How To Add a World To Your Java Minecraft Server

Last modified on Sep 19, 2022 in control panel

By ApexHosting

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Overview

When your server is first created, it starts off with a freshly generated world. However if you’re like most players, you’ll probably want to use one you’ve already been working on or a pre-built world from online. Uploading a custom world to the server can be a bit tricky, however we are here to guide you through each step so you can build your dream server!
 

Downloading a Minecraft server world

The world needs to come from an official site such as Planet Minecraft. Confirm that the world that you want to download is made for the same version of Minecraft that your server is running.

1. Download the world to your computer.
2. The world file will be saved as a .zip archive. You will want to extract the files using an archiving tool such as 7zip or WinRAR to a known directory.
3. Rename the world so you can identify it later. If you have more than one world, this helps to keep track of which is which. When renaming, its best to avoid using any spaces or special characters.

Finding your local world/save

Windows

1. Press the Windows Key (Start)
2. Type in %appdata% and press enter.
3. Open the .minecraft folder and then enter the saves folder.
4. Find your save and drag the folder to your desktop or another known directory.
5. Rename the world so you can identify it later. If you have more than one world, this helps you keep track of which is which.

Mac

1. Click on the Spotlight button in the menu bar, it looks like a magnifying glass. Or, use the Command – Space keyboard shortcut.
2. Paste ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft into the search.
3. Open the saves folder and drag the world to your desktop.
4. Rename the world to something that you can remember for later.

Uploading your world to the server

1. Stop your server and access your server files via an FTP client such as Filezilla.
2. Locate the world folder on your computer that you want to upload.
3. Afterward, enter into your “default” or custom server profile directory from the FTP area.
4. Once there, drag the world into the main profile directory of the server where all other files are found.
   
5. Wait for the world to fully update from FileZilla, make sure no files are failing to transfer.

 
If you are experiencing issues with the upload, consider using a zip program to compress the world folder.
 

Reminder: Upload the world files into your server’s profile folder, which should reveal all other files such as plugins, logs, etc.. This profile directory is most likely “default”, but could be a custom name if you gave it one. If the files aren’t uploaded into the correct location, it will not work.

(Optional) Unzipping the World

If you uploaded a .zip of the world folder, you will need to unzip the files.

1. Navigate to your Apex Server Panel then stop the server.
2. Proceed to the FTP File Access, then log in.
3. Locate your uploaded .zip file inside the server profile directory.
4. Select it, then press “Unzip” in the top-right.
   

Setting the server to load the world

1. Navigate to your Apex Server Panel and locate the World field
   
2. Enter the name of the world folder you uploaded exactly as it appears and click save.
3. Start the server and the new world should load up.

Common Issues

Restarting the server but the world is still not loaded:
If this is the case, it’s highly likely that the world field was set incorrectly. Double check that you typed the name of the world exactly as it’s shown in the FTP, it is caps sensitive. However, if the world field is correctly set up, then it could be that you uploaded the world files in the wrong folder. This is caused by server profiles, which are used to keep instances of your server separate. Most of the time this profile directory is “default”, but can be another name if you created it that way. Make sure the active profile is the one you upload these files into, as this will get the world working.

Inventory and location is reset:
This is generally caused by the playerdata folder from your world not transferring over correctly. If you get this issue, you can try reuploading the playerdata folder from your computer into the worlds folder of the server.

Buildings from the world are missing:
If you login to your uploaded world and notice that none of your builds are there, it is highly likely that the world was not fully uploaded through FileZilla or that it had failed transfers. In this case you can stop your server, delete and reupload the world completely.

This can also be caused by the world not being compatible with your server version. Make sure to always check the version that the world is made for before uploading it to the server.
 

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