Minecraft: Java EditionHow to Add a Datapack to a Minecraft Server
Add a datapack to a Minecraft Java server: drop the zip into world/datapacks, run /reload or minecraft:reload, check /datapack list, and worldgen packs.
Updated Oct 3, 2026 · 5 min read
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To add a datapack to a Minecraft server, upload the pack's .zip (or unzipped folder) into the datapacks folder inside your world folder, for example world/datapacks/, where world is the level-name in server.properties. The zip must have pack.mcmeta at its top level. Then run /reload (on Paper use minecraft:reload) or restart, and check it with /datapack list. The pack must match your server's Minecraft version, and worldgen packs only shape chunks generated after you add them.
What you are working with
| Pack type | Examples | How it loads on a server |
|---|---|---|
| Function and tweak packs | Vanilla Tweaks, custom commands, head drops | /reload while running |
| Recipes, loot tables, advancements | Craftable extras, custom loot | /reload while running |
| Worldgen packs | New terrain, biomes and structures like Terralith | Restart, and only new chunks change |
| Custom dimensions | Packs that add whole new worlds | Restart, sometimes a new world |
| Textures, models, sounds | Anything that changes how things look | Not a datapack. Use a resource pack |
Datapacks work on every Java server type: Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge. Bedrock does not use datapacks, it uses add-ons. The Minecraft Wiki's data pack page documents the format in full.
What goes where
| File or folder | What it is | Where it goes on the server |
|---|---|---|
MyPack.zip |
The whole datapack, zipped | <level-name>/datapacks/MyPack.zip |
pack.mcmeta |
Pack name and the versions it supports | At the top of the zip, next to data/ |
data/ |
The pack's functions, recipes, loot and worldgen | Inside the zip |
level-name |
Picks which world folder the server loads | server.properties, default world |
On your own PC the same pack would go in .minecraft/saves/<World>/datapacks/, which is a handy way to test it before uploading.
The trap: a zip inside a zip, or a folder inside a folder
The server only sees a pack if pack.mcmeta sits at the very top of the zip or folder. Many downloads, especially from GitHub releases or bundles of packs, give you a zip that holds another folder, which then holds the real pack:
Wrong: world/datapacks/MyPack.zip -> MyPack-main/pack.mcmeta
Right: world/datapacks/MyPack.zip -> pack.mcmeta, data/
A wrongly nested pack does not show an error. It simply never appears in /datapack list, so it looks like the server ignored it. Open the zip on your PC first. If you see a single folder instead of pack.mcmeta and data, upload that inner folder, or re-zip its contents.
The second most common trap is the wrong world. Paper servers before Minecraft 26.1 kept the Nether and the End in their own world_nether and world_the_end folders, and people drop packs in there. Datapacks always go in the main world, the one named by level-name, and apply to every dimension from there.
Before you start
- Check the version. Pack formats change with almost every Minecraft release. Download the build made for your server's version, as shown on its Modrinth or project page.
- Back up the world. Some packs add blocks, scoreboards or structures that stay behind if you remove the pack later.
- Read the pack's notes. Some need a companion resource pack for textures, or say they must be added before the world is created.
Step 1: Upload the pack
Upload the zip into world/datapacks/. If the datapacks folder does not exist yet, start the server once with the world, or create it yourself. Leave the pack zipped unless its instructions say otherwise. Zips and folders both work.
Step 2: Load it
For tweak, function, recipe and loot packs, run this in the console or as an op in game:
reload
On Paper, Purpur and Spigot, plain reload is the Bukkit command that reloads plugins too, which is not safe. Use the vanilla one instead:
minecraft:reload
For worldgen and dimension packs, restart the server instead.
Step 3: Check it is on
datapack list
The list shows enabled and available packs. Packs you upload show as file/MyPack.zip. If yours is available but not enabled, turn it on, quotes included:
datapack enable "file/MyPack.zip"
Use datapack disable "file/MyPack.zip" to turn a pack off without deleting it.
Worldgen packs: add them before the world exists
A worldgen pack changes how new chunks generate. It does not touch terrain that already exists, so on an old world you only see it far from where people have been. For a whole world built with it:
- Stop the server and back up or move the old world aside.
- Create an empty
world/datapacks/folder (matchinglevel-name) and put the pack in. - Start the server. It builds the new world with the pack from the first chunk.
Want a ready made world to explore without lag? Pregenerate it with Chunky after adding the pack, so players are not waiting on chunk generation.
Common problems
- Pack missing from
/datapack list: it is nested one folder too deep, or it went intoworld_nether,world_the_endor a different world thanlevel-name. - Pack listed but does nothing: it is built for another Minecraft version. Check the console after
minecraft:reloadfor errors and get the matching build. - New biomes nowhere to be seen: worldgen only affects chunks generated after you added it. Travel to fresh land or start a new world.
- Server crashes on start after adding a pack: usually a worldgen pack made for another version. Remove it, start, and get the right build. More in Minecraft server crashing on startup.
- Plugins broke after reloading: you ran Bukkit
reloadon Paper. Restart the server and useminecraft:reloadnext time.
Datapacks on GamezServers
On a Minecraft server from GamezServers, the file manager can download a file from a link straight to the server, so you can paste a datapack's download link into world/datapacks/ without saving it on your PC first. It also unzips and re-zips packs in place, and there is a one click Backup before you try a new pack. For SMP friendly packs to start with, see how to start a Minecraft SMP with friends.
FAQ
Where do I put datapacks on a Minecraft server?
In the datapacks folder inside the main world folder, usually world/datapacks/. The folder name follows level-name in server.properties.
Do I need to restart the server after adding a datapack?
Not for most packs: /reload (or minecraft:reload on Paper) loads them. Worldgen and dimension packs need a restart.
Do players need to download the datapack?
No. Datapacks run on the server. Only packs that come with a separate resource pack need players to get that resource pack.
Can I use datapacks on a Paper server?
Yes. Put them in the world's datapacks folder as usual, and use minecraft:reload rather than Bukkit's reload.
Skip the setup. Your own Minecraft server.
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