How to Get a Minecraft Console World onto a Server (Xbox, PS, Switch)

Xbox, PlayStation and Switch cannot export Minecraft worlds, so the route goes through a Realm. On the console, open your Realm's settings and use Replace World to upload the local world. Then, on a Windows PC, iPhone, iPad or Android signed in to the same Microsoft account, download the Realm world, choose Export World to get a .mcworld, unzip it into a folder, upload it into the server's worlds folder and set the world name to that folder's name.

What you can and cannot move

Before you start

• You need a Realm you own. A Realms subscription for one month is enough to move the world, and you can cancel once the server is running. See Realms on minecraft.net.
• Use one Microsoft account on the console and on the device you export from. Only the Realm owner can replace and download its world.
• You need a device that can export: a Windows PC with Minecraft for Windows, or Minecraft on iPhone, iPad or Android. You do not have to buy anything extra if one of these is already on your account.
• Update everything to the same Minecraft version: console, export device and server.

Step 1: Back up what is on the Realm

On the console, put your inventory and Ender Chest contents into chests first. A world made on a device saves its host as a "local player", while servers save players by account, so the world's owner often arrives on the server with an empty inventory. Chests always survive the move.

Replace World overwrites the Realm's current world slot. If that slot holds a world you care about, download it first (Step 3), or pick an empty slot.

Step 2: Upload the console world to the Realm

1. On the console, open Minecraft and go to Play.
2. Click the pencil icon next to your Realm to open its settings.
3. Select the slot to use and choose Replace World.
4. Pick your local world from the list and confirm. The console uploads it to the Realm.
5. Open the Realm once and walk around to check it uploaded properly.

Step 3: Download it on a PC or phone

1. On the Windows PC, iPhone, iPad or Android, sign in with the same Microsoft account and open Minecraft.
2. Click the pencil icon next to the Realm, open the world's settings with Edit World and click Download World near the bottom of the Game settings. Backups also lets you download a specific copy.
3. The world appears in your own Worlds list.

Step 4: Export and unzip

1. Click the pencil icon on the downloaded world, scroll to the bottom of General and choose Export World.
2. Save the .mcworld (on iPhone and iPad, Save to Files).
3. On a computer, rename it to .zip and extract it into a new folder with a simple name, for example ConsoleWorld. The zip has no folder of its own.

Step 5: What goes where on the server

Stop the server, upload the folder into worlds, set level-name=ConsoleWorld in server.properties (on GamezServers, World name in Settings) and start it.

The gotcha: same account, same owner

The Realm route only works when one Microsoft account does every step. A friend who is a member of your Realm can play in it but cannot replace or download its world. And if your PlayStation or Switch is signed in to a different Microsoft account than your PC or phone, the Realm you uploaded to will not show up as yours on the export device.

Check before you start: on the console, the account name in the top corner of the Minecraft menu must be the account that owns the Realm, and the PC or phone must show the same name. PlayStation and Switch players who have never signed in to a Microsoft account in Minecraft need to do that first, since Realms requires one.

Getting console players onto the server

Once the world is up, the second console problem appears: Xbox, PlayStation and Switch have no Add Server button. Console players join through the free BedrockConnect DNS method or apps like BedrockTogether or Phantom, as covered in joining a Bedrock server on Xbox, PS5 and Switch.

Common problems

• "Replace World" does not list my world: the world is a Legacy Console Edition world, or you are signed in to a different account.
• Realm does not appear on my phone or PC: the device uses a different Microsoft account from the console.
• Export World is missing: you are still on the console. Export only exists on Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android.
• Server makes a brand new world: the world name does not match the folder, or the files are one folder too deep.
• "Outdated server": the server is behind the game. Update it after every Minecraft update.

On GamezServers

A Minecraft Bedrock server from GamezServers runs Mojang's Bedrock Dedicated Server. Upload the folder with the file manager (it uploads zips, extracts them and can download a file from a link straight to the server) or the SFTP login in Settings, click Backup first, then set World name. The world stays online for every console, phone and PC with no Realm and no device left on. The file side is covered in more depth in uploading a Bedrock world.

FAQ

Can I export a Minecraft world on Xbox?

No. Xbox, PlayStation and Switch have no Export World option, so upload the world to a Realm and export it from a PC or phone.

Do I need Realms to move a console world?

Yes, it is the only built in way to get a world off a console. A single month of Realms is enough.

Can I move my Switch world to a server?

Yes. Sign in to your Microsoft account on the Switch, upload the world to a Realm, then download and export it on a PC or phone.

Will the world keep my inventory?

The world, builds and chests always come across, but the owner of a world made on a console often starts with an empty inventory. Put your gear in chests before Replace World.