How to Add Add-ons to a Minecraft Bedrock Server (Behavior Packs, 2026)

Minecraft Bedrock servers do not use Java mods or plugins. They use add-ons: behavior packs that change how the game works, and resource packs that change how it looks. You can install them on a Bedrock Dedicated Server in two ways. The easy way is to build a world with the add-ons on your own device and upload it. The manual way is to upload the packs and turn them on in the world's pack files. This guide covers both, plus experimental features, which trip up most people.

What you are working with

Both .mcaddon and .mcpack are ordinary zip files. Rename them to .zip and unzip them to see the folders inside.

Method 1: Upload a world that already has the add-ons (easiest)

This method handles pack IDs, versions and experimental toggles for you, because Minecraft does it when you create the world.

1. On Windows, iPhone, iPad or Android, open the add-on file so Minecraft imports it.
2. Create a new world, or edit a copy of your existing one. Under Behavior Packs and Resource Packs, activate the add-on.
3. If the add-on says it needs experimental features, turn them on under Experiments in the world settings, for example Beta APIs.
4. Load the world once, then go back to the menu, edit the world and choose Export World. You get a .mcworld file.
5. Rename it to .zip and unzip it. You get a world folder with level.dat, a db folder and the packs inside it.
6. Stop your server and upload the folder into worlds on the server, from the Files tab or over SFTP.
7. Set the world name on the server to the folder's exact name (on GamezServers, World name in the panel), then start the server.

Exported worlds carry their own behavior_packs and resource_packs folders, and the server loads them from there.

Method 2: Install packs on the server by hand

Use this to add an add-on to a world that already lives on the server.

1. Upload the packs

Unzip the add-on. Upload the behavior pack folder into the server's behavior_packs folder, and the resource pack folder into resource_packs. Each pack folder must have manifest.json directly inside it, not inside another subfolder.

2. Find each pack's ID and version

Open the pack's manifest.json. In the header section, copy the uuid and version:

"header": {
  "name": "Example Add-on",
  "uuid": "5a1c0b3e-1f7d-4a8e-9f0e-2c6b7d8e9f10",
  "version": [1, 0, 0]
}

Use the header uuid, not the ones under modules.

3. Turn the packs on for your world

In worlds/<your world name>/, create or edit world_behavior_packs.json:

[
  { "pack_id": "5a1c0b3e-1f7d-4a8e-9f0e-2c6b7d8e9f10", "version": [1, 0, 0] }
]

Do the same for resource packs in world_resource_packs.json, with the resource pack's uuid and version. Add one entry per pack, separated by commas. Restart the server.

4. Make players use the resource pack (optional)

Set texturepack-required=true in server.properties so every player must accept the resource pack to join. Players download it automatically when they connect.

Experimental features

Many add-ons need experiments such as Beta APIs. These are stored inside the world's level.dat, and the server has no setting or command to turn them on. If an add-on needs them:

1. Download the world from the server (or use a copy of it).
2. Open it in Minecraft on your device, turn on the experiments under Experiments and load it once.
3. Export it and upload it back to the server, following Method 1.

Experiments cannot be turned off again in that world, so keep a backup of the world from before.

When the add-on does not work

• Nothing changed in game: check the world name matches the folder where you edited the pack files, and that the uuid is the header one.
• "Pack not found" or pack errors in the console: the folder layout is wrong, usually a pack folder nested inside another folder, or a version in the JSON that does not match manifest.json.
• Worked yesterday, broken after an update: the add-on uses an API that changed in the new Minecraft release. Update the add-on, or remove it from world_behavior_packs.json for now. See Bedrock outdated server fixes.
• Marketplace content: Marketplace worlds and add-ons are licensed to your account and are meant for Realms, not for copying onto dedicated servers.
• Java mods: .jar mods and Paper plugins never work on Bedrock. If your group wants those, run a Java server and add Geyser so Bedrock players can join.

Always click Backup before adding or updating add-ons, since some make permanent changes to the world.

Add-ons on GamezServers

A Minecraft Bedrock server from GamezServers gives you a file manager and SFTP for behavior_packs, resource_packs and your worlds, one click backups before you experiment, and the official Bedrock Dedicated Server. Start with how to host a Minecraft Bedrock server.

FAQ

Do players need to download add-ons to join?

No. Resource packs download automatically when they join, and behavior packs run on the server.

Can I use add-ons from CurseForge or MCPEDL on a server?

Yes, as long as they are Bedrock add-ons in .mcaddon or .mcpack format. Check that they support your Minecraft version.

Why does my add-on need experimental features?

It uses features Mojang has not finished yet. Turn them on in the world on your device, then upload the world.

Can I add add-ons to an existing world without losing it?

Yes. Use Method 2 to add packs to the world on the server. Back up first, because removing an add-on later can leave its blocks or mobs broken in the world.