# How to Download a World File and Upload to Singleplayer > Learn how to download your Minecraft world file from your Beacon Hosting server and upload it to your singleplayer game. Source: https://www.beaconhosting.org/knowledgebase/how-to-download-a-world-file-and-upload-to-singleplayer Category: Minecraft Last updated: 2026-09-09 # How to Download a Minecraft World From Beacon Hosting and Play It in Singleplayer You can download a Minecraft world from Beacon Hosting and open it in Minecraft singleplayer. The main difference between a Minecraft server and singleplayer is how the Nether and End are stored. Minecraft server software commonly stores the dimensions as separate folders, while a singleplayer world expects the Nether and End data inside the main world folder. Before importing the world, the dimension folders need to be merged into the Overworld folder. > **[WARNING]** Stop your server before copying or downloading world files. Downloading a world while Minecraft is actively saving to it can result in an incomplete or inconsistent world save. ## Step 1: Stop Your Minecraft Server Before downloading the world, stop the server. This prevents Minecraft from changing files while you are copying them. In the Beacon Hosting panel: 1. Open **Your Servers**. 2. Select the Minecraft server you want to download. 3. Stop the server from the server controls. Wait until the server has completely stopped before continuing. ## Step 2: Open Your Server Files Open **Files** for your Minecraft server. You can also use SFTP if you need to transfer a large world or many files. For SFTP, open: **Settings → SFTP Access** and use the SFTP credentials provided by Beacon Hosting. > **[INFO]** SFTP is not available on free trial servers. For trial servers, use the Files interface where available. ## Step 3: Find Your Minecraft World Folders Minecraft server worlds are normally stored using three folders: * `world` — Overworld * `world_nether` — Nether * `world_the_end` — End The exact names depend on the world's `level-name` setting in `server.properties`. For example, if: ```text level-name=survival ``` the folders may instead be: ```text survival/ survival_nether/ survival_the_end/ ``` If you are unsure which folders belong to your world, check the `level-name` value in: **Files → `server.properties`** ## Step 4: Download the World Folders Download the main world folder, Nether folder, and End folder. For a standard world named `world`, you would need: ```text world/ world_nether/ world_the_end/ ``` For large worlds, you can compress the folders before downloading them. If you compress them, extract the archive on your computer before performing the next steps. You should end up with the three separate world folders. ## Step 5: Merge the Nether Into the Main World Open the `world_nether` folder. Inside it, you should find a folder named: ```text DIM-1 ``` Copy the `DIM-1` folder into your main world folder. For example: ```text world_nether/DIM-1/ ``` should become: ```text world/DIM-1/ ``` Do not put `DIM-1` directly into your Minecraft `saves` directory. It belongs inside the world folder. ## Step 6: Merge the End Into the Main World Open the `world_the_end` folder. Inside it, you should find: ```text DIM1 ``` Copy `DIM1` into your main world folder. For example: ```text world_the_end/DIM1/ ``` should become: ```text world/DIM1/ ``` Your world should now have a structure similar to: ```text world/ ├── DIM-1/ ├── DIM1/ ├── data/ ├── region/ ├── level.dat └── ... ``` The exact contents will vary depending on your Minecraft version and world. ## Step 7: Rename the World Folder You can rename the main world folder to whatever you want. For example: ```text world/ ``` could become: ```text My Survival World/ ``` The folder name does not need to match the server's original `level-name`. Do not rename or modify `level.dat`. ## Step 8: Find Your Minecraft Saves Folder Move the completed world folder into your Minecraft `saves` directory. ### Windows ```text %appdata%\.minecraft\saves ``` ### macOS ```text ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves ``` ### Linux ```text ~/.minecraft/saves ``` If the `saves` folder does not exist, launch Minecraft once and create or open a singleplayer world. ## Step 9: Check the Folder Structure Before launching Minecraft, make sure the folder you copied into `saves` directly contains `level.dat`. Correct: ```text saves/ └── My Survival World/ ├── level.dat ├── region/ ├── DIM-1/ └── DIM1/ ``` Incorrect: ```text saves/ └── My Survival World/ └── world/ ├── level.dat ├── DIM-1/ └── DIM1/ ``` The second structure has an extra folder around the actual world. ## Step 10: Open the World in Minecraft Launch the **same Minecraft version** that the server was running. Then: 1. Open **Singleplayer**. 2. Find the imported world. 3. Select it. 4. Click **Play Selected World**. Minecraft should load the Overworld, Nether, and End using the transferred world data. > **[WARNING]** Minecraft may upgrade a world when you open it in a newer version. Keep your original downloaded copy until you have confirmed that the imported world works correctly. ## What If the Nether or End Is Missing? If the Overworld loads but your Nether or End builds are missing, check the folder structure. For a world named `world`, you should have: ```text world/ ├── level.dat ├── DIM-1/ └── DIM1/ ``` Specifically: * `DIM-1` contains the Nether * `DIM1` contains the End Do not leave these as separate folders beside the world: ```text saves/ ├── world/ ├── world_nether/ └── world_the_end/ ``` Singleplayer expects the dimension data inside the main world folder. ## What If Minecraft Doesn't Show the World? If the world does not appear in the Singleplayer menu, check: 1. The world folder is directly inside `saves`. 2. `level.dat` is directly inside the world folder. 3. The world was extracted correctly from the ZIP. 4. You are using a compatible Minecraft version. 5. The downloaded world is not missing essential files. The most common folder mistake is an extra directory created during ZIP extraction. ## Will My Player Inventory and Progress Transfer? If you download the complete main world folder, the world's player data is included with it. The `playerdata` directory contains player-specific world data such as inventories and player state. Player data is associated with Minecraft account UUIDs, so use the same Minecraft account if you want your existing player data to be associated with you. ## Will Plugins Transfer to Singleplayer? **No.** Spigot and Paper plugins are server-side software and do not automatically work in a Vanilla singleplayer world. Plugin-specific features such as claims, permissions, economy systems, custom commands, and protection systems may not work after moving the world to singleplayer. Normal Minecraft world content such as terrain, vanilla blocks, chests, structures, and dimensions can still transfer. If the server used plugins that added custom content or modified world data, check whether that content requires the original server software or plugin. ## Will My Nether Portals Still Work? Existing Nether portal structures should transfer with the world, but portal linking should be tested after importing the world. Make sure both the Overworld and Nether data were copied correctly before assuming a portal is missing. ## Can I Upload the World Back to Beacon Hosting Later? Yes, but the folder structure may need to be converted back to the layout expected by the server software. A singleplayer world normally has: ```text world/ ├── DIM-1/ └── DIM1/ ``` while a typical Spigot/Paper server exposes the dimensions as: ```text world/ world_nether/ world_the_end/ ``` Keep an untouched copy of the downloaded world before making changes if you plan to move it between singleplayer and a server repeatedly. ## What Minecraft Version Should I Use? **Use the same Minecraft version that the server was running whenever possible.** Opening a world in a newer version can upgrade its world data. Downgrading a world to an older Minecraft version is not generally safe. If you need to change Minecraft versions, make a backup first and treat the version upgrade as a separate migration step. ## Why Use Beacon Hosting for Your Minecraft Server? If you want to move a singleplayer world back to an online Minecraft server, **Beacon Hosting provides Minecraft server hosting with Java and Bedrock support, NVMe storage, DDoS protection, and server management through its web control panel**. Beacon's panel gives you access to your server's files, console, player management, backups, server configuration, and other common Minecraft administration tools. Beacon also supports common Minecraft server software including **Vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, and Quilt**, making it possible to choose the server software that fits your world and gameplay setup. Plans start from **$1/GB**, and eligible new servers can be tested with a **2-day free trial without a card**. If you are moving a world from singleplayer to a hosted Minecraft server, Beacon's web-based file management and SFTP access can make transferring an existing world straightforward. [Start a Minecraft Server with Beacon Hosting](https://www.beaconhosting.org/servers) ## Quick Answer: How Do I Download a Beacon Hosting World to Singleplayer? 1. Stop your Beacon Hosting server. 2. Open **Your Servers → your server → Files**. 3. Download the main world, Nether, and End folders. 4. Extract the files on your computer. 5. Copy `world_nether/DIM-1` into `world/DIM-1`. 6. Copy `world_the_end/DIM1` into `world/DIM1`. 7. Make sure `level.dat` is directly inside the final world folder. 8. Put that folder in your Minecraft `saves` directory. 9. Launch the same Minecraft version. 10. Open the world from **Singleplayer**. For a default world named `world`, the final structure should look like: ```text saves/ └── My World/ ├── level.dat ├── region/ ├── DIM-1/ └── DIM1/ ``` Your Nether and End are now part of the singleplayer world and should load normally.