Minecraft: Connection Refused

Q: I am trying to connect to a Minecraft server and I keep getting "Connection refused: connect" how can I fix this?

A: Follow these steps to try and get connected to the Minecraft server

1. Restart your computer
2. Clear your DNS cache
1. Open command prompt with administrative privileges
2. Type: ipconfig /flushdns
3. Hit enter 
3. Force update your client

If you are and administrator on your server continue on. Other wise contact your server admin and inform them of the issue.

1. Restart your server
2. Undo any changes made through FTP
3. Ensure that you have the correct IP. Your ISP can change this without warning and you may be using an old IP address.

If you have made any changes to your modem or router, check to ensure they are both set up properly. A Minecraft server should have a static IP and have a port open in your router. For instructions on how to setup your router go to portforward.com

The Minecraft wiki also has a set of instructions on how to setup your router
Minecraft port forwarding


If you still can't connect to your Minecraft server

1. Backup your server
2. Open server properties
3. Change the world name
4. Restart Server