How to Move a Minecraft Server to a New Host (Java, 2026)

To move a Minecraft Java server to a new host, stop it and download the world folders (world, plus world_nether and world_the_end on Paper before 26.1), server.properties, ops.json, whitelist.json, banned-players.json, banned-ips.json, and either plugins/ or mods/ with config/. Set the new server to the same type (Paper, Fabric, Forge) and the same Minecraft version, upload everything into its main folder, and keep online-mode the same as before so every player keeps their inventory.

What you can and cannot move

Before you start

• Write down the version and type. The console's first lines, or the jar name, tell you the Minecraft version and whether it is Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge or NeoForge.
• Check online-mode in server.properties. It must stay the same on the new host.
• Save and stop. Run save-all flush, then stop.
• Keep the old server stopped but not cancelled until the new one is checked.

What goes where

Everything below lives in the server's main folder on the old host and goes into the main folder on the new one.

Leave behind the server jar, libraries/, cache/, versions/ and logs/. The new host installs its own jar.

Step 1: Download everything

Use SFTP with FileZilla or WinSCP, or zip the folders in the old host's file manager and download the zip. Grabbing the whole main folder is fine: you can skip the jar and libraries when you upload. Unzip it on your PC and open the world folder to check level.dat is there.

Step 2: Set up the new server to match

Create the new server with the same type and the same Minecraft version. Start it once so it generates its files, then stop it. Delete the empty world (and world_nether, world_the_end, or world/dimensions on 26.1+) folders it just made.

You can move to a newer version, but do it as a separate step after the move works, with a backup. Plugins and mods must support the version too.

Step 3: Upload and check server.properties

Upload your folders and files into the new main folder. Then open the uploaded server.properties and check:

• server-ip= is empty. An old IP here stops the server binding on the new host.
• server-port matches the port the new host gave you.
• level-name matches your world folder name.
• online-mode is the same as on the old host.

Step 4: Start and test

Start the server and read the console. It should load your world, not "prepare" a new one, and list your plugins or mods without errors. Join, check your base and inventory, run /op checks with an operator, and test a plugin like /home.

The trap: online-mode decides every player's UUID

Minecraft stores each player's inventory, ender chest, position and advancements in a file named after their UUID, and ops.json, whitelist.json and most plugins store UUIDs too. With online-mode=true, a player's UUID comes from their Microsoft account. With online-mode=false, the server makes a different "offline" UUID from the player name.

So if the old server ran in offline mode (common behind a BungeeCord or Velocity proxy, or on cracked setups) and the new one runs in online mode, or the other way round, every player joins with a new UUID: empty inventory, spawn point, no op, not on the whitelist, plot claims gone. Nothing is deleted, the old files just belong to UUIDs nobody uses any more. Keep online-mode the same as before. If the old server sat behind a proxy, set the proxy forwarding up the same way on the new host.

Paper 26.1 and old folders

If you move a Paper world from 1.21.11 or older onto Paper 26.1 or newer, Paper migrates world_nether and world_the_end into world/dimensions/ on the first start (PaperMC's 26.1 notes). It refuses to overwrite folders that already exist, so delete the fresh world the new server generated before uploading yours, or the migration fails and the server stops.

Common problems

• A brand new world loads: level-name does not match the folder, or the world is one folder too deep.
• Players lost inventories and op: online-mode changed, so UUIDs changed. Set it back.
• The Nether is fresh: world_nether and world_the_end were not copied from an older Paper server.
• Server fails to bind or will not start: server-ip still holds the old IP, or the port is wrong.
• Plugins error on start: they do not support the new server's version. Update them or match the old version.

Moving your Minecraft server to GamezServers

On a Minecraft server from GamezServers, pick Paper, Purpur, Vanilla, Fabric, Forge or NeoForge and set Minecraft version to match your old server. Press Stop, upload a zip of your folders in Files and use Extract, or use the SFTP login in Settings, then press Start. Ops and the whitelist are also one click buttons in the panel afterwards, and Backup keeps a copy off the server before every big change. For worlds only, see how to upload a world to a Minecraft server.

FAQ

What files do I need to move a Minecraft server?

The world folders, server.properties, ops.json, whitelist.json, the ban files, and plugins/ or mods/ with config/.

Will players keep their inventories on the new host?

Yes, as long as the world folder moves and online-mode stays the same, so their UUIDs match.

Do I need the same Minecraft version on the new server?

Use the same version for the move. You can upgrade afterwards with a backup, but never go to an older version.

Do I need to copy the server jar?

No. Choose the same server type and version on the new host and it installs its own jar.