Port sharing will help you set up a Minecraft server, access your files and desktop remotely, improve your internet connection speed and much more. While this may seem complicated, once you understand what port forwarding is and how it works, it can be quite simple. Here’s how to send ports to your router using Mac or Windows 10 PC.

What is Port Forwarding?

Port sharing is a way for your router to use a specific port to communicate with certain devices. By setting a specific port for your devices, you tell your router to always accept requests for those ports and to send data to the device’s personal IP address.

To understand port forwarding, first of all it helps to understand a little bit about how routers work. Your router’s job is to send an Internet signal to all your devices over a local area network (LAN). To do this, your router assigns each device on your LAN its own local IP address. For example, your computer may have a unique IP address such as 192.168.0.2 or 10.0.2.

After that, a port number will be assigned to the applications and services on each device. For example, an application on your computer may have an IP address with a port number such as 192.168.0.2:80 or 10.0.0.2:80.

With this unique IP address and port number, your router knows which program or service to send information to. It allows you and others to access devices and programs on your LAN over a wide area network (WAN).

How to port forward

To forward ports on your router, log in to your router and go to the Port Forwarding section. Next, enter the port numbers and the IP address of your device. Select the forwarding protocol and save your changes.

Note: If you have not seen one Port Sharing option in your router settings, you will need to upgrade. Check out our list The best routers for 2020 Click here to find one that works for you.

1. Open a web browser. You can use Chrome, Firefox, Safari or any browser you like.
2. Then enter your router’s IP address in the address bar. If you do not know this information, see this guide How to find the IP address of your router on a Mac or Windows 10 computer. It should be a sequence of numbers such as 192.168.XX or 10.0.XX, and note the IP address of your computer, as you will need this information later.

   Note: You may receive a privacy alert that tells you that viewing your router’s IP address is unsafe. Click Advanced> Continue to proceed.

   
3. Next, enter your router’s username and password. If you do not know this information, see our step-by-step guide How to find your router username and password Here.
4. Then go to the port sharing settings on your router. The exact steps to get the right settings will vary depending on the router you have. In most cases, you need to go to the Advanced tab and search for NAT, Security, Gaming, Advanced System, Firewall or Virtual Servers.
5. Next, create a new port sharing rule. Some routers you have to click Add new, Add custom service, Or something like that.
6. Then enter the name of the service or application. You can give it any name you want. It is recommended to use one that will help you identify the rule you have created.
7. Next, enter the port number you want to use. Most routers allow you to select a port range separated by hyphens or multiple ports separated by commas. In most cases, setting up the same internal and external port numbers is easy. You can choose the number from 0 to 65,535, but only ports 0 to 1023 are reserved for privileged services and are referred to as well-known ports. You will find a complete list of ports and related services Here.

   Note: There are 80 ports for handling requests to open websites and 21 ports for sharing files on the network. If you are setting up a Minecraft server, you must use port 25565.

8. Then select a port sharing protocol. You will usually find the option to set your service type TCP, UDP, TCP / UDP, Both, Or All. Which one you choose depends on the type of connection recommended for use by the particular application. However, you usually have to choose TCP / UDP desire, Both, Or All.
9. Next, enter the IP address of your computer. Most routers provide fields where you can enter your device’s IP address. There are also routers that allow you to select the device instead of typing in the device’s IP address. If you have port forwarding to your computer, check out these guides How To Find Your Computer IP Address On Windows 10 System And How to find your IP address on Mac.

   Note: If you do not set a default IP address for your device, your IP address may change when you disable your device, reset your router, or change your IP address for your ISP. You can only set a static IP address on a device by going to a device’s settings. If you are trying to move a computer forward, check out our step-by-step guide How to set a static IP address on your Windows 10 system Here.

10. Finally, save your settings. Most of the time, you can click on the buttons that say Save Or Apply. There are other routers you need to click Enable Before you attack Save.

If you are looking for an easy way to access your computer remotely, check out our article How to remotely control your Mac or Windows 10 system Here.