to a single server and persists across all of them.

What Causes the Connection Refused Error?

After receiving numerous reports from multiple users we investigated the issue and devised a set of solutions that solved the problem for most of the users. Also, we looked into the reasons due to which the error is triggered and listed them below. For that:

• IP issue: In some cases, the problem is caused due to the wrong IP address or the port listed while trying to connect to a server. The IP address along with the correct port is used to forward your connection to the server and connection is established once the server approves. Unless you are using a static IP address, that is quite rare, the IP address assigned to you by the ISP changes from time to time, and multiple users might be allocated the same IP address. Therefore, the IP address needs to be edited from time to time.
• Firewall: Also it is possible that the Windows Firewall that you are using might be blocking your connection to the server. Both the Java files and the game directory is to be added to the exclusion list of the Windows Firewall in order for the game to connect to the server properly.
• Outdated Java: Minecraft requires the Java software to be updated to the latest version in order for it to work properly. If the Java is outdated on your device and the launcher has been updated to the latest version it might cause conflicts with certain elements of the game and prevent proper connection to the server.
• Incompatible Software: There is a list of software that is not compatible with Minecraft and causes issues if they are installed on the computer on which you are trying to connect to the server. Minecraft has an official list of software that is not compatible with the game and causes conflicts.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the nature of the issue we will move on towards the solutions. It is recommended that you try these solutions in the specific order in which they are provided to ensure that no conflicts occur.

Power-Cycle your Network

Whenever the internet router is reset the IP address that is provided by the ISP is changed unless you are using a static IP address. Therefore, in this step, we will be reinitializing the internet settings and the DNS cache by completely power cycling the Internet Router. For that:

1. Disconnect the power from the internet router.
   
   Disconnecting Power cord
2. Wait for 5 minutes and reconnect the power.
3. When internet access is granted try to connect to the server and check to see if the issue persists.

Reset your Network Configurations

Your Windows Network configurations can also be a culprit here, as it’s possible that your Network settings are configured incorrectly. For resetting network configurations, follow the steps below:-

1. Search for the Command Prompt in the Windows Search bar then click “run as administrator”.
   
   Running Command Prompt
2. Once the Command Prompt window is opened, type the following commands one by one:-ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset
3. Restart your computer and check to see if the issue persists.

Add Exception in Firewall

It is possible that the Windows Firewall that you are using might be blocking your connection to the server. Therefore, in this step, we will be adding an exception in the Firewall for some executables in the Minecraft folder that need internet access. For that:

1. Click on the start menu and select the Settings icon.
2. In the Settings, click on the “Updates & Security” option.
3. Select the “Windows Security” from the left pane and select the “Firewall & Network Protection” option.
4. Scroll down and select the “Allow an App through Firewall” option.
5. Click on “Change Settings” and select “Yes” on the warning prompt.
6. Select the “Allow another app” from the options and click on “Browse“
7. Navigate to the game installation directory and select the game and the launcher executable.
8. Now repeat the above process again and this time navigate to the directory where you have the Minecraft servers installed.
9. Open the “Maxwell” folder and then the “MinecraftServer” folder.
10. Now allow both the  Java executables located inside the folder in the same way.
11. Now repeat the process again and instead of clicking “Allow another app” after selecting the “change” option simply scroll down the list of apps available and allow all the “Java Platform SE Binary” options through both the “Private” and “Public” networks.
    
    The applications that need to be allowed through the firewall
12. Open the Minecraft launcher, try to connect to the server, and check to see if the issue persists.
    
    Allowing an application through the firewall

Add the IP address and Port Before Connecting

If the IP address that you are using is not a static one, it will change every couple of days or whenever the Internet Connection is reset. Therefore, in this step, we are going to be checking the IP address and the correct port for the game and add it to the Minecraft Launcher. For that:

1. Click on the search bar on the Windows toolbar and type in “Command Prompt“.
2. Right–click on the icon and select “Run as Administrator“.
   
   Right-clicking on the Command Prompt icon and selecting Run as Administrator
3. Type in “ipconfig” and note down the “IPV4 Address“.
   
   Typing in ipconfig in the command prompt
4. Also, Navigate to the “Minecraft Servers folder>Maxwell (some random numbers)> MinecraftServer” and open the “Server Properties” text document.
   
   Opening the “Server Properties” text document and noting down the server port
5. Note down the “Server Port” listed there. In our case it was “25565” it should be similar in most cases however in some it is not.
6. Now open up Minecraft and navigate to the “Play Multiplayer” option.
7. Select the server which you want to join by clicking on it and select “Edit” from the below options.
   
   Clicking on the server and selecting “Edit”
8. The server name can be according to your preference but the “Address” needs to be the IPV4 address that we noted and the port number for example “XXX.XXX.X.X:25565” the “25565” is the port number and it may vary.
   
   Editing the Server Address and clicking on Done
9. Click on “Done“, click on “Refresh” and check to see if the issue persists.

Note: There are some applications that are generally incompatible with certain elements of Minecraft and cause issues with it. The list of applications is available here. If these are installed on the computer on which the server is running from or on your computer you will continue to face issues with the game.

Check for Port Filtering

We came across numerous instances where users were accidentally filtering ports. Even though the port forwarding was working alright, the filtering automatically nullifies it and you will not be able to connect to Minecraft servers.

Here, what you can do is check your router’s and your local machine’s network configurations and make sure that port filtering isn’t turned on and if it is, the correct ports are being filtered.

Check ISP Network Access

If none of the above methods work, you should check your ISP’s network access. ISPs sometimes block network access to specific domains and don’t allow you to go through. Contact your ISP and verify that internet access isn’t indeed blocked.

Furthermore, you can also change your internet connection to your smartphone’s 3G and see how that works out for you. If it does, it probably means that your ISP is blocking you and you need to change your network.

If Minecraft is working with the Mobile Data it means that your ISP is blocking the connection. If that’s the case please contact your ISP to get your issue resolved.