How to Upload a Minecraft Bedrock World to a Server

To upload a Bedrock world to a server, edit the world in Minecraft on Windows, iPhone, iPad or Android and choose Export World to get a .mcworld file. Rename it to .zip, extract it into a new folder (the zip has no folder of its own), and upload that folder into the server's worlds folder so level.dat sits at worlds/<name>/level.dat. Set level-name (the server's world name) to that folder name, update the server to your game's version and start it.

What you can and cannot upload

Before you start

• Update everything. Bedrock only loads a world and accepts players on the same version. Update the server after updating your game.
• Back up the server if it already has a world.
• Note any experiments the world uses. They come with it and cannot be changed on the server.

Step 1: Export the world

1. Open Minecraft and go to Play, then Worlds.
2. Click the pencil icon next to the world.
3. Scroll to the bottom of General and click Export World.
4. Save the file:
   • Windows: pick a folder, such as Downloads.
   • iPhone and iPad: the share sheet opens, choose Save to Files.
   • Android: choose a location such as Downloads, or share it to Google Drive.

You now have <World Name>.mcworld. Copy it to a computer if you exported on a phone.

Step 2: Unzip it into a folder

A .mcworld is a zip file. Rename it to .zip and extract it. Its files sit at the top level with no folder around them, so extract into a new folder with a short name and no spaces, like MyWorld.

Step 3: Upload into worlds

1. Stop the server.
2. Upload the MyWorld folder into the server's worlds folder.
3. Check the path: it must be worlds/MyWorld/level.dat. If you see worlds/MyWorld/MyWorld/level.dat, move the files up one level.
4. Set level-name=MyWorld in server.properties. On GamezServers it is World name in Settings.
5. Start the server and join with your server address and port.

The gotcha: the folder name is the world name

The server finds a world only by its folder name inside worlds. The name you see in game comes from levelname.txt and means nothing to the server. If level-name does not match the folder exactly (capitals and spaces included), the server does not complain. It quietly makes a brand new world with that name, and you join a fresh map and think the upload failed.

The same trap catches people who copy worlds by hand instead of exporting. On Windows, Bedrock worlds live in %APPDATA%\Minecraft Bedrock\Users\<id>\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds\ on current versions (older installs used %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds\). Each folder there has a random name like Ab3dEFg0AAA=. You can upload one of those directly, but then the world name setting must be that random string. Export is cleaner: you choose the folder name.

What happens to your inventory

The world, every build and every chest come across intact. Personal inventories are less reliable. A world made on your own device saves its host as a "local player", while a server saves each player by their account, so the world's owner often spawns at world spawn with an empty inventory and no XP. Friends who played in the world can hit the same reset, as server owners regularly report.

So before the final export, have everyone put their gear, including the Ender Chest contents, into normal chests at the base, and write down the base coordinates. It takes five minutes and makes the move painless.

Behavior packs that come with it

When you export a world that has add-ons applied, Minecraft puts copies of those packs into the world's own behavior_packs and resource_packs folders, and lists them in the two world_*_packs.json files. The server reads packs from the world folder, so nothing else needs installing. Players download the resource packs when they join.

If the add-on needs experiments like Beta APIs, they must already be on in the world when you export, since they are stored in level.dat. To add packs to a world that is already on the server, follow adding add-ons to a Bedrock server. Mojang's own server software and notes are on the Bedrock Dedicated Server page.

Common problems

• Server makes a brand new world: the world name does not match the folder, or the files are nested one folder too deep.
• "Outdated server" or "Outdated client": your game and the server are on different versions. See the Bedrock outdated server fix.
• Add-on missing in game: it was a Marketplace pack, or a pack folder lost its manifest.json while copying.
• Everyone is in creative or survival unexpectedly: the server's gamemode and force-gamemode settings decide this, not only the world. Check them.
• Upload stalls in the browser: big worlds are best sent over SFTP, or as one zip extracted on the server.

On GamezServers

A Minecraft Bedrock server from GamezServers gives you a file manager that uploads zips, extracts them and can download a file from a link straight to the server, plus an SFTP login in Settings. Click Backup before replacing anything, set World name, and friends on any device play in the world without your phone or PC staying on. Allowlist them as covered in whitelisting Bedrock players.

FAQ

Where are Minecraft Bedrock worlds saved on Windows?

On current versions in %APPDATA%\Minecraft Bedrock\Users\<id>\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds\, one randomly named folder per world. Exporting is easier than finding the right one.

Can I upload a world from my iPhone?

Yes. Use Export World, choose Save to Files, then move the .mcworld to a computer or upload it from Files over SFTP.

Do my add-ons come with the world?

Yes, if they were applied to the world when you exported it. Marketplace content is the exception.

Will players keep their inventories?

Not reliably. The world's owner usually starts with an empty inventory on the server, so store everything in chests before you export.