How to Install WorldEdit on a Minecraft Server

To install WorldEdit on a Minecraft server, download the build for your server type from Modrinth or CurseForge: the Bukkit jar for Paper, Purpur and Spigot goes in plugins/, the Fabric or NeoForge jar goes in mods/. Restart the server, op yourself, type //wand to get the wooden axe, left click one corner and right click the other, then run //set stone. The jar must support your exact Minecraft version, and //undo only remembers your last 15 edits.

What you are working with

WorldEdit 7.4.5 is the current stable release and covers Minecraft 26.1 and 26.2, with 7.4.6 betas already adding 26.3 (WorldEdit on Modrinth). Players do not need WorldEdit on their own game. It runs entirely on the server.

FastAsyncWorldEdit (FAWE) is a faster fork for Paper that uses the same commands. Install WorldEdit or FAWE, never both, and note that FAWE often lags a few weeks behind new Minecraft releases.

Before you start

• Check the Minecraft version. Pick the WorldEdit file whose page lists your server's exact version. A jar for 26.2 on a 26.3 server often fails to enable.
• Use a server type that loads it. Paper for plugins, Fabric or NeoForge for mods.
• Back up the world. One wrong //set on a big selection replaces thousands of blocks in a second.

Step 1: Upload the jar

1. Stop the server.
2. Upload the WorldEdit jar to plugins/ (Paper) or mods/ (Fabric or NeoForge). Modern Fabric builds do not need Fabric API, although it does no harm.
3. Start the server and watch the console. On Paper you should see WorldEdit enabling with its version number.

Use a full restart. Plugin reload commands and reload plugins break WorldEdit in odd ways.

Step 2: Give yourself permission

WorldEdit's own docs are blunt: by default, no one can use it (WorldEdit permissions). The quick fix on any server type is to make yourself an operator from the console:

op YourName

On Paper, ops get every WorldEdit command. For builders you do not want to op, give permission nodes with a plugin like LuckPerms:

On Fabric, WorldEdit reads the Fabric Permissions API (which LuckPerms for Fabric provides) and falls back to operator status when no permissions mod is installed. See how to install LuckPerms for setting groups up.

Step 3: Make your first edit

1. Type //wand. You get a wooden axe.
2. Left click a block to set position 1. Right click another block to set position 2. The two corners make a box.
3. Run an edit:

//set stone
//replace dirt grass_block
//walls oak_planks
//copy
//paste
//undo

//pos1 and //pos2 set the corners where you stand instead of where you click. Add //sel to clear a selection. Saved builds go in plugins/WorldEdit/schematics/ on Paper (or config/worldedit/schematics/ on mods) and load with //schem load <name>, so you can upload schematic files there over SFTP.

The gotcha: //undo cannot save everything

Most people treat //undo as a safety net. It is a thin one. Three limits catch nearly everyone:

1. Only 15 steps. WorldEdit stores your last 15 actions by default (history.size in config.yml). Edit 16 things and the first is gone forever.
2. History lives in memory. It belongs to your session. The docs say others can undo your actions for up to 10 minutes after you log out. A server restart or crash wipes it entirely, so an edit you regret after a restart cannot be undone.
3. Indirect changes are not recorded. As the WorldEdit history docs note, water that starts flowing, sand that falls, and torches or rails that pop off when their support block is replaced are not part of the history. //undo puts your blocks back, but the flood or the dropped items stay.

So before any big edit, take a real backup. On a live server, also set a cap so a typo cannot replace half a map:

limits:
  max-blocks-changed:
    default: 500000
    maximum: 2000000

Both values are -1 (no limit) out of the box. Players with worldedit.limit.unrestricted ignore them.

Common problems

• "You don't have permission" on every command: you are not op and have no WorldEdit nodes. Run op YourName in the console or give worldedit.*.
• WorldEdit does not appear in /plugins: the jar is for another Minecraft version or another server type, or it went into mods/ on a Paper server. Check the console for the error line.
• Left click breaks the block instead of selecting: you are holding a normal wooden axe, not the wand, or you lack worldedit.wand and selection permissions. Run //wand again.
• Some blocks refuse to place with //set: blocks like TNT and bedrock are on the disallowed list in config.yml for players without worldedit.anyblock.
• Server freezes on a huge edit: large //set or //regen jobs run on the main thread. Split the area, or use FAWE on Paper for very big jobs.
• //undo did nothing after a restart: history is gone. Restore the backup instead.

WorldEdit on GamezServers

On a Minecraft server from GamezServers, pick Paper, Fabric or NeoForge in Settings, then use the file manager to download the WorldEdit jar from its link straight into plugins/ or mods/. Run op from the panel console, and press Backup before any large edit, since that backup is the undo WorldEdit cannot give you. For more tools worth adding, see how to install plugins on a Minecraft server.

FAQ

Do players need WorldEdit installed to use it on a server?

No. WorldEdit runs on the server, so players use it with a normal game as long as they have permission.

How do I get the WorldEdit wand?

Type //wand to get a wooden axe. Left click sets position 1, right click sets position 2.

Can I undo WorldEdit changes after a server restart?

No. Undo history is kept in memory and is lost on restart, so restore a backup instead.

Should I use WorldEdit or FastAsyncWorldEdit?

WorldEdit for most servers, since it supports new versions first. FAWE is faster for huge edits on Paper, but never install both.