Simple Voice Chat adds proximity voice, push-to-talk, voice activation, private groups, whispers, and recording to Minecraft. It is not a server-only plugin: on a normal modded server, every player also needs the matching client mod. The audio connection uses a separate UDP port, so installing the files without opening the voice-chat port is the most common reason it appears not to work.
This guide covers client installation, Fabric/NeoForge/Forge/Quilt servers, Paper-compatible plugin servers, port forwarding, proxy setups, permissions, first-time configuration, and common failure modes.
Check compatibility before installing
Download Simple Voice Chat for the exact Minecraft version and mod loader used by the client or server. A Fabric profile needs the Fabric build; a NeoForge profile needs NeoForge; Forge and Quilt likewise require their own builds. Do not assume that a similar Minecraft version or a different loader will work.
As of August 7, 2026, the latest listed release is Simple Voice Chat 2.6.21, released July 19, 2026, with files for Minecraft 26.2 on Fabric, NeoForge, and Forge. The project also provides builds for Quilt, Bukkit/Spigot/Paper, Velocity, and BungeeCord/Waterfall. Always select the file for your actual Minecraft version rather than simply downloading the newest file.
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Supported-version traps
- Currently listed supported versions include 26.2, 26.1.2, 26.1.1, 26.1, 1.21.11, 1.21.10, 1.21.8, 1.21.5, 1.21.4, 1.21.1, 1.20.1, 1.19.2, 1.18.2, 1.16.5, and 1.12.2.
- Several intervening versions, including 1.21.9, 1.21.7, 1.21.6, 1.21.3, 1.21.2, and 1.21, are listed as unsupported.
- The first two numbers of the Simple Voice Chat version must match between client and server. For example, server version 1.2.3 can work with 1.2.0 or 1.2.5, but not 1.1.x, 1.3.x, or 2.x. Matching the complete version is still the safest choice.
- NeoForge clients cannot connect to Forge servers merely because the voice-chat versions appear compatible. Forge and NeoForge have loader limitations that prevent this setup.
Install Simple Voice Chat on the client
- Identify the Minecraft version and loader in the launcher profile you use to join the server.
- Download the Simple Voice Chat client build for that version and loader from the official project page or another trusted mod distribution site.
- Put the downloaded JAR in the profile’s mods folder. If the launcher manages mods for you, use its “Add Content” or equivalent option instead.
- Launch Minecraft with the same Fabric, NeoForge, Forge, or Quilt profile. Do not place a Fabric JAR in a Forge profile.
- Join a server or open a single-player world. Starting with Simple Voice Chat 2.5.2, first-time setup displays an onboarding message.
- Press V to open the onboarding guide.
The guide lets you select the microphone and speaker, choose Push to talk or Voice activation, assign a push-to-talk key, and adjust the voice-activation level. Test the microphone while speaking normally; setting the activation threshold too low can transmit keyboard, fan, and room noise.
Default keys
| Function | Default key |
|---|---|
| Voice Chat GUI | V |
| Mute microphone | M |
| Disable voice chat | N |
| Hide voice-chat icons | H |
| Group Chats | Unbound on Minecraft 1.21.6 and later; G on 1.21.5 and earlier |
| Push to Talk | Unbound until assigned during onboarding |
| Settings, recording, whisper | Unbound by default |
Every binding can be changed under Minecraft’s Options → Controls → Key Binds. If V does nothing, check for a conflicting key binding or open the controls menu and assign the voice-chat GUI manually.
The V screen also provides settings, group-chat controls, mute and disable options, recording, and the option to hide voice-chat icons.
Install it on the server
Choose one server implementation. Do not install both the mod and plugin versions, and do not use a hybrid server such as Mohist, Arclight, Magma, or Cardboard. Hybrid servers are unsupported.
Fabric, NeoForge, Forge, or Quilt
- Download the server JAR matching the server’s Minecraft version and loader.
- Stop the server.
- Place the JAR in the server’s mods directory.
- Start the server once, then stop it again. This creates the configuration files.
The server configuration is generated at config/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties.
Bukkit, Spigot, or Paper
- Download the Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugin build.
- Stop the server.
- Place the plugin JAR in plugins.
- Start the server once, then stop it before editing configuration.
For these servers, the configuration is at plugins/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties.
Players on a Bukkit, Spigot, or Paper server still need the Fabric, NeoForge, Forge, or Quilt client mod. Installing only the plugin does not give an unmodded Minecraft client a microphone interface.
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Open the separate UDP voice port
Simple Voice Chat normally uses UDP port 24454. Opening the regular Minecraft port alone is not enough. The Minecraft game connection and the voice connection are separate.
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Open and forward UDP 24454 in the firewall, router, hosting panel, and container configuration. The property in voicechat-server.properties is port=24454.
If your host assigns a different voice-chat allocation, replace 24454 with that port and make sure the allocation is specifically reachable over UDP. A console message similar to “Voice chat server started at port 11176” confirms that the voice server started. The number should correspond to the port you configured or the port assigned by your provider.
Do not solve this by setting port=-1. That makes voice chat use the Minecraft server port, but it is strongly discouraged because the same port may also be used by the server query over UDP and can cause conflicts or crashes.
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Expose the port as UDP: 24454:24454/udp. A mapping written as 24454:24454 exposes TCP only and will not carry voice chat.
Hostnames and voice_host
The voice_host property tells clients which hostname, address, or host-and-port to use. Examples include example.com:24454 or a port value, depending on the network layout. Do not change it casually: the correct value depends on port forwarding, DNS, proxies, and whether the server is behind a hosting provider.
Generic TCP port-checking websites cannot reliably test this service. UDP is connectionless, and a useful test requires the voice-chat application to answer rather than merely having a firewall rule present.
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Useful server settings
Edit the configuration only while the server is stopped. Otherwise the running process can overwrite your changes when it shuts down. Important defaults include:
| Property | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| port | 24454 | Separate UDP audio port |
| max_voice_distance | 48 | Maximum normal proximity range |
| whisper_distance | 24 | Whisper range |
| codec | VOIP | Audio codec |
| enable_groups | true | Allows group chats |
| allow_recording | true | Allows client recording |
| force_voice_chat | false | Whether players without the mod are kicked |
| broadcast_range | -1.0 | Follows max_voice_distance |
Setting force_voice_chat=true kicks players who do not have the voice-chat mod. Its default login timeout is 10,000 milliseconds and matters only when force mode is enabled. Use this setting only when every player is expected to install the client mod.
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Test the connection in game
Voice-chat commands must be run in game, not in the server console. The player running them must have Simple Voice Chat installed on the client.
/voicechat help
To test a particular player’s connection, use /voicechat test PLAYERNAME. This requires the voicechat.admin permission. Group commands include /voicechat invite PLAYERNAME, /voicechat join GROUP-NAME, /voicechat join GROUP-ID, and /voicechat leave. Joining by name works only if no more than one group has that exact name. Joining by ID is normally handled automatically when an invitation is accepted.
Set permissions
By default, everyone receives these permissions except voicechat.admin, which is granted only to server operators:
| Permission | Default access and function |
|---|---|
| voicechat.listen | Everyone; hear voice chat |
| voicechat.speak | Everyone; transmit audio |
| voicechat.groups | Everyone; join groups |
| voicechat.admin | Server operators; administrative commands such as /voicechat test |
Fabric uses the Fabric Permissions API; fabric-permission-api-v1 applies to Minecraft 26.2 and later. NeoForge and Forge use their respective permission APIs, while Bukkit, Spigot, and Paper use the Bukkit permission system. If the defaults do not work, check the permission manager before changing voice-chat settings. Unsupported hybrid servers can also cause permission failures.
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Velocity or BungeeCord
A proxy requires separate voice-chat configuration. Install and configure the appropriate proxy plugin and make sure the backend voice port is reachable, not just the proxy’s Minecraft port. With proxy plugin version 2.6.4 and later, you can test a backend from the proxy with /voicechatproxy ping <server name> <voice chat port>. Running /voicechatproxy ping without arguments lists backend servers. The backend voice port must be supplied manually because the proxy does not discover it automatically. This command is experimental.
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DDoS protection
Some providers allow the Minecraft connection while filtering the UDP voice port. Ask the host to disable the blocking protection for voice traffic or create an exception for the configured UDP port.
IPv6
An IPv6 server can send UDP packets from a different temporary source address than the address on which you opened the port. Set bind_address to the opened IPv6 address, or disable temporary IPv6 addresses so outgoing traffic uses the expected address. Binding exclusively to IPv6 prevents IPv4-only players from using voice chat, so choose this deliberately.
Troubleshoot “voice chat not connected”
- Confirm the mod is loaded. The client must be running the correct loader and Minecraft version. A server plugin alone is not sufficient.
- Check both Simple Voice Chat versions. The first two version numbers must match; identical complete versions are preferable.
- Check the server log. Look for the “Voice chat server started” message and verify the actual UDP port.
- Check every network layer. Confirm the same port is open as UDP in the host panel, operating-system firewall, router, Docker mapping, and proxy.
- Check the hosting provider. A reserved port may be TCP-only, already assigned, filtered by DDoS protection, or different from 24454.
- Test with /voicechat test PLAYERNAME. Run it in game with the required permission, not in the console.
- Check whether only one player is affected. If that player fails across multiple servers, their ISP, mobile provider, or VPN may be blocking UDP.
- Check OpSec. Set its Mod Whitelist to AUTO or explicitly allow Simple Voice Chat packets.
Fix microphone and configuration problems
Open V and verify the selected input and output devices. On the client, the configuration file is config/voicechat/voicechat-client.properties.
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Current properties include microphone_gain=0.0, microphone_activation_type=PTT, voice_activation_threshold=-50.0, microphone=, speaker=, output_buffer_size=5, denoiser=false, audio_type=NORMAL, and run_local_server=true.
If a guide tells you to change microphone_amplification, it is outdated. That setting was removed in Simple Voice Chat 2.6.0 and replaced with microphone_gain.
Forge configurations changed in Simple Voice Chat 2.4.0. An old file may contain only a migration notice: “This config has been moved to config/voicechat/voicechat-client.properties” and “moved = true”. The actual settings have moved to config/voicechat/voicechat-client.properties. Start and stop the game after migration if the old file appears empty.
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macOS requires an application to request microphone permission. Vanilla Minecraft does not request it because it has no microphone feature, so the launcher must provide the request on behalf of the voice-chat mod. macOS 13 or later is required; Intel and ARM Macs are supported, although some microphones may not work directly with the mod.
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The officially supported launchers for obtaining permission are Prism Launcher, which is recommended, and GDLauncher. With CurseForge Launcher, use Settings → Game Specific → Minecraft → Launcher Settings → CurseForge Launcher. This bypasses the vanilla launcher and allows Simple Voice Chat to request microphone access. If permission was denied, check macOS System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable access for the launcher or application that actually starts Minecraft.
FAQ
Do all players need to install Simple Voice Chat?
Yes, for a normal modded server each player needs the client mod as well as the server installation. On Paper, Spigot, or Bukkit, the server plugin does not remove the client-side requirement.
Which port does Simple Voice Chat use?
The default is UDP port 24454, configured with port=24454. Opening only the normal Minecraft port, or opening TCP 24454 instead of UDP, will not carry voice audio.
Can I use Simple Voice Chat on a Paper server?
Yes. Install the Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugin in plugins, then have players install the matching Fabric, NeoForge, Forge, or Quilt client mod. Do not combine plugin and mod server implementations.
Why is voice chat not working in Docker?
The container port must be exposed as UDP, for example 24454:24454/udp. A mapping without /udp exposes TCP only.
Why does pressing G not open group chat?
On Minecraft 1.21.6 and later, Group Chats is unbound by default. Open Minecraft’s key-binding settings and assign it. The default is G only on 1.21.5 and earlier.
Can I use a hybrid server such as Mohist or Arclight?
No. Simple Voice Chat does not support hybrid servers, including Mohist, Arclight, Magma, and Cardboard. Use a supported mod server or a supported Bukkit/Spigot/Paper server.
Why can I join the Minecraft server but not voice chat?
The game connection and voice connection use different networking. Check that the configured voice port is reachable over UDP, that the server log reports the voice server started, and that Docker, firewalls, proxies, DDoS protection, and hosting allocations all allow that same UDP port.
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Client settings are in config/voicechat/voicechat-client.properties. Mod-server settings are in config/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties; Bukkit, Spigot, and Paper use plugins/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties.
The Bottom Line
A reliable installation has four parts: the correct client mod, a matching server mod or plugin, a separate UDP voice port that is genuinely reachable, and a configured microphone. Install the server component, start it once to generate its files, open UDP 24454 or the port assigned by your host, then use V to select devices and controls. If the game works but voice chat does not, investigate UDP networking before reinstalling Minecraft.
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