Open Minecraft
Make sure you and your friends use the same Minecraft edition and version
Sign in to your Microsoft account
For local multiplayer, connect all devices to the same Wi-Fi network
For LAN worlds, open a world and enable multiplayer or open to LAN
For online multiplayer, join a public server
Add a server by entering its name and address
Select the server and click Join
For Realms, subscribe to a Realm
Invite friends to your Realm through the Friends tab
Accept friend requests or invitations
Make sure multiplayer is enabled in account privacy settings
Check that firewall or parental controls are not blocking Minecraft
Use voice chat or text chat if needed
Start playing together