You can add Simple Voice Chat to an Aternos Minecraft server, but there is one important Aternos-specific setting you need to change after installing it. If you skip that step, the mod or plugin may appear to be installed correctly while voice chat still shows as disconnected in-game.
The normal setup is simple. Install Simple Voice Chat on the server, start the server once so its config file is created, change the voice chat port to -1, then install the matching client mod on your PC. After that, you can join the server and test your microphone with the voice chat menu.
Does Simple Voice Chat Work on Aternos?
Yes. Aternos supports Simple Voice Chat on several popular Minecraft Java server types, including Paper, Spigot, Fabric, Forge, and NeoForge.
The version you install depends on the server software you are using.
| Server Software | What to Install |
|---|---|
| Paper | Simple Voice Chat plugin |
| Spigot | Simple Voice Chat plugin |
| Fabric | Simple Voice Chat mod |
| Forge | Simple Voice Chat mod |
| NeoForge | Simple Voice Chat mod |
The server version and Simple Voice Chat version need to match properly. For example, if your server is running a specific Minecraft version, do not install a voice chat build made for a different one just because the name looks similar.
Paper and Spigot use the plugin version on the server. Fabric, Forge, and NeoForge use the mod version.
What Do You Need Before Installing Simple Voice Chat?
Before changing anything, make sure your Aternos server already works normally. You should be able to start it and join it without voice chat installed.
You will also need a microphone and a compatible Simple Voice Chat client on the computers of players who actually want to use voice chat.
A basic setup needs:
- An Aternos Minecraft Java server
- Paper, Spigot, Fabric, Forge, or NeoForge
- A matching Simple Voice Chat version
- The Simple Voice Chat client mod
- A working microphone
- A normal Minecraft connection to the server
If you are planning to change the server software first, make a backup of anything important before doing so.
How to Install Simple Voice Chat on Aternos
Start by installing Simple Voice Chat on the server itself. Sign in to Aternos and open the server you want to use. Before installing anything, check the Software section so you know whether you are running Paper, Spigot, Fabric, Forge, or NeoForge.
Then follow these steps:
- Open your Aternos server panel.
- Check which server software and Minecraft version you are running.
- Open the Plugins section if you use Paper or Spigot. If you use Fabric, Forge, or NeoForge, open the appropriate mod section instead.
- Search for Simple Voice Chat.
- Choose a version compatible with your current Minecraft server.
- Install it.
- Start the Aternos server once after installation.
- Let the server finish starting, then stop it again.
That first startup matters because Simple Voice Chat needs to create its configuration files. If you immediately look for the config without starting the server once, the file may not exist yet.
Once the server has been stopped again, you can change the port setting.
How to Configure the Simple Voice Chat Port on Aternos
This is the most important part of the setup.
Simple Voice Chat normally uses its own voice port. On a normal self-hosted server, you might configure or forward that port yourself. Aternos works differently, so its setup requires Simple Voice Chat to use the port assigned to the server.
On Aternos, the voice chat port should be set to:
To change it:
- Stop your Aternos server.
- Open Files from the server panel.
- Find the Simple Voice Chat configuration file.
- Open voicechat-server.properties.
- Find the line that looks like:
- Change it to:
- Save the file.
- Start the server again.
Do not try to solve this by port forwarding your home router. The server is running on Aternos, not on your own PC, so normal home-server port forwarding does not apply here.
If Simple Voice Chat is installed but still shows as disconnected, this port=-1 setting is one of the first things you should check.
Where Is the Simple Voice Chat Config File?
The exact folder depends on your server software.
| Server Setup | Common Config Path |
|---|---|
| Paper / Spigot | plugins/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties |
| Fabric | config/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties |
| Forge | config/voicechat/voicechat-server.properties |
| NeoForge | Usually under the voice chat config folder |
If you cannot find the file, make sure you already started the server once after installing Simple Voice Chat. The config is normally generated during startup.
Older versions of some mod loaders can use a different config location. If your server is running an old Minecraft or Simple Voice Chat version, the folder may not look exactly the same as a current guide.
For most users, though, the important file is still voicechat-server.properties.
How to Install Simple Voice Chat on Your PC
Installing it on Aternos is only half of the setup.
Players who want to talk and hear other players also need the compatible Simple Voice Chat client mod. Without the client side installed, the server can have voice chat running while that player still has no voice interface.
Use the version that matches your Minecraft installation and mod loader.
For Fabric, Forge, or NeoForge players, this is straightforward because you are already using a modded client. Add Simple Voice Chat to the correct mods folder or install it through the launcher you use.
Paper and Spigot servers are slightly different. The server uses the plugin version, but players can still install the Simple Voice Chat client mod on their own Minecraft installation to get the voice features.
After installing it, start Minecraft and make sure the mod loads without errors before joining Aternos.
How to Test Simple Voice Chat on Aternos
Once the server and client are both ready, join your Aternos server normally.
Press V in Minecraft to open the Simple Voice Chat menu. If the key has been changed or conflicts with another mod, check the Minecraft keybind settings.
Inside the voice chat menu:
- Open the voice settings.
- Select the microphone you actually use.
- Run the microphone test.
- Check that your input level moves when you speak.
- Choose push-to-talk or voice activation.
- Stand near another player who also has Simple Voice Chat installed.
- Speak and ask them if they can hear you.
Testing with another player nearby is important because Simple Voice Chat normally uses proximity audio. If you are very far apart, silence may be completely normal.
How Does Proximity Voice Chat Work?
Simple Voice Chat is mainly built around proximity chat. Players close to you can hear your voice clearly, while your voice becomes quieter as you move farther away.
The server can control how far voice travels. The exact distance may be different if the server owner has changed the settings, so do not assume every Aternos server will behave exactly the same.
This can confuse new users. They install everything, join successfully, then test with a friend hundreds of blocks away and think the mod is broken.
Move next to each other when testing for the first time.
Simple Voice Chat also has group features that can be used differently from normal proximity communication. For basic Aternos setup, though, get normal nearby voice working first before changing more settings.
Why Does Simple Voice Chat Say Disconnected on Aternos?
If Simple Voice Chat shows a disconnected icon, the problem is usually on the connection or configuration side rather than your microphone.
Start with the Aternos port setting.
Check these things:
- Make sure the server config contains port=-1
- Save the file after changing it
- Restart the server after editing the config
- Confirm Simple Voice Chat is installed server-side
- Install the matching client mod
- Check Minecraft version compatibility
- Check mod or plugin version compatibility
- Remove another voice chat mod if one is also installed
- Make sure you are joining the correct Aternos server
Also check whether Simple Voice Chat actually loaded during server startup. If the plugin or mod failed because of an incompatible version, changing microphone settings on your PC will not fix the connection.
The useful distinction is simple. If voice chat says disconnected, focus on the server, version, port, and network first. If it says connected but nobody hears you, focus on your microphone.
Why Can I Connect but Nobody Can Hear Me?
If Simple Voice Chat connects successfully but your friends cannot hear you, the server setup may already be fine.
Open the voice chat menu with V and check your input device. Windows can switch the default microphone after you connect a headset, webcam, controller, or another audio device.
Go through these checks:
- Select the correct microphone
- Make sure the microphone is not muted
- Test the microphone inside Simple Voice Chat
- Check your push-to-talk key
- Hold the key while speaking if push-to-talk is enabled
- Check Windows or macOS microphone permissions
- Increase the microphone input level if it is too low
- Stand close to the other player during testing
- Make sure the other player has voice chat enabled
If the microphone test does not react when you speak, troubleshoot the audio device first. There is little reason to keep changing Aternos settings if the game itself cannot hear your microphone.
Does Simple Voice Chat Work With Geyser on Aternos?
This is where Aternos has an important limitation.
Aternos says that voice chat mods and Geyser cannot normally be used together on the same Aternos server because both need UDP networking, while an Aternos server only has the available port setup needed for one of these services.
The same issue can apply if you try to run multiple voice chat systems together. Installing more than one voice chat mod does not give you better compatibility. It can create a port conflict instead.
If your server already relies on Geyser for Bedrock players, check this limitation before rebuilding your setup around Simple Voice Chat.
What If Simple Voice Chat Still Does Not Work?
If you followed the normal setup and voice chat is still disconnected, avoid changing ten settings at once.
First confirm that the server itself works. Then check whether Simple Voice Chat loads successfully during startup. After that, confirm port=-1, the client version, and your Minecraft version.
A good testing order is:
- Confirm the server starts without errors.
- Confirm Simple Voice Chat loads.
- Check port=-1.
- Restart the server.
- Confirm the client mod is installed.
- Join the server.
- Press V and check connection status.
- Test your microphone only after the connection is active.
This makes troubleshooting much easier because each step tells you which side is failing.
If one player can use voice chat but another cannot, the server is probably not the problem. Check the second player’s client installation, microphone, permissions, and network instead.
How to Prevent Simple Voice Chat Problems
Once everything works, you usually do not need to keep touching the configuration. Most problems appear after a Minecraft update, mod update, server software change, or new networking plugin.
A few habits can keep the setup stable:
- Keep the client and server versions compatible
- Leave the Aternos voice port set to -1
- Restart the server after config changes
- Do not install multiple voice chat mods together
- Check compatibility before adding Geyser
- Test your microphone after changing audio devices
- Check Simple Voice Chat again after updating Minecraft
- Avoid changing working settings without a reason
It is also worth remembering which Simple Voice Chat version was working before an update. If the problem appears immediately after changing versions, that gives you a much better starting point than rebuilding everything from scratch.
Final Thoughts
To add Simple Voice Chat to Aternos, install the correct plugin or mod for your server software, start the server once, stop it, and change the voice chat setting to port=-1. Then start the server again and install the matching Simple Voice Chat client mod on each PC that will use voice.
After joining, press V and test your microphone with another player standing nearby. If voice chat says disconnected, check the server port, installation, and versions. If it connects but nobody can hear you, check your microphone and push-to-talk settings instead.
If yours is not working, the key question is: do you see the disconnected voice icon, or does voice chat connect successfully but your microphone has no sound?