How to Setup Addons on a Bedrock Server

Adding addons to a Minecraft Bedrock server takes more steps than installing mods or plugins, but the result is a server where every player benefits from the same behavior packs. This guide covers the full process: downloading and preparing your addon files, uploading them to your server via the Apex panel, and activating them through the world JSON configuration. It also covers how to export an existing singleplayer world with addons already activated and bring it onto your server.

Behavior Packs in Bedrock

Behavior packs are the addon format for Minecraft Bedrock server hosting. They can add new mobs, change game mechanics, introduce custom game modes, or modify how players interact with the world. CurseForge has a large selection of Bedrock addons to browse, and many developers also publish packs on their own sites.

Before starting, download your chosen pack and save the .mcpack or .mcaddon file somewhere easy to find on your computer.

Bedrock Server Worlds

Installing addons on a Bedrock server world requires a specific process: you extract the pack files, upload the folders to your server, and then register each pack by its UUID and version in a JSON file inside your world folder. The sections below walk through each stage.

Preparing Your Addon Files

Download your desired behavior addon pack from CurseForge or other safe websites.
Afterward, make sure to save it on your desktop. (.mcpack or .mcaddon files)
Proceed to change its filetype to .zip via renaming or using properties.

Use external programs like WinRAR or 7-Zip to make this process easier. Doing this allows you to open it up and see the hard files inside, required for the remainder of this tutorial.

Extracting Pack Contents

Open the zip file, then drag and drop behaviors & resources on your desktop.
Use a notepad program to open the manifest.json file in the behaviors folder.
Copy the UUID and version values, located near the top.
Paste that into a new text document or write it down somewhere for later reference.
Compress the behaviors & resources folder into zip files via WinRAR or 7-Zip.

Note: In the manifest.json file the field is called "uuid", but when you add it to the world JSON files in a later step, you use the key "pack_id". Make sure to use "pack_id" in the world configuration files.

Upload Files to Bedrock Server

Head towards your Apex server panel and click the Stop button at the top.
Press FTP File Access near the top left and use your password to login.
Select the behavior_packs directory and press the Upload button on the left.
Drag and drop the behaviors.zip file accordingly to upload it.
Wait for this to reach 100%, then click the Back button at the top left.
In the event that it fails to upload entirely, use an external FTP program.
Click the box next to the zip file and press Unzip at the top right corner.
Confirm this by selecting Submit, then navigate to the resource_packs directory.
Repeat this process, but with the resources.zip file.

Renaming the unzipped folders to the behavior addon pack name is strongly recommended. For example, when using Better on Bedrock from CurseForge, rename each uploaded folder to something like “BetterMC”. This makes it easier to manage multiple packs or switch between them. Click the box next to the uploaded file (behaviors or resources), then click Rename at the top.

Activating Behavior Addon Packs

Navigate to your world folder, located in .../worlds on the FTP panel.
At the top left, click New File and name it world_behavior_packs.json.

Proceed to copy and paste the following code:

[
  {
    "pack_id" : "UUID",
    "version" : [ version ]
  }
]

Enter the UUID and version accordingly – from the manifest.json file in previous steps.
Press the Save button at the top and double check the code and values are correct.
Repeat this for the resources, with the file name world_resource_packs.json instead.
Head back to the main panel and click Start to begin loading the server!

Bedrock Singleplayer Worlds

If you have an existing singleplayer world with addons already active, you can transfer it to your server. This is a good option when you’ve already set up your packs locally and want to play Minecraft cross-platform with friends on a dedicated server. The following sections cover activating a pack in singleplayer, exporting the world, and uploading it to your server.

Activating Behavior Addon Pack

If you haven’t already activated your behavior addon pack for the singleplayer world, follow these steps. Make sure to have your .mcpack or .mcaddon files ready, as they’re used for the importing process. However, if you’ve already done this before, skip to the “Exporting World” section below.

While having the Bedrock client open, double click your downloaded pack file(s).
Wait for this to import into your game, then press Play from the main menu.
From here, locate your server world in the Worlds section and click the Edit icon.
Scroll down on the left-hand side of your screen, then select Behavior Packs.
Press Available and choose your desired addon(s), then click the Activate button.
If prompted to disable achievements, confirm this by selecting Continue. For more on how this relates to in-game settings, see the guide on how to enable cheats in Minecraft.
Once all your packs are enabled, they’ll be viewable from the Active list.

Exporting World

The exporting process requires a zipping program to convert your world from .mcworld format to .zip, so it can be uploaded to the panel. WinRAR or 7-Zip both work well for this.

Locate your server world in the Worlds section of Bedrock, then click its Edit icon.
From here, scroll down and select the Export World option from File Management to start this process.
In the newly opened window, save this .mcworld file somewhere easily accessible.
Right-click this and rename its filetype to .zip, then make sure to save the changes.

You can also use Properties on your computer to change the filetype if needed. The world name can be anything you want since it will be used for the server directory name. Use standard characters only.

Uploading to Server

When the behavior addon pack is activated for your world, you need to upload it via an external FTP program. FileZilla and Cyberduck are both reliable options.

Head towards your Apex server panel and click FTP File Access at the top left.
Copy the FTP Address, Host, Port, and Username for later use.
Proceed to enter your saved FTP information in your installed program, then connect.
This is typically located near the top, but may differ depending on the application.
Afterward, locate and click on the worlds directory in the file list.
Once there, drag and drop your zipped world in this area and wait for it to finish.
When this completes, head towards your server panel and log into the FTP area.
Enter your worlds directory, then check mark the uploaded zip and press Unzip.
Confirm this by clicking Submit on the next page, then wait for everything to finish.
If done successfully, you’ll see the folder of your behavior pack world.

Enabling the World

Return to the main server panel, then scroll down until you see the World section.
Once found, press the Change World button and enter your uploaded map’s name.
Continue to click Change World again to confirm the changes.
Afterward, simply press Restart Now in the next prompt to begin loading the world.
When it’s finished, join your Bedrock server to confirm everything loaded correctly.

Common Issues

Cannot Install Multiple Bedrock Behavior Addon Packs

To run more than one pack, add multiple entries to your world_behavior_packs.json and world_resource_packs.json files, like this:

[
  {
    "pack_id" : "40d18d86-f454-4361-bbcf-b118274dec17",
    "version" : [ 1, 2, 6 ]
  },
  {
    "pack_id" : "16b646cb-98eb-41b2-a9e0-dd7f088caab4",
    "version" : [ 5, 0, 1 ]
  }
]

Repeat this pattern for every pack. Make sure the JSON is valid — missing commas and incorrect bracket placement are the most common errors. Contact our Support Team if you need extra help.

Cannot Upload Behavior Addon Pack(s) to Bedrock Server

If you’re unable to upload using the FTP panel, use an external program like FileZilla or Cyberduck instead. Enter your FTP credentials from the panel to connect, then navigate and upload files the same way you would on the panel.

Unable to Establish an FTP Connection

FTP connection failures are usually caused by invalid login credentials such as a wrong password or address. Double-check that everything in your FTP program matches exactly what the panel shows. If the issue continues, you may have downloaded the wrong application — use FileZilla, Cyberduck, or a similar client built for FTP connections. Resetting your password can also resolve credential-related problems.

Cannot Find World in Bedrock Client

After uploading the server world to your local files, restart the client if it was open during the transfer. The world should appear in the Worlds section. If it doesn’t, check that the files are in the correct directory: ...\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds. If the world still doesn’t appear, verify it loads correctly on the server and re-download it.

Inability to Activate World

When activating the world on your server, assign it a different name from any existing world to avoid conflicts. The map must exist as a folder, not a .zip or .mcworld file. The zipping step is only used for upload and extraction — once unzipped, the folder should contain the world contents directly. Select the correct folder name in the World section of the panel, then Restart the server to load it.

Behavior Packs Aren’t Working

Most behavior packs work correctly as long as they’re not broken or outdated. If a pack functions in singleplayer, it should also work on the server. If it doesn’t, check whether you activated the packs in your Bedrock client before exporting the world — missing this step is a common cause of packs not loading on the server.

I Have a Problem With a Marketplace Content Addon

Marketplace content addons are not supported on Bedrock Dedicated Servers. Marketplace content is licensed to the purchasing account and cannot be hosted publicly. Even if the addon is applied to a world and uploaded, it may not work or may prevent players from joining. Addons from third-party sites like CurseForge and MCPEDL are not encrypted and install without this restriction.