# What Happens When Your Minecraft Server Crashes

> Beacon notices when your server crashes. Here's what happens next, and how to find out why it crashed.

Source: https://www.beaconhosting.org/knowledgebase/how-to-enable-crash-detection-legacy
Category: Minecraft
Last updated: 2026-11-05

Crash detection is built in. You don't need to turn anything on.

## What happens

When the server stops without you pressing **Stop**, the node it runs on reports the crash to the panel. You'll see the server go offline in **Console**, and the crash is recorded in **Activity**.

## Find out why

1. Open **Files** and look in `crash-reports`. Each crash makes a file named with the date and time. Open the newest.
2. Read the top: the `Description` line says what failed, and the first lines under it name the mod or plugin involved.
3. Also check `logs/latest.log`. Look for the first `ERROR` or `Exception`, not the last.

## Common causes

| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| **Out of memory** (`OutOfMemoryError`) | Remove heavy mods, or upgrade your plan |
| A mod or plugin error | Update or remove the mod named in the crash report |
| A client-only mod on the server | Remove it from `mods` |
| A broken chunk (`Ticking entity`, `Ticking block entity`) | See [How to Fix Ticking Entity Errors](/knowledgebase/how-to-fix-ticking-entity-issues-on-a-minecraft-fabric-server) |

## Restart automatically

To bring the server back on a regular basis whatever happens, add a **Restart** schedule in **Schedules**. See [How to Schedule Automatic Restarts](/knowledgebase/how-to-schedule-automatic-server-restarts-on-the-games-panel).

Stuck? [Open a ticket](/billing/tickets) with the crash report attached.