Upload your own world to a Minecraft server (and download it back)

Want to play on your server in a world you built in single-player, or bring a world over from another host? Here's where to find the world on your computer, where to upload it for your server version and type, and how to download it back later.

Where the world lives on the server#

The world is a folder in the server's main folder. Its name comes from the level-name setting (default world, see server.properties). It must contain a level.dat file, which is how the server recognizes it as a world.

What the folder looks like depends on the server version and type:

• In version 26.1 Mojang reworked how worlds are saved: all dimensions are in the dimensions folder and player data is in the players folder. The server converts an older world on its own on first start.
• Up to version 1.21.x, Paper saved the Nether and End in separate folders next to the world. It splits a world in Vanilla format on its own on first start. From 26.1 on, Paper saves worlds the same way as Vanilla.

Preparing the world on your computer#

1. Exit the world in the game (Save and Quit to Title) so everything gets saved.
2. Find the saves folder:

If you use a different launcher (Modrinth App, CurseForge, Prism Launcher), worlds are in the saves folder of that instance. You can find it in the launcher by opening the instance folder.

3. Each world is one folder (named after the world in the game). Check that the level.dat file is directly inside it.
4. Check the version: the world list in the game shows which version each world was last played in. The server must run the same or a newer version. The server converts an older world, but not a newer one – a downgrade corrupts the world.

Uploading to the server#

1. In the Backups tab, click Create backup and wait for it to finish.
2. In the Console tab, click Stop and wait until the server is off.
3. In the Files tab, click Rename next to the world folder and enter, for example, world-old. The old world stays on the disk (you can delete it later to free up space). On Paper up to version 1.21.x, rename world_nether and world_the_end the same way.
4. Upload the world folder in one of two ways:

For SFTP access, contact support. The general steps for working with an SFTP client are in the Connecting to a VPS guide – we send the login details for the server separately.

5. Rename the uploaded folder to world (or to the name in level-name).

6. Open it and check that the level.dat file is directly inside. A common mistake is a folder inside a folder (world/MyWorld/level.dat) – the server would then create a new world.

7. In the Console tab, click Start.

   If the world is from an older version, the console shows the conversion progress, for example Upgrading progress: 38%. A large world can take several minutes to convert. Don't interrupt the server.

A different folder name#

If you want to keep the folder under a different name (for example builds), don't rename it. Instead, in the Server properties tab, in the World group, change World folder (level-name) to builds and click Save and restart. The name may only contain letters without accents, digits, spaces, _ and -.

Player inventories and positions#

• In a single-player world up to version 1.21.x, your inventory is saved directly in level.dat. The server doesn't use it – on the server you start at spawn with an empty inventory. Put your items in a chest before the transfer.
• From version 26.1, player data is saved in the players/data folder by account UUID. If you played the world logged in with the same account you use to join the server, your inventory should stay.
• A world from another server contains data for all players (playerdata, from 26.1 players/data), so inventories stay.

Downloading the world from the server#

The Files tab can only download individual files, not whole folders. To download the whole world, use a backup:

1. In the Backups tab, click Create backup and wait for it to finish.
2. Click Download next to the backup. Your browser downloads an archive of the whole server (.tar.gz).
3. Extract the archive (Windows 10 and 11: the tar -xzf <FILE> command in PowerShell or 7-⁠Zip; macOS and Linux: tar -xzf <FILE> in the terminal). The steps are covered in detail in the Game server backups guide.
4. From the extracted archive, copy the world folder (on Paper up to 1.21.x also world_nether and world_the_end) into the saves folder on your computer.

Without a backup slot, you can download the world over SFTP (contact support for access).

A Paper world in single-player#

Paper saves the world a little differently from the game. Before opening it in the game, adjust it for your version:

• Paper up to 1.21.x: copy the world_nether/DIM-1 folder into the world folder, and likewise world_the_end/DIM1 into world. Otherwise the Nether and End would look brand new.
• Paper 26.1 and newer: move the files game_rules.dat, scheduled_events.dat, wandering_trader.dat, weather.dat and world_gen_settings.dat from world/dimensions/minecraft/overworld/data/minecraft/ to world/data/minecraft/.

A world from another host#

1. Download a backup or the whole world folder from your previous host (on Paper up to 1.21.x, all three folders).

2. Find out which version and server type the world ran on. On our server, set the same or a newer version in the Software tab (guide).

   If the world ran on Spigot or CraftBukkit (not Paper), the Paper documentation warns that you can't switch directly to Paper 26.1 or newer. Convert the world to Vanilla format first, following the Spigot documentation, and only then upload it.

3. Upload the world using the steps above.

4. Plugins and their data (land claims, economy, permissions) are in the plugins folder, not in the world. Transfer them separately if you want to keep them.

Verify it works#

1. Join the server. You should appear at the spawn of the uploaded world and see your builds.
2. Type seed in the console. The result must match your world's seed (in single-player you can check it with the same command).
3. Go through a portal to the Nether and check that it's your Nether, not a newly generated one.

Troubleshooting#

The server generated a new world instead of mine#

• The folder isn't named after level-name (default world), or the world is nested in another folder (world/MyWorld/level.dat).
• The folder is missing level.dat (you uploaded only some of the files).

The server created the new world in the level-name folder. Stop the server, delete or rename that folder and upload the world again correctly.

The Nether or End is missing (they're new)#

• Paper up to 1.21.x: the world_nether and world_the_end folders are missing. If you uploaded a world from the game, it must contain DIM-1 and DIM1 – Paper moves them on its own on first start.
• Switching from Paper to another server type (Vanilla, Fabric) on an older version: the Nether and End are in separate folders that other servers don't load. Move them as described in A Paper world in single-player.

The file is larger than 100 MB — upload it with an SFTP client (e.g. FileZilla).#

The Files tab uploads up to 100 MB per file. Use SFTP – for access, contact support.

The world is from a newer version than the server#

The server won't load it, or will corrupt it. In the Software tab, set the same or a newer Minecraft version, and only then upload the world.

Failed to load datapacks, can't proceed with server load.#

The world contains a datapack for a different version. See Common Minecraft server errors for the fix.

Further reading#

• Migrating to and from Paper (Paper documentation) (opens in a new window)
• Java Edition level format on the Minecraft Wiki (opens in a new window)