Minecraft

How to Change Your Minecraft Server's Version

Update your server to a new Minecraft version, or pick an older one, from the Package Manager.

Updated 1 min read

You choose your server's Minecraft version in Package Manager, the same place you choose its software.

Change the version

  1. Go to Backups and create a backup. A world opened on a newer version can't safely go back.
  2. Go to Package Manager and click Browse packages.
  3. Open the software your server runs (Paper, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge or Vanilla).
  4. Pick the Minecraft version you want and click Install.
  5. The panel lists what changes. It may swap the Java runtime, since newer versions need newer Java, and it warns if packages will stop working on that version. Confirm.
  6. Package changes are queued and applied the next time the server starts, so restart it from Console when you're done.

Before updating

  • Check your plugins or mods. Each must have a build for the new version. Update them in Package Manager at the same time.
  • Players need the same version in their launcher, unless you run ViaVersion: see How to Let Players Join From Any Version.
  • New blocks and biomes only generate in chunks nobody has visited yet.

Going back

Downgrading a world isn't supported by Minecraft. To go back, install the older version and restore the backup you made before updating.

Tip

To try a new version safely, change level-name in server.properties to a new name first. The server makes a fresh world and your old one stays untouched.

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