# How to Add Datapacks to a Minecraft Server

> Install, check and remove datapacks on your Minecraft server.

Source: https://www.beaconhosting.org/knowledgebase/how-to-manage-datapacks-on-a-minecraft-server
Category: Minecraft
Last updated: 2026-11-05

Datapacks change the game without mods: new recipes, structures, loot or mechanics. They work on Vanilla, Paper, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge.

## Install a datapack

1. In **Console**, click **Stop**.
2. In **Files**, open your world folder (usually `world`), then its `datapacks` folder.
3. Upload the datapack. It can stay as a `.zip`; don't extract it. (If you downloaded a folder, upload the folder; it must have `pack.mcmeta` inside it.)
4. Click **Start**.

New datapacks are turned on when the world loads. Some need a new world to generate their structures.

## Check what's loaded

```
datapack list
```

## Turn one off or on

```
datapack disable "file/<name>.zip"
datapack enable "file/<name>.zip"
```

## Remove one

Stop the server, delete it from `world/datapacks`, and start again. Some datapacks leave scoreboard data behind; their page usually has an uninstall command to run first.

> [!NOTE]
> A datapack must match your Minecraft version. One made for an older version may show a warning or fail to load; check **Console** after starting.

**Package Manager** doesn't list datapacks, so add them through **Files**.