Why consoles need a workaround

The short version

Minecraft on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch will not let you type in a server address. The Servers tab only lists Mojang's featured partner servers, and there is no "add server" button. That is a restriction in the console version of the game, not something a server can switch off from its end.

You can still play here. It takes about five minutes of setup, once.

How the workaround works

Every method does the same thing underneath: it makes your console think it is connecting to one of the featured servers, and puts a server list of your own in the way instead.

The usual tool is BedrockConnect. You change one setting on your console — its DNS — so that when you pick a featured server, you get a menu where you can type any address you like. Pick ours, and you are in.

Nothing is installed on the console and nothing is modified in the game. You are changing a network setting, and you can change it back at any time.

Before you start

You must already be whitelisted. Apply on the site and wait for approval, or the server will turn you away no matter how you connect.
Use the Bedrock port. The address and port are on your dashboard. The port matters more than usual here — see the port trap.
Have a second DNS ready. 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google) goes in the secondary slot on every console.

Which guide

Xbox — One, Series S, Series X
PlayStation — PS4 and PS5
Nintendo Switch — Switch and Switch 2
When it does not work — read this before giving up

A word about trusting a DNS server

Changing your DNS points all of that console's name lookups at someone else's machine, not just Minecraft's. The BedrockConnect instances are run by volunteers and have been used by a very large number of players for years, but they are strangers, and it is fair to be uneasy about that.

Two honest mitigations: put a DNS you do trust in the secondary slot, and set the DNS back to automatic when you are done playing. Neither is required. Both are reasonable.

BedrockConnect is not run by us, and it is not affiliated with GeyserMC either.