How to Install Plugins on a Minecraft Server (Paper, 2026)

To install a plugin on a Minecraft server, run Paper (or Purpur), download the plugin's .jar file for your Minecraft version from Hangar, Modrinth or SpigotMC, put it in the server's plugins folder and restart the server. Then type plugins in the console: a green name means it loaded. Players do not install anything. That is the whole process, and the rest of this page is about doing it without breaking things.

Short answer

1. Make sure the server runs Paper or Purpur. Vanilla, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge cannot load plugins.
2. Download the plugin .jar from Hangar, Modrinth or SpigotMC, picking the build for your Minecraft version.
3. Upload the .jar into the plugins folder in the server's root, not a subfolder.
4. Restart the server. Do not use /reload.
5. Run plugins in the console and check the plugin is listed in green.
6. Edit its config in plugins/<PluginName>/config.yml if needed, then restart again.

Step 1: Run a server that supports plugins

Plugins are built for the Bukkit API, which Paper, Purpur and Spigot provide. The official vanilla server has no plugin support at all, and Fabric, Forge and NeoForge load mods instead. A plugin .jar dropped into a Fabric server's mods folder will not work, and a mod dropped into plugins gives an "Invalid plugin.yml" error.

On GamezServers, new Minecraft servers already run Paper. If you switched to something else, open Settings, go to Server type, pick Paper and click Switch. Your world is backed up first. If you are not sure which software you need, read Paper vs Spigot vs Purpur vs Fabric vs Forge.

Step 2: Where to download Minecraft plugins safely

Stick to these:

Avoid sites that rehost plugins, "free premium plugin" leaks and random Discord downloads. A plugin runs with full access to your server files, so a bad one can wipe your world, steal your op list or turn the server into a spam bot.

On the download page, check two things before you click:

• The Minecraft version. Plugins list the versions they support. Minecraft now uses year based numbers like 26.2 and 26.3, and a plugin that only says 1.21 may or may not work on newer releases. Check the changelog or the comments.
• Dependencies. Some plugins need another plugin to run. Shop plugins often need Vault (or VaultUnlocked), many need ProtocolLib or PlaceholderAPI. The page usually says so.

Step 3: Upload the plugin to the plugins folder

The plugins folder sits next to the server jar, in the server's root. It appears after Paper's first start.

On GamezServers:

1. Open your server and go to the Files tab.
2. Open the plugins folder.
3. Upload the .jar. One file per plugin, ending in .jar.

For a whole stack of plugins at once, use SFTP: go to Settings, click Show SFTP login and connect with FileZilla or WinSCP.

Self hosting, copy the file into the same folder on your machine. Paper does not look inside subfolders of plugins, so plugins/new/EssentialsX.jar is ignored. If the download was a .zip, open it and upload the .jar from inside, unless the plugin's page says the zip holds several plugins you should pick from (EssentialsX, for example, ships several modules).

Step 4: Restart, do not reload

Restart the server so it loads the new plugin cleanly. On our panel, press Restart.

The problem with /reload is that it unloads and reloads every plugin while the server is running, and many plugins do not clean up properly when that happens. The result is memory leaks, duplicated listeners, broken commands and occasionally corrupted plugin data. Paper has deprecated the command for removal. Many plugins have their own reload command for their config, for example essentials reload for EssentialsX. That only rereads that one plugin's config and is fine to use.

Plugin managers that "hot load" jars without a restart have the same problems as /reload. A restart takes under a minute on most Paper servers. Use it.

Step 5: Check the plugin loaded

In the console, type:

plugins

You get a list of loaded plugins. Green names are enabled. Red names failed to load. If a plugin is missing entirely or red, scroll up in the console, or open logs/latest.log in the Files tab, and search for the plugin's name. The common errors:

Step 6: Configure the plugin

Most plugins create their own folder on first start, like plugins/Essentials/ or plugins/LuckPerms/, with a config.yml inside. Open it from the Files tab, edit, save, and either restart or use the plugin's own reload command.

Permissions decide who can use each plugin's commands. Ops get everything, but you do not want to op every friend. Install LuckPerms and give groups the permission nodes each plugin lists on its page. Our best Minecraft server plugins list explains which plugins most servers start with, including LuckPerms.

How to update or remove a plugin

Update: stop the server, delete the old .jar, upload the new one, start. Leave the plugin's folder alone so you keep its config and data. Paper also supports an update folder: put the new jar in plugins/update/ with the same file name as the old one, and Paper swaps it in on the next start.

Remove: stop the server, delete the .jar. Its folder in plugins can stay or go. Delete it only if you want its data gone too.

Click Backup before updating big plugins like CoreProtect, GriefPrevention or anything that stores player data. If an update goes wrong you can roll back in one click. You get 3 backups per server.

Plugins after a Minecraft update

When Minecraft releases a new version, Paper ships experimental builds first and stable builds later, and plugins catch up on their own schedule. Before you change the Minecraft version, check that every plugin you depend on lists the new version. If one does not, wait. A server that starts with half its plugins red is worse than a server a week behind.

FAQ

Do players need to install plugins to join?

No. Plugins only run on the server. Players join with the normal Minecraft: Java Edition client, on the same version as the server.

Can I use Fabric or Forge mods as plugins?

No. Mods need Fabric, Forge or NeoForge and go in the mods folder, and every player needs them too. Our guide on installing mods on a Minecraft server covers that route.

Why does my plugin not show up after I uploaded it?

Usually one of three things: the server was not restarted, the file is in a subfolder instead of directly in plugins, or the file is still a .zip. Check logs/latest.log for its name to see what happened.

How many plugins can a server run?

There is no fixed limit. Plenty of Paper servers run a few dozen without trouble. What matters is what each plugin does every tick, and spark (spark profiler start) will tell you if one is slowing things down.

Are premium plugins worth it?

Some are, especially well supported moderation and anti cheat plugins. But a free stack of EssentialsX, LuckPerms, CoreProtect and GriefPrevention covers most friend servers completely. Only buy from the author's official page.

Plugins without the file juggling

A GamezServers Minecraft server starts on Paper with the plugins folder ready, a browser file manager for uploads, SFTP for bulk changes and one click backups before you try anything risky. It is live about 60 seconds after payment. If you are starting from zero, our quick start gets you from checkout to your first plugin.