How to Add a Resource Pack to a Minecraft Bedrock Server

To add a resource pack to a Minecraft Bedrock server, unzip the .mcpack and upload the pack folder (with manifest.json directly inside) to the server's resource_packs folder. Then add its header uuid and version to worlds/<level-name>/world_resource_packs.json and restart. Set texturepack-required=true in server.properties to make every player load it. Players download it when they join. When you change the pack later, raise its version, or players keep the old cached copy.

What you are working with

A resource pack only changes how things look and sound: textures, models, sounds, UI. It cannot add new mobs or items on its own. If the download came as an .mcaddon with a behavior pack inside too, see how to add add-ons to a Minecraft Bedrock server.

What works and what does not

Step 1: Unzip and check the pack

Rename pack.mcpack to pack.zip and extract it. Open the folder and make sure manifest.json sits right there, next to pack_icon.png and folders like textures. If you see one more folder first, use that inner folder. A pack nested one level too deep is the most common reason the server ignores it.

Step 2: Copy the uuid and version

Open manifest.json and find the header section, not modules:

"header": {
  "name": "Better Leaves",
  "uuid": "a1b2c3d4-1111-2222-3333-444455556666",
  "version": [1, 2, 0],
  "min_engine_version": [1, 21, 0]
}

Write down the uuid and version. Packs made with the newer manifest format can store the version as a string like "1.2.0", copy it as it is. Microsoft's manifest.json reference explains every field.

Step 3: Upload it to resource_packs

Stop the server. Upload the pack folder into resource_packs/ in the server root. The folder already holds Mojang's built in packs, such as vanilla and chemistry. Leave those alone.

<level-name> is the world folder the server loads, Bedrock level on a fresh server.

Step 4: Turn it on for the world

Create or edit worlds/<level-name>/world_resource_packs.json:

[
  { "pack_id": "a1b2c3d4-1111-2222-3333-444455556666", "version": [1, 2, 0] }
]

For several packs, add one entry each, separated by commas, and keep each version exactly as it is in that pack's manifest.json.

Step 5: Make players use it

In server.properties:

texturepack-required=true

With true, players must accept the download to join. With false, they get a choice and can join without it, which is fine for optional texture packs but breaks anything that depends on the pack. Start the server. Players see a download prompt the first time they join.

Updating a pack (the gotcha)

Bedrock clients cache packs by uuid and version. If you edit the textures and upload the pack again with the same version number, players who already have it keep using their old copy and your changes never show. Microsoft's docs say it directly: an imported pack replaces an older one only if its version is higher.

Every time you change a pack:

1. Raise the header version in manifest.json, for example from [1, 2, 0] to [1, 2, 1].
2. Put the same new version in world_resource_packs.json.
3. Restart the server.

If a player still sees old textures, they can delete the cached pack in Settings > Storage on their device and rejoin.

Common problems

• Pack does not load at all: the folder is nested one level too deep, or the pack_id is a modules uuid instead of the header uuid.
• Changes do not show for players: the version was not raised. See the section above.
• Players are never asked to download: the pack is not listed in the world your server actually loads. Check level-name matches the folder you edited.
• Server log shows a pack error after a Minecraft update: the pack's min_engine_version or format no longer suits the new version. Get an updated pack. See Bedrock outdated server fixes.
• Players on slow connections time out joining: big packs take a while to download. Keep pack size down.

Resource packs on GamezServers

A Minecraft Bedrock server from GamezServers runs Mojang's Bedrock Dedicated Server with full file access, so upload pack folders to resource_packs in the Files tab or over SFTP. The file manager can extract a zip on the server and edit the JSON in the browser. Click Backup before changing packs. Note that World name in Settings decides which world folder loads. More keys are covered in Bedrock server.properties explained.

FAQ

Where do resource packs go on a Bedrock server?

In the resource_packs folder in the server root, plus an entry in worlds/<world>/world_resource_packs.json so the world uses it.

Do players have to download the resource pack?

Only if texturepack-required=true. Otherwise they can choose to join without it.

Why are my resource pack changes not showing?

Players have the old version cached. Raise the version in manifest.json and in world_resource_packs.json, then restart.

Can I use a Java resource pack on Bedrock?

No. Java packs use a different format and must be converted or replaced with a Bedrock version.