How to Move a Minecraft Bedrock Realms World to a Server

Q: Can I download a Realm world on Xbox or PlayStation?

Consoles cannot export a .mcworld, which is the step you need. Do the download and export on a phone, tablet or Windows PC signed in to the Realm owner's Microsoft account.

Q: Will my friends keep their inventories?

Usually, since player data is saved in the world's db folder by account. Moving Bedrock worlds between hosts can still reset inventories, so have everyone store their gear in chests before the final download.

Q: Why does my world have a different name in game?

The name in game comes from levelname.txt. The server only cares about the folder name, which must match the world name setting.

To move a Bedrock Realm to a dedicated server, open the Realm's settings on Windows, iPhone, iPad or Android, edit the world and choose Download World. Then edit the downloaded copy in your Worlds list and choose Export World to get a .mcworld file. Rename it to .zip, unzip it into a folder, upload that folder into the server's worlds folder and set the server's world name (level-name) to the folder's exact name. The server must run the same Minecraft version as the Realm.

What you can and cannot move

From the Realm	Comes with the world?
Terrain, builds, chests, Nether and End	Yes, all in the `db` folder
Players' inventories and positions	Usually, but not guaranteed. Put valuables in chests before the last download
Behavior and resource packs you added yourself	Yes, inside the world's `behavior_packs` and `resource_packs` folders
Experimental features (Beta APIs and others)	Yes, saved in `level.dat`
The Realm's member list and operators	No. Re-add them on the server's allowlist
Realms Plus and Marketplace worlds and packs	No. They are licensed to your account for Realms, not for dedicated servers
Downloading on Xbox, PlayStation or Switch	No export button on consoles. See getting a console world onto a server

Before you start

Use a phone, tablet or Windows PC. Only those can export a .mcworld.
Sign in as the Realm owner. Members cannot download the world.
Check the version. Realms update with the game. Update your server to the newest Bedrock version before uploading.
Back up the server if it already has a world you care about.

Step 1: Download the Realm world

Open Minecraft and click Play, then the Realms tab (or Worlds, where your Realms are listed).
Click the pencil icon next to your Realm to open its settings.
Open the world's settings with Edit World, scroll to the bottom of the Game settings and click Download World. You can also download an older copy from Backups.
Wait for it to finish. The world now appears in your own Worlds list.

Step 2: Export it as a .mcworld

In Worlds, click the pencil icon on the downloaded world.
Scroll to the bottom of the General settings and click Export World.
Save the .mcworld file. On iPhone and iPad it opens the share sheet, so pick Save to Files. On Android, save it to Downloads.
Move the file to a PC if you are on a phone, then rename .mcworld to .zip and unzip it.

Step 3: What goes where

A .mcworld has no folder inside it. The files sit at the top level of the zip, so create a folder with a simple name (for example RealmWorld) and extract into it.

File or folder	What it holds	On the server
`level.dat`	Seed, game rules, experiments	`worlds/RealmWorld/level.dat`
`db/`	Chunks, players, entities	`worlds/RealmWorld/db/`
`levelname.txt`	The display name you see in game	`worlds/RealmWorld/levelname.txt`
`behavior_packs/`, `resource_packs/`	Packs applied to the world	Inside the world folder, as exported
`world_behavior_packs.json`, `world_resource_packs.json`	Which packs are turned on	Inside the world folder, as exported

Step 4: Upload and set the world name

Stop the server.
Upload the folder into worlds, so level.dat ends up at worlds/RealmWorld/level.dat.
Set level-name=RealmWorld in server.properties (on GamezServers, World name in Settings). It must match the folder name, not the name in levelname.txt.
Start the server and join with the address and port from your panel.

The gotcha: the member list stays with the Realm

On a Realm, only invited players can join, and that list lives in the Realm service, not in the world. A fresh Bedrock server has the allowlist off, so anyone with the address can join until you turn it on. If you turn it on with allow-list=true and forget to re-add people, your friends see "You are not invited to this server".

Re-add everyone by Gamertag with allowlist add "Gamertag" (the quotes matter for names with spaces), then op "Gamertag" for anyone who should run commands. Operators also need cheats on for commands like /gamemode. Our guide on whitelisting Bedrock players covers it.

The other trap is version. Realms always run the newest release. If your server is one version behind, the world may refuse to load or players get "Outdated server". Update the server to the latest Bedrock Dedicated Server from Mojang's download page or the panel first.

A Minecraft Bedrock world moved from a Realm onto a dedicated server

Packs and experiments

Packs you added to the world yourself travel inside the export and load on the server from the world folder. Experiments such as Beta APIs are stored in level.dat and carry over too, and a server has no setting to turn them on or off. If an add-on misbehaves, follow adding add-ons to a Bedrock server.

Common problems

Server makes a brand new world: the world name does not match the folder, or the files are nested one level too deep (worlds/RealmWorld/RealmWorld/level.dat).
"You are not invited to this server": the allowlist is on and the Gamertag is not on it.
"Outdated server": the Realm was on a newer version. Update the server.
Export World is missing: you are on a console. Use a phone, tablet or Windows PC signed in to the same Microsoft account.
Add-on blocks missing: the pack was Marketplace or Realms Plus content, which does not export for server use.

On GamezServers

A Minecraft Bedrock server from GamezServers runs Mojang's Bedrock Dedicated Server. Upload the world folder through the file manager (it uploads zips and extracts them, and can download a file from a link straight to the server) or the SFTP login in Settings, click Backup before replacing anything, then set World name. The world stays online without the Realm or anyone's device. New here? Start with how to host a Minecraft Bedrock server.

FAQ

Can I download a Realm world on Xbox or PlayStation?

Consoles cannot export a .mcworld, which is the step you need. Do the download and export on a phone, tablet or Windows PC signed in to the Realm owner's Microsoft account.

Will my friends keep their inventories?

Usually, since player data is saved in the world's db folder by account. Moving Bedrock worlds between hosts can still reset inventories, so have everyone store their gear in chests before the final download.

Do I need to keep paying for the Realm?

No. Once the world is on your server and you have checked it, you can cancel the Realm.

Why does my world have a different name in game?

The name in game comes from levelname.txt. The server only cares about the folder name, which must match the world name setting.