How to Update a Minecraft Bedrock Server (Keep Your World)
Update a Bedrock Dedicated Server to the newest version without losing your world, allowlist or settings, plus why add-ons break after Minecraft updates.
Updated Oct 3, 2026 · 5 min read
On this page
- What you can change on an existing world vs what needs a new world
- What is the current Bedrock server version?
- What goes where
- Step 1: Back up first
- Step 2: Download the matching server
- Step 3: Unzip over the server folder
- Step 4: Restore your settings files
- Step 5: Start and check the version
- Step 6: Check your add-ons
- The gotcha: the zip silently resets your settings and turns the allowlist on
- Common problems
- Updating on GamezServers
- FAQ
To update a Minecraft Bedrock server, stop it, back up the worlds folder plus server.properties, allowlist.json and permissions.json, unzip the newest Bedrock Dedicated Server over the server folder, then put those three files back before you start it. The world upgrades on first load. Do this the day Minecraft updates, because Bedrock players can only join a server on exactly their version, and phones and consoles update on their own.
What you can change on an existing world vs what needs a new world
| Thing | After a server update |
|---|---|
Your world in worlds/<name> |
Kept and upgraded to the new version on first load |
| New biomes and structures | Only in chunks generated after the update |
server.properties, allowlist.json, permissions.json |
Kept only if you restore them. The download ships default copies |
| Custom behavior and resource packs | Kept, but may fail if the update changed the add-on format |
| Going back to an older server version | No. Worlds load forward, not backward |
| Joining from Minecraft Preview | No. Preview builds cannot join normal servers |
What is the current Bedrock server version?
As of October 2026, Bedrock Edition is on 26.52, the hotfix for the 26.50 Wilderness Bound drop, and the matching Bedrock Dedicated Server is 1.26.52.3. Mojang rolled 26.52 out across devices between 25 and 29 September 2026 (Bedrock 26.52 hotfix changelog). More detail is in our Bedrock 26.50 server update guide.
What goes where
| File or folder | What it holds | In the download zip? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
worlds/ |
Every world on the server | No | Back up. The update does not touch it |
server.properties |
World name, game mode, difficulty, allow list, ports | Yes, a default copy | Back up, restore after unzipping |
allowlist.json |
Gamertags allowed to join | Yes, an empty copy | Back up, restore after unzipping |
permissions.json |
Operators and member levels by XUID | Yes, a default copy | Back up, restore after unzipping |
behavior_packs/, resource_packs/ |
Mojang's vanilla packs plus any you added | Yes, vanilla packs | Your own pack folders survive, vanilla ones are replaced |
bedrock_server or bedrock_server.exe |
The server program | Yes | Replaced, this is the update |
Step 1: Back up first
Stop the server with stop. Copy the whole worlds folder and the three settings files somewhere safe. A world that has loaded on the new version cannot go back, so this copy is your undo button.
Step 2: Download the matching server
Download the newest Bedrock Dedicated Server for Windows or Linux from minecraft.net/download/server/bedrock. Use the normal release, not the Preview build, unless every player is on Minecraft Preview.
Step 3: Unzip over the server folder
Extract the zip into the server folder and allow it to replace existing files. This updates the program and Mojang's own packs. Your worlds folder is not in the zip, so it is left alone.
Step 4: Restore your settings files
Copy your backed up server.properties, allowlist.json and permissions.json back over the defaults the zip just wrote. This is the step people skip, and it is why "the update reset my server".
Step 5: Start and check the version
Start the server. One of the first console lines prints Version: followed by the server version. It should match the version shown on your game's main menu. Join from an updated device and check your world.
Step 6: Check your add-ons
If you run behavior packs, read the console and the content log after the first start. Bedrock 26.50 added stricter schema checks for entity files in add-ons, so a broken custom entity that used to load quietly can now fail with an error. Update the add-on, or take it out of world_behavior_packs.json until its author does. See how to add add-ons to a Bedrock server.
The gotcha: the zip silently resets your settings and turns the allowlist on
The Bedrock download includes fresh copies of server.properties, allowlist.json and permissions.json. Unzip it over your server without restoring yours and three things happen at once: your world name falls back to the default, so the server creates and loads a brand new world (your real one is still in worlds/, just not loaded); your operators lose their rights; and your allowlist is empty.
Since Bedrock 26.30, a default server.properties also has the allow list switched on (26.30 changelog). Combined with the empty allowlist.json from the zip, that locks everyone out with "You are not invited to this server", including you. Restore the three files, or set level-name back to your world's folder name and allow-list to the value you had, then restart.
Common problems
- "Outdated server!": players updated and the server did not. Update it. If you pinned a version somewhere, unpin it.
- "Outdated client!": the server is newer than the player. They update Minecraft from their app store. See the Bedrock outdated server fix.
- Server loads an empty new world:
server.propertieswas reset andlevel-nameno longer matches your world folder. - "You are not invited to this server": the allowlist came back on with an empty list. Restore
allowlist.jsonor setallow-list=false. - Operators lost their powers:
permissions.jsonwas overwritten. Restore it or op them again. - One friend can join and another cannot: Mojang rolls updates out per platform over a few days. Wait for the slower platform's update.
Updating on GamezServers
On a Minecraft Bedrock server from GamezServers, press Update game. It backs up your world first, installs the newest Bedrock Dedicated Server, and restores server.properties, allowlist.json and permissions.json for you, so the reset above cannot happen. Check that Bedrock version in Settings is latest: if it holds an exact version like 1.26.52.3, Update game installs that version again and players on newer releases stay locked out. World name, game mode, difficulty, allowlist and cheats are panel settings that we write into server.properties on every start, so change those in Settings rather than in the file.
FAQ
Will updating my Bedrock server delete my world?
No. Worlds live in the worlds folder, which the download does not include. Restore your settings files so the server loads the right world.
How often do I need to update a Bedrock server?
After every Minecraft Bedrock release and hotfix, because players can only join a server on the same version.
Can I keep my Bedrock server on an older version?
Only if every player can stay on that version, which phones and consoles do not allow. In practice, update.
Why did my add-on stop working after the update?
The update changed something the add-on relies on, such as 26.50's stricter entity checks. Update the add-on or disable it until it is fixed.
Skip the setup. Your own Minecraft Bedrock server.
Then $4.99/mo. Just trying it? $1.25 for 3 days