How do I back up a Minecraft server?

Stop the server, then copy the world folder (called `world` by default) and your `plugins` folder into a zip file. If you can't stop it, run `save-off` and `save-all flush` in the console, copy the files, then run `save-on`.

What does save-all flush do?

On Java Edition, `save-all flush` writes every loaded chunk and player file to disk straight away and waits until it is finished. It is the command to run before you copy a world from a running server.

Which folders do I need to back up?

The world folder named in `level-name` in `server.properties` (default `world`), plus `plugins/` if you use plugins. Also keep `server.properties`, `whitelist.json`, `ops.json` and any config folders if you changed them. Depending on your server software, the Nether and End are inside the world folder or in separate `world_nether` and `world_the_end` folders.

How often should I back up a Minecraft server?

Once a day is enough for a quiet server. Busy survival servers do better with a backup every 6 hours. Always make an extra one before updating Minecraft, adding a big plugin or changing world settings.

Can I back up a server while players are online?

Yes, if you flush the world first with `save-off` and `save-all flush`, and turn saving back on with `save-on` when the copy is done. Copying files without doing that can give you a corrupt backup.

How do I restore a Minecraft server backup?

Stop the server. Move the current world folder somewhere safe, unzip the backup so the world folder is back in the server folder with the same name, then start the server. Check that `level-name` in `server.properties` matches the folder.

Do Bedrock servers back up the same way?

Not quite. Bedrock Dedicated Server uses `save hold`, `save query` and `save resume` to make a copy safe while the server runs. The world lives in `worlds/ ` instead of a `world` folder.

Tree Host

How to Back Up a Minecraft Server (and Restore It)

Updated November 12, 2026 · by the Tree Host team

To back up a Minecraft server, stop it and zip the world folder and the plugins folder. To back up while it runs, use save-off and save-all flush in the console, copy the files, then run save-on. To restore, stop the server, swap the world folder for the backup copy and start it again.

Why backups matter more than you think

A world can break in many ways. A plugin update corrupts chunks. A griefer wipes a build. A crash happens while the game is saving. You change the Minecraft version and the world won't load (more on that in our guide to changing the version of your server). A backup turns every one of these from a disaster into a ten minute fix.

The rule most server owners learn the hard way is simple: a backup you have never restored is only a hope. This guide shows how to make backups, how to automate them and how to test that they work.

1. Know what to copy

Not every file matters equally. Here is what each part of a Java server folder holds.

Path	What it holds	Back it up?
`world/`	Your map: terrain, builds, chests, player data and, on newer versions, the Nether and End	Always
`world_nether/`, `world_the_end/`	The Nether and End on some Paper and Spigot setups	Always, if they exist
`plugins/`	Plugin jars plus their configs and data (homes, economy, claims)	Yes, if you use plugins
`server.properties`	Your server settings, including `level-name`	Yes
`ops.json`, `whitelist.json`	Operators and the whitelist	Yes
`logs/`, `cache/`, `libraries/`	Logs and downloaded files the server rebuilds	No

The world folder name comes from level-name in server.properties. If you changed it, back up that folder instead. Our server.properties guide lists every setting in that file.

2. Back up by hand: the safe way

The safest backup is one taken while the server is stopped, because nothing is being written. Do this:

Tell players, then run stop in the console. Wait until the server has fully shut down.
Open your server folder (over SFTP or on your computer).
Select the world folder (and world_nether and world_the_end if you have them) and the plugins folder.
Compress them into one zip and put the date in the name, for example backup-2026-11-12.zip.
Download the zip to your own computer. A backup that lives only on the same disk as the server is not safe from a disk problem.
Start the server again.

3. Back up while the server is running

Stopping the server for every backup is annoying. On Java Edition you can make a safe copy of a running server with three console commands.

Run save-all flush. This writes everything in memory to disk and waits until it is done. Wait for the message saying the game was saved.
Run save-off. This stops the server from writing to the world files while you copy them.
Copy or zip the world folder and plugins folder.
Run save-on as soon as the copy is finished.

Never forget save-on. While saving is off, changes only stay in memory. If the server crashes before you turn saving back on, you lose everything built since the last save. If you script this, make the script run save-on even when the copy fails.

Some recent versions have been reported to autosave in spite of save-off. Because of that, the stopped-server method is still the most reliable. Use the running method for routine backups, and the stopped method before big changes.

4. Automate it

People forget to back up. Computers don't. Pick a rhythm that matches how much you can afford to lose:

Server type	Backup rhythm	Why
Small friends server	Once a day	You lose at most one day of play
Busy survival or SMP	Every 6 hours	Big builds are hard to redo
Before any change	Right before it	Updates, new plugins and world settings are the usual culprits

On a server you run yourself, that means a script and a scheduler such as cron, plus a way to keep only the newest copies so the disk does not fill up. Old backups pile up fast: a world of a few hundred megabytes becomes tens of gigabytes within weeks.

5. Restore a backup

Stop the server with stop and wait for it to shut down.
Rename the current world folder, for example to world-broken. Do not delete it yet. It may still hold something you want.
Unzip the backup so the world folder sits in the server folder with the same name as before.
Check that level-name in server.properties matches the folder name.
Restore the plugins folder from the same backup if the problem was a plugin.
Start the server and join to check the build, your inventory and your plugin data.

Restoring puts everything back to the moment of the backup. Anything built after that is gone, which is why you rename the current world instead of deleting it.

6. Test your backup

Once a month, unzip a backup into a fresh folder on your own computer, start a local server on the same Minecraft version and walk around. If the world loads and your builds are there, the backup works. This takes five minutes and saves you from finding out too late.

Bedrock servers

Bedrock Dedicated Server has no save-all flush. It uses save hold to prepare the files, save query to check they are ready and save resume to go back to normal. The world sits in worlds/<level-name>. Players who join a Java server through Geyser are covered by the normal Java backup, because the world is a Java world.

How backups work on Tree Host

Tree Host has a Backups tab on every server. It copies your overworld, Nether, End and your plugins/ folder, including plugin configs and data. You can make a named backup with one click while the server runs, and the world is saved first. You can also turn on automatic backups every 6 hours, every 12 hours or once a day. The newest 3 automatic backups are kept, plus up to 5 that you made yourself.

To restore, stop the server and click Restore on a backup. The current world and plugins folder are replaced, so make a fresh backup first if you might want the current state back. You can also download the world as a zip from the same tab. The full steps are in the server help guide, and the features page lists everything the dashboard does.

Backups are a safety net, not a vault. Download a copy of anything you can't lose now and then. Tree Host also hasn't launched yet: you can try the shared demo server, and creating your own servers opens at launch. See the plans for what is coming.

A short checklist

Back up before every Minecraft version change. Read how to change your server version safely first.
Back up before adding or updating big plugins. See how to add plugins to a server.
Keep at least one copy off the server, on your own computer or cloud storage.
Name backups so you can find them later: date plus the reason.
Restore one to a test folder every month.

Tree Host servers have one-click and automatic backups, so you can undo a bad update.

See plans Try the demo server

More guides

← More guides