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Installing datapacks on your Minecraft server

Where datapacks go, how to check that one loaded, world-generation datapacks, and what to do when a datapack stops the server from starting.

Last updated November 6, 2026

Datapacks change how a Minecraft Java world behaves: new recipes, crafting tweaks, structures, mob drops and more, all without mods. They work on every Java server type (Vanilla, Paper, Fabric, Forge and so on), because they belong to the world, not to the server software.

Where datapacks go

Datapacks live inside your world, in the datapacks folder:

world/datapacks/

world is the name in server.properties under level-name. If you changed it, use that folder instead. A common mistake is putting datapacks in the server's main folder or in plugins, where nothing loads them.

Install a datapack

  1. Download the datapack. Most come as a .zip file.
  2. Check that it supports your server's Minecraft version. A datapack made for an older version can stop the server from starting.
  3. In Files, open world, then datapacks.
  4. Open Actions, choose Upload File… and pick the .zip. You can also drag it onto the file list.
  5. Leave the zip as it is. Minecraft reads zipped datapacks directly, so you don't need to decompress them.
  6. Restart the server, or type reload in the Console to load it without a restart.

To check that it loaded, type this in the Console:

datapack list

Your pack shows up as file/<name>. If it is listed under available but not enabled, turn it on:

datapack enable "file/<name>"

A datapack that is a folder

Some datapacks come as a folder instead of a zip. That works too, as long as pack.mcmeta sits directly inside the folder in world/datapacks. If you uploaded a zip that contains a folder with pack.mcmeta one level deeper, that zip won't load: right-click it, choose Decompress, and keep the folder that has pack.mcmeta in it.

Datapacks that need to be there before the world exists

Some datapacks change world generation, for example new terrain, biomes or structures. These only affect chunks that haven't been generated yet. For a whole new world built with the datapack:

  1. Stop the server.
  2. Rename the current world folder in Files (for example to world-old), so you keep it.
  3. Create a new world/datapacks folder with Actions, then New Folder, and upload the datapack into it.
  4. Start the server. The new world is generated with the datapack.

Remove a datapack

Disable it in the Console with datapack disable "file/<name>", then stop the server and delete the file from world/datapacks. Things the datapack already added to the world may stay behind.

Common issues

What you see What to do
datapack list doesn't show the pack It isn't in world/datapacks, or pack.mcmeta is one folder too deep.
The server won't start after adding a datapack (for example "Failed to load datapacks") The pack doesn't support this Minecraft version. Move it out of world/datapacks (for example into a new datapacks-disabled folder) and start again. Then look for an update of the pack.
The pack loads but nothing changed Many packs only affect new chunks or need a command to set up. Check the pack's own instructions.
You want mods or plugins instead Use the Mods or Plugins tab. See How to install plugins.

If the console shows errors you don't recognise, open a support ticket with your server name and the datapack you added, and we'll help you sort it out.