# Automatic Saves vs Automatic Backups on a Minecraft Server

> Minecraft's autosave and a Beacon backup do different jobs. Here's what each one protects you from, and how to set up scheduled backups.

Source: https://www.beaconhosting.org/knowledgebase/automatic-saves-vs-automatic-backups-in-minecraft-servers
Category: Minecraft
Last updated: 2026-10-22

Minecraft saves your world on its own, but a save is not a backup. A **save** writes what's in memory to the world files on the server. A **backup** is a separate copy of those files that you can go back to later.

## Automatic saves

A Minecraft server saves the world every few minutes (every 6000 ticks, about five minutes, on vanilla and Paper). It also saves when it stops normally.

Saves protect you from losing recent progress if the server stops. They don't protect you from:

- a griefer or a bad command changing the world;
- a mod or plugin update corrupting chunks;
- deleting the wrong file.

Once the bad change is saved, the old version is gone.

To force a save at any time, run this in **Console**:

```
save-all
```

## Backups

A backup copies your server's files so you can restore them later. On Beacon, backups are made from the **Backups** page and kept separately from the server's files.

To make one now:

1. Open your server from [your servers](/servers).
2. Click **Backups** in the sidebar.
3. Click **Create Backup**, give it a name, and confirm.

> [!TIP]
> Run `save-all` in **Console** just before a manual backup, so the backup has the latest world.

## Back up on a schedule

You can make backups happen on their own with **Schedules**:

1. Click **Schedules** in the sidebar and create a new schedule.
2. Pick a **Preset** (for example **Daily**), or switch to **Custom Cron** and enter your own.
3. Add a **New Task**: **Send Command** with `save-all`.
4. Add a second task: **Create Backup**. Give it a **Time Offset** of a few seconds so the save finishes first.
5. Make sure the schedule is **Enabled**.

Your plan sets how many backups you can keep. When you reach the limit, delete or replace older ones. **Lock** a backup you never want deleted by accident.

## Which one do I need?

Both. Autosave keeps the world current; backups let you undo a bad day. Take a manual backup before any big change: a version update, a new modpack, or installing several plugins at once.

To restore or download a backup, see [How to Restore and Download Backups](/knowledgebase/how-to-restore-and-download-backups-on-the-games-panel).