How to Move a Minecraft Realms World to a Server (Java, 2026)

To move a Java Realms world to a server, open the Realm in Minecraft, go to Configure Realm, then World backups and choose Download latest. The world lands in your single player list. Use Edit, then Open World Folder to find it in .minecraft/saves/, upload that whole folder to the server, and set level-name in server.properties to the folder's exact name. Run the server on the same Minecraft version as the Realm (or newer) with online-mode=true, and everyone keeps their inventory.

What you can and cannot move

Before you start

• Pick the slot. In the Realm's slot screen, the world you download is the slot you select. Switch to the right one first.
• Note the version. Realms runs the current release. Your server must run that version or a newer one, never older.
• Back up the server. If it already made its own world, back it up before you replace it.
• Keep your Realm until you have checked the server. The Realm's backups are your safety net.

Step 1: Download the Realm

1. Launch Minecraft: Java Edition with the account that owns the Realm.
2. Click Minecraft Realms, select your Realm and click Configure Realm.
3. Click World backups, then Download latest, and confirm with Yes.
4. When it finishes, open Singleplayer. The Realm world is now in your list.

Do not play in it before uploading if you want everyone's state exactly as the Realm left it. Opening it once is fine for a quick check.

Step 2: Find the folder

Select the world, click Edit, then Open World Folder. It lives in your saves folder:

Inside you should see level.dat and, on worlds from Minecraft 26.1 or newer, a dimensions folder and a players folder. Zip the whole world folder (the one that holds level.dat, not its parent).

Step 3: Upload and point the server at it

1. Stop the server.
2. Upload the zip, extract it, and check that level.dat sits directly inside the folder, not one folder deeper.
3. Either rename the folder to world (the default level-name), or set level-name to the folder's exact name. Spaces and capitals count.
4. Start the server and join.

The gotcha: UUIDs and online mode

Player data is saved by UUID, the permanent ID of each Minecraft account. In Minecraft 26.1 and newer it sits in players/data/<uuid>.dat (older worlds used playerdata/<uuid>.dat). A Realm always runs in online mode, so those files carry real account UUIDs.

Your server must also run with online-mode=true in server.properties. If it is set to false, Minecraft gives every player a different, offline UUID, the server cannot find their files, and everyone spawns at world spawn with an empty inventory while their real data sits untouched. Switch it back to true and restart, and the inventories come back.

The member list does not travel either. If you turn on the whitelist, add everyone with whitelist add <name> and op the admins with op <name>, or friends get "You are not whitelisted on this server". See how to whitelist on a Minecraft server.

Paper and the Nether

Paper servers before 26.1 kept the Nether and End in separate world_nether and world_the_end folders and moved them out of a vanilla world automatically on first start. From Paper 26.1 it uses the same layout as vanilla, with every dimension inside the world folder under dimensions/minecraft/, as the Paper migration docs explain. Either way, upload the Realm world as one folder and let the server handle it. The Java Edition 26.1 changelog lists the new folder layout.

Common problems

• Server makes a brand new world: level-name does not match the folder name, or level.dat is nested one folder too deep after extracting.
• Everyone spawns with an empty inventory: online-mode is false, or the players folder did not upload.
• "Outdated server": the server runs an older version than the Realm did. Set the Minecraft version to the Realm's version or newer and update the server.
• Chunks look reset or the world fails to load: you started it on an older version first. Restore the backup and use the right version.
• "You are not whitelisted": the Realm's members did not come across. Whitelist them on the server.

Moving it to GamezServers

On a Minecraft server from GamezServers, the upload is an SFTP login in Settings or the file manager, which also uploads zips, extracts them and can download a file from a link straight to the server. Click Backup before you replace the old world, set the Minecraft version in Settings, and the world stays online without anyone's PC or a Realm subscription. Compare the two in Realms vs a dedicated server.

FAQ

Where does a downloaded Realm world go?

Into your single player saves folder, %APPDATA%\.minecraft\saves\ on Windows. Use Edit, then Open World Folder to jump straight to it.

Will my friends keep their inventories?

Yes, as long as the server runs online-mode=true and they log in with the same Minecraft accounts. Their data is stored by account UUID.

Can I move a Realm world to a modded server?

Yes. Fabric, Forge and NeoForge servers load vanilla worlds, but use the Realm's Minecraft version or newer and back up first, because mods add new chunk data.

Do I lose my Realm when I download the world?

No. Downloading copies the world and leaves the Realm untouched until you cancel the subscription.