How to Upload a World to a Minecraft Server (Singleplayer to Server)

To upload a world to a Minecraft server, stop the server, copy your world folder from .minecraft/saves into the server folder, set level-name in server.properties to that folder's name, and start the server again. The server loads your world with every build, chest and villager intact. This guide covers finding the save, uploading it, the folder layout the server expects, and fixing the problems that make a world load empty.

Short answer

1. Find your world in %appdata%\.minecraft\saves (Windows).
2. Stop the server and make a backup.
3. Upload the whole world folder into the server's main folder.
4. Set level-name=YourWorldFolder in server.properties.
5. Start the server.

Step 1: Find your singleplayer world

The fastest way: open Minecraft, click Singleplayer, select the world, click Edit, then Open World Folder. Or go there directly:

Each world is one folder. The folder name is not always the name you see in the game, so check it. A valid world folder has a level.dat file inside it. On Minecraft 26.1 and newer you also see a dimensions folder, and older worlds have region, DIM-1 and DIM1 folders instead.

Close Minecraft before copying, so the world is fully saved.

Step 2: Check the version

The server must run the same or a newer Minecraft version than the one the world was last played on.

• Same version: loads as is.
• Server newer: the world is upgraded on first load. This is one way, so keep a copy of the original.
• Server older: do not do it. Older versions cannot read newer worlds and can corrupt them.

Modded worlds also need the same mods on the server. Loading a modded world without its mods removes every modded block.

Step 3: Back up and stop the server

The server overwrites world files while it runs, so always stop it before replacing a world. Back up the current world first in case you want it back. On GamezServers, click Backup, then Stop.

Step 4: Upload the world folder

A world is often hundreds of MB and thousands of small files, so use SFTP rather than a browser upload.

1. Install an SFTP app such as FileZilla or WinSCP.
2. Get your login. On GamezServers, open Settings and click Show SFTP login for the host, port, username and password.
3. Connect, and in the server's main folder (where server.properties is), drag your world folder across.

Whichever way you upload, make sure you end up with YourWorld/level.dat, not YourWorld/YourWorld/level.dat. A doubled folder is the number one reason a world loads as a brand new map.

Step 5: Point the server at it

Open server.properties and set level-name to the exact folder name:

level-name=Survival Island

Spaces are fine, but capitals and spelling must match exactly. Alternatively, delete the server's old world folder and rename your folder to world, which is the default.

Start the server and join. If the console shows it preparing a new spawn area in seconds, it probably created a new world because the name did not match.

Paper and Spigot folder layouts

Before Minecraft 26.1, Paper, Spigot and Purpur did not keep the Nether and the End inside the world folder. They used three folders side by side:

world/
world_nether/
world_the_end/

If you are moving a world from an older Paper server, upload all three folders together and keep the names matching level-name (for example MyWorld, MyWorld_nether, MyWorld_the_end). Since 26.1, Paper follows the vanilla layout, with every dimension inside the world folder under dimensions/minecraft/.

If you are moving a singleplayer world to an older Paper server, just upload the one world folder. The server moves the Nether and End into their own folders the first time it starts.

Moving a world from a server to singleplayer

The same steps in reverse: stop the server, download the world folder (on GamezServers, via SFTP or the Files tab), and put it in your saves folder. From an older Paper server, copy the contents of world_nether and world_the_end into the world folder as DIM-1 and DIM1 first, or those dimensions will be missing.

Realms and Bedrock worlds

• Realms: open the Realm in Minecraft, go to Configure Realm, then Backups, and click Download latest. It lands in your saves folder, then follow this guide.
• Bedrock worlds: a Java server cannot read Bedrock worlds directly. Convert the world with Chunker first, then upload the converted Java world.

Common problems

• A new world loads instead of mine: level-name does not match the folder name, or the folder is nested one level too deep.
• The Nether or End is reset: on an older Paper server the _nether and _the_end folders were not uploaded, or their names do not match level-name.
• Players spawn in the wrong place: the world spawn is not where your singleplayer character was. Stand where you want spawn and run /setworldspawn as an op.
• Inventories are empty: singleplayer stores the host's items in level.dat, not in a player file, so the server does not know it is you. Move the items into chests before uploading, or give them back with commands.
• "Failed to load level" or a crash on start: the world is from a newer version than the server, or it needs mods the server does not have.

The easy way

On a GamezServers server you get SFTP details from Settings in one click, Backup before swapping worlds, and a file manager for editing server.properties in the browser, all without port forwarding or leaving your PC on. See Minecraft server hosting or follow how to host a Minecraft server.

FAQ

Can I upload a singleplayer world to a Minecraft server?

Yes. Copy the world folder from your saves into the server folder and set level-name to its name.

Will my items come with the world?

Not automatically. In singleplayer your inventory is stored in the world's level.dat, and the server gives you a fresh player file. Put your items in a chest first.

Can I have more than one world on a server?

Vanilla loads one world at a time, chosen by level-name. You can keep other world folders on the server and switch by changing level-name and restarting. Plugins like Multiverse load several worlds at once on Paper.

Why is my uploaded world a different version now?

The server upgraded it to the server's version on first load. Keep your original copy if you want to open it in an older version.