How to Install Simple Voice Chat on a Minecraft Server in 2026

You install Simple Voice Chat on your server, restart, and join the game. The microphone doesn't work. The voice chat icon says "not connected". The problem isn't the mod: it's the port. Simple Voice Chat uses a separate UDP port (24454 by default) that has nothing to do with the standard Minecraft port (25565). If that port isn't open, the voice chat won't connect, with no explicit error message. It's the number one trap of this installation, and this guide starts there.

Key takeaways

• Simple Voice Chat works as a relay server: players' audio goes through the server via UDP, not peer-to-peer. The mod must be installed on the server AND on each player's client.
• The default port is 24454 UDP. It must be open in the firewall and forwarded in the router (if self-hosted), in addition to the standard Minecraft port.
• The mod is compatible with Paper, Spigot, Fabric, NeoForge, Forge and Quilt. A Fabric player can join a Paper server with the plugin, and vice versa.
• With more than 120 million downloads on CurseForge, it's the most widely used voice chat mod for Minecraft.

Understanding how it works

Simple Voice Chat isn't a Discord bot or a cloud service. It's an audio system built into the Minecraft server. Each player sends their voice to the server via UDP, the server works out who is near whom, and sends each player back only the voices they should hear based on distance. That's what makes proximity voice chat possible: the further a player moves away, the quieter their voice gets.

This architecture implies two non-negotiable constraints:

• The server must have the mod or plugin installed. It's the audio relay.
• Each player must install the mod on the client side (Fabric, NeoForge or Forge). A vanilla player can't use the voice chat, but can still join the server and play normally without the mod.

For the complete documentation, see the official Simple Voice Chat wiki by henkelmax.

Installing on Paper / Spigot / Purpur

On a Paper, Spigot or Purpur server, Simple Voice Chat is installed like a regular plugin.

• Download the Bukkit version of Simple Voice Chat from CurseForge or Modrinth. Make sure the version matches your Minecraft version.
• Place the .jar file in your server's plugins/ folder.
• Restart the server (a real restart, not a reload).
• The configuration file is generated automatically in plugins/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties.

Installing on Fabric / NeoForge / Forge

On a modded server, Simple Voice Chat is installed like a standard mod.

• Download the version that matches your loader (Fabric, NeoForge or Forge) from CurseForge or Modrinth.
• Place the .jar file in your server's mods/ folder.
• On Fabric, Fabric API must be installed (it probably already is if you have other mods).
• Restart the server.
• The configuration file is generated in config/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties.

Opening the voice chat port

This is the step everybody forgets, and the cause of 90% of "not connected" problems.

Simple Voice Chat uses UDP port 24454 by default, separate from the Minecraft game port (25565 TCP). This port must be open everywhere along the network chain.

With a server host

Two scenarios:

• The host lets you open additional ports in the panel (Pterodactyl or a proprietary panel). Add port 24454 UDP to your server's port allocations. Some Minecraft hosts automatically assign a voice port other than 24454: check in the panel which UDP port is available and edit voicechat-server.properties accordingly.
• The host doesn't let you open an additional port. Set the voice chat port to -1 in the configuration (see the dedicated section below). This option works but comes with risks.

When self-hosting

• Windows firewall: New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Voice Chat" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 24454 -Action Allow
• Linux firewall (ufw): sudo ufw allow 24454/udp
• Port forwarding: forward UDP port 24454 on your router to the local IP of the server machine.
• Docker: publish the port explicitly as UDP: -p 24454:24454/udp. The -p 24454:24454 syntax without /udp only maps TCP, which doesn't work for voice chat.

One thing to know if you use GeyserMC at the same time: Geyser also uses a UDP port (19132 by default). Make sure the two ports are different. Two services can't share the same UDP port.

Configuring voicechat-server.properties

The configuration file is in one of two places depending on your loader:

• Paper/Spigot: plugins/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties
• Fabric/NeoForge/Forge: config/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties

The most useful settings (according to the official documentation):

After editing the file, restart the server. Changes aren't applied on the fly.

Client-side installation (players)

Each player must install Simple Voice Chat on their client. The client version must match the player's loader (Fabric, NeoForge or Forge), not the server's. A Fabric player can join a Paper server with the SVC plugin, as long as they have the Fabric client mod installed on their side.

• Download Simple Voice Chat from CurseForge or Modrinth for your loader and your Minecraft version.
• Place the .jar in your local mods/ folder.
• Launch Minecraft. Press V in game to open the voice chat settings (audio devices, push-to-talk, volume).

Players who don't want to or can't install the mod can still join the server and play normally. They just won't have access to the voice chat.

Using the same port as the Minecraft server (port = -1)

If you can't open an additional port (some low-cost hosts, some networks), change the port setting in voicechat-server.properties:

port=-1

With this configuration, Simple Voice Chat uses the same port as the Minecraft server. No need to open a second port. The official documentation discourages this option because the UDP port is also used by Minecraft's query system, which can cause conflicts and server crashes. In practice, on hosts that don't offer an additional port, it's sometimes the only option. Test your server's stability after enabling it, and switch back to a dedicated port as soon as possible if you notice crashes or random disconnections.

Checking that the voice chat works

After installing and restarting the server, check the following:

• Server console: at startup, a message confirms that the voice chat server started on the configured port. If you see a "port in use" or "failed to bind" warning, the port is already taken by another service.
• Test command: type /voicechat test PlayerName in game to test the voice chat connection of a specific player. This is the most reliable official diagnostic method.
• In game: press V to open the settings. If the icon at the bottom left shows a microphone with a green check mark, the voice chat is connected. If it shows an unplugged cable or "not connected", the UDP port isn't reachable.
• Player test: connect with two accounts (or ask a friend). Get close to each other and talk. The voice should be audible and fade with distance.

Troubleshooting

"Voice chat not connected" in game

This is the most common problem. In 90% of cases, UDP port 24454 isn't open or isn't forwarded correctly. Check in order:

• Is the port open as UDP (not TCP) in the firewall?
• Is port forwarding configured as UDP on the router (if self-hosted)?
• With a host: is port 24454 actually allocated to your server in the panel?
• Does the port set in voicechat-server.properties match the port that is actually open?
• Is another service (Geyser, another mod) already using port 24454?

Standard port-checking tools (like canyouseeme.org) don't work for UDP ports. UDP is a connectionless protocol: the application has to respond to confirm that the port is open. Use the /voicechat test command in game or the official CLI tool svc-cli-utils to test the port from the command line.

If none of these checks solves the problem, set the port to -1 to use the Minecraft server's port. It's the most common workaround, but keep the official warning about crash risks in mind.

Voice chat works locally but not remotely

The server and the client are on the same network and your router's NAT loopback doesn't work for the UDP port. Local players connect directly, while remote players go through the router, which doesn't forward the voice port correctly. Check the forwarding of UDP port 24454 on your router.

Audio lag or robotic voice

The Opus codec used by Simple Voice Chat is very light on bandwidth (about 10-15 KB/s per active player). A server with 20 players talking at the same time uses about 300 KB/s for voice chat, which is negligible. If the voice is choppy or robotic, the problem usually comes from the player's internet connection (not the server). Ask the player to check their connection and close any applications that use bandwidth in the background. You can also lower the mtu_size setting (default 1275) in the server config if several players report the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Fabric player talk with a Forge player on the same server?

Yes. Simple Voice Chat is cross-compatible between all loaders. A Paper server with the plugin can host players with the Fabric, NeoForge or Forge mod installed on the client side. The audio protocol is the same regardless of the loader.

Can Bedrock players use Simple Voice Chat?

Not natively. Simple Voice Chat is exclusive to Minecraft Java Edition. Bedrock players connected through Geyser can't use the voice chat. A third-party project called "Bedrock Voice Chat" (available on Modrinth) tries to bridge that gap, but it's still experimental.

Can you use Simple Voice Chat without a microphone (listen only)?

Yes. A player can install the mod and listen to other players without ever turning on their microphone. The mod works in receive-only mode by default until the player configures their input device and presses the push-to-talk key.

Simple Voice Chat or Plasmo Voice?

Both do the same thing (proximity voice chat). Simple Voice Chat has a larger user base (120M+ downloads), more addons, and broader compatibility (Bukkit/Spigot/Paper natively). Plasmo Voice offers better sound occlusion (sound is muffled by the blocks between players) and a Discord-style overlay. Both are free, open source, and actively maintained in 2026. For a community server, Simple Voice Chat is the safest choice thanks to its popularity and documentation.

Does the voice chat work with a proxy (Velocity/BungeeCord)?

Yes. Simple Voice Chat supports Velocity and BungeeCord/Waterfall. Install the mod/plugin on each backend server and the proxy plugin on Velocity or BungeeCord. The voice chat follows the player when they switch servers within the network. The voice port must be open on each backend server. Since version 2.6.4 of the proxy plugin, you can test the connection between the proxy and the backend servers with /voicechatproxy ping .

How do I stop players without the mod from joining the server?

Set force_voice_chat=true in voicechat-server.properties. The server automatically kicks any player who doesn't have the mod installed after a configurable delay (login_timeout, default 10 seconds). This setting is disabled by default.