Minecraft Error – ‘An Existing Connection Was Forcibly Closed by the Remote Host’ Fixed!

Minecraft is one of the most popular games available on the market today. With hundreds of thousands of players indulging daily to mine a landscape and thousands of influencers live streaming their Minecraft gameplay, you are looking at a title with millions of potential audiences. 

However, even that is not a bug-free experience. There have been so many issues with Minecraft, specifically for people playing it on Windows. One such error is ‘An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host”. 

The error appears out of nowhere for a player, which is super annoying. The experience of playing an online game is completely ruined due to such errors. If you have faced the issue, you know what we are discussing. 

If you are looking for a fix for the Minecraft error, we have covered a few fixes to resolve the “An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host” error. 

Why Does the Error Appear?

Before we begin with the fixes, it is important to identify the root cause of the issue. There are multiple reasons why an existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host error that appears when you play online. The majority of those reasons are – 

1. A PC security program does not allow network access to the game.
2. There is an error with your DNS that cannot connect to the game server.
3. Java settings on your PC are not updated to support your game properly.
4. Registry optimization is required to handle the Minecraft process efficiently.
5. An outdated network adapter driver is causing the connection to shut down.

These errors and the fact that your PC cannot connect to the internet properly are the root cause of an existing connection being forcibly closed by the remote host error in Minecraft.

Now that we have identified the causes, the next move is to support these causes with relevant fixes. Let’s look at some of the fixes you can use to resolve these potential issues on your Windows PC. 

5 Fixes to Help You Resolve Remote Host Errors on Minecraft

Fix #1 – Optimize Your System Registry

You should optimize your existing registry files on Windows. These registry files usually contain configuration information for any process. If the internet is continuously being disconnected from your device, there are solid chances that the issue lies in the registry. 

Fragmentation in registries is one of the most common errors that cause them to malfunction. Optimization can help gather the scattered registry files and defrag the existing ones. 

However, playing around with the Windows registry can become risky, as a slight misconfiguration might cause an inevitable error. Hence, you can use Advanced System Optimizer to scan the registries for issues and optimize them immediately. 

Before fixing invalid registry entries, the tool takes a backup as a precaution.

Check out this post to know more about why and how you should optimize your registries. 

Fix #2 – Try Changing Your DNS Server

The domain name server your PC is using might be unable to find the required configured cache. This often happens due to a slow internet connection, which might also be a consequence of using a slow DNS server by your ISP. 

The best thing you can do is change your DNS server to a more reliable and speedy server. 

To do so – 

Step 1 – Press Windows + I to open the system settings
Step 2 – Find Network & Internet settings from the left-hand panel in the system settings.
Step 3 – Click on Properties and navigate to the DNS Server Assignment
Step 4 – Click on Edit and Change automatic detection to manual.
Step 5 – Toggle the IPV4 configuration ON and manually enter the new DNS values.

If this method seems too much work, you can choose a different method to change your DNS server on Windows. 

Fix #3 – Try Using Your Game With Firewall Turned Off (Risky)

The Windows Firewall is the backbone of your PC’s security. Turning it off might put your PC to risk of getting exposed to malicious software. Hence it is advised that you perform this step at your own risk. 

Sometimes, the firewall detects your game server as harmful and instantly disconnects you from the connected server. Due to this, you might have encountered the “An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host” error on your PC out of nowhere.

Here’s how to turn off the firewall on your Windows PC – 

Step 1 – Search your start menu for Firewall and Network Protection. 

Step 2 – Open the resulted option, and you will find the status of your current firewalls. 

Step 3 – Click on Public Network to explore network options in detail.
Step 4 – Toggle OFF the Microsoft Defender Firewall for your current network.

Step 5 – A user control prompt will appear. Simply press Yes on it to allow this process. 

Fix #4 – Update Java Settings on Your Windows

To enhance your gaming experience, you should configure your Java settings. These basic values and settings allow a game to run more smoothly on a PC. Sometimes the error and existing connection were forcibly closed by the remote host can appear if the Java settings on your PC are outdated. 

To update these settings – 

Step 1 – Press Windows+R to open the run search utility.
Step 2 – In the search box, type control and hit enter to open the control panel.

Step 3 – In the Control Panel, go to System & Security.

Step 4- You can find Programs in the left panel. 

Step 5 – In Programs, you may find the Java settings. Open it and click on the Update tab. There you can find an update now button. Click on it and follow the instructions on the screen. 

Fix #5 – Update Network Adapter Drivers on Your PC

Updating your network adapter can also help overcome the sudden error of the remote host closing the connection. Sometimes the outdated network adapter driver causes the network to drop, hindering your experience while playing an online game like Minecraft. 

To update your network adapter driver, you have two options. You can use the Device Manager and look for updates manually or do it automatically using the driver updater utility in Advanced System Optimizer. 

If you opt for the manual method, you can follow these steps – 

Step 1 – Press Windows+R to open the Run search

Step 2 – In the run search box, use the command devmgmt.msc

Step 3 – This will open the Device Manager.
Step 4 – In the Device Manager, look for the Network adapter.

Step 5 – Select your network adapter and right-click on it to find the Update driver option.
Step 6 – Click the first option and follow the steps on your screen.

On the other hand, if you do not want to go through all the steps, you can use the Driver Updater utility offered by Advanced System Optimizer. 

Step 1 – Download and install the best PC Optimization tool. 

Step 2 – Click the Driver Updater option from the left pane. 

Step 3 – Now, click the Start Scan Now button to scan the PC for outdated drivers.

Step 4 – To update them, use the Update Selected Drivers button. However, if you wish to update only the network adapter driver click the Download link next to it. 

This is how you can quickly update the driver and fix the issue. 

Advanced System Optimizer not just offers Registry Cleaner, Optimizer, and Driver Updater. It offers several other features that help optimize and tweak PC performance. To know more about the tool and its features, check out our in-depth review of Advanced System Optimizer., 

This will help you make better decisions. 

Fixing Connection Lost Error in Minecraft Made Easy!

The fixes mentioned above can help you make the most out of your Minecraft experience. Use them to resolve the “An existing connection that was forcibly closed by the remote host” error. These fixes might be useful if you have encountered a connection timed-out error in Minecraft. 

With that being said, we have reached the end of this post. You can use all the methods as mentioned and fix the error yourself! Thanks for reading the post. Good luck.

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