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Files, worlds and backups

How to upload or download a Minecraft world

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Open your server, then choose Software and World Manager. From there you can import a world from a .zip on your computer, download a world, switch which world the server loads, and add a ready-made world from CurseForge. An imported world is added next to your current one; nothing changes for your players until you set the new world active and restart.

Upload a world from your computer

  1. On your computer, make a .zip of the world folder: the folder that contains level.dat. A zip that has the world inside one folder also works.
  2. In the World Manager, under Import a world from your computer, type a New world name. Use letters, numbers, spaces, _, - or ., and pick a name no other world on the server uses.
  3. Click Choose .zip & import and pick your file. The panel uploads it, unpacks it and checks that it is a real world.
  4. When you see "Imported world", click Set active next to it.
  5. Restart the server. It now loads the new world.

Your old world stays in the list. Switch back to it any time with Set active and a restart, or delete it when you no longer need it.

Upload limits and tips

  • The file must be a .zip with a level.dat inside. Anything else is rejected.
  • An upload can be up to 16 GB, and an unpacked world up to 8 GB. Your plan's disk needs room for both the zip and the unpacked world.
  • The uploaded zip is kept in a folder named .world-import. Delete it in the File Manager afterwards to free the space.
  • Use a world from the same Minecraft version as your server, or an older one. Minecraft refuses to open a world last saved in a newer version.
  • A world from a modded game needs the same mods on the server, or modded blocks and items can be lost.

Download a world

  1. In the World Manager, click Download next to the world.
  2. The panel packs the world into one archive on your server, then your browser saves it as a .tar.gz file named after the world.

To play it in singleplayer, unpack the archive and copy the world folder into your game's saves folder.

  • For a copy that is fully up to date, stop the server first, or run save-all in the console.
  • Packing needs free disk space on your server about the size of the archive. Each download also leaves its temporary archive (named after the world, ending in .export.tar.gz) in the File Manager's Recycle Bin. Delete it there if you need the space.
  • For a very large world, download it from the File Manager instead: click Download next to the world's folder. That download goes straight to your computer without packing an archive on the server first.

Under Browse popular worlds, search CurseForge's worlds and click Download + Apply on one. Choose a World name, leave Set this world active (boots on next restart) ticked if you want to play it now, and click Download + Apply. Restart the server to load it. Modrinth doesn't offer worlds, so only CurseForge works here.

Switch or delete a world

  • Set active makes that world the one the server loads. It takes effect after a restart.
  • Delete asks you to type the world's name and click Delete world. Deleting the active world needs an extra tick. A deleted world goes to the Recycle Bin in the File Manager, where you can restore it for 30 days. It keeps using disk space until it is purged or you delete it permanently there.
  • If the panel warns that server.properties is set to boot a world that doesn't exist, set one of your worlds active before you start the server. Otherwise Minecraft creates a new, empty world under that name.

Bedrock servers

  • Bedrock keeps worlds in a folder named worlds, and the World Manager lists them from there.
  • To upload a Bedrock world, export it from the game as a .mcworld file. A .mcworld file is a zip archive, but the picker only shows .zip files, so rename a copy to end in .zip and import that.
  • To download a Bedrock world, use the File Manager: open the worlds folder and click Download next to the world's folder.
  • Browse popular worlds offers Java Edition worlds only, so it doesn't work on Bedrock.

Good to know

  • A world only appears in the list once it has a level.dat. A new server gets its first world the first time it starts.
  • The World folder setting in Server Properties does the same job as Set active. The World Manager checks the folder is a real world first, so it is the safer choice.
  • Back up before you replace a world you care about. See Backups and restore.