How to Update a Minecraft Server to a New Version

Updating a Minecraft server to a new version is usually simple — but do it carelessly and you can corrupt your world or break every plugin. This guide walks through a safe upgrade for vanilla, Paper, and modded servers.

Rule zero: back up first, always

Before touching anything, take a full backup. Version updates change how the world is stored, and once a world is opened in a new version it often can't be safely downgraded. In the console:

save-off
save-all

tar -czf ~/backups/pre-update-$(date +%F).tar.gz world world_nether world_the_end plugins

Then save-on. Keep this archive until you're sure the update is stable.

Check the Java requirement

New Minecraft versions sometimes require a newer Java. 1.20.5+ needs Java 21; if you're jumping from an older release, install it first:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y openjdk-21-jdk
java -version

Update a vanilla or Paper server

This is the easy path — swap the jar. Stop the server, replace server.jar with the new version's jar, and start:

# stop the server first
mv server.jar server.jar.old
wget -O server.jar "<new-version-server.jar-or-paper-build-url>"
java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar server.jar nogui

The world upgrades on first load. Watch the console for errors.

Update plugins and mods too

This is where servers break. Plugins and mods are version-specific:

• Plugins: update each to a build that supports the new version *before* starting. A plugin built for the old version may crash or silently misbehave. Check /plugins for red entries after boot.
• Mods: every mod must have a build for the new version — and so must the Forge/Fabric loader. This is why big modpacks update as a whole pack, not piecemeal. See adding and updating mods.

Test before you announce it

Ideally test the upgrade on a copy of the world first. If you must update in place, do it during quiet hours, join yourself, and check that plugins load and the world renders correctly before letting players back on. If anything's wrong, restore the pre-update backup and try again.

Tell players to update their client

Players need a client on the matching version — set the version in the Minecraft launcher's installations. Modded players update the whole pack. If you moved to a new box as part of this, the migration guide covers keeping data intact.

Stage the update on a copy first

The safest upgrades happen on a copy, not the live world. Duplicate the world into a test server, update *that*, and confirm plugins load and the world renders before touching production:

cp -r ~/server ~/server-test
cd ~/server-test
# swap in the new jar and updated plugins here, then start on a different port

If something breaks, you've lost nothing. When it's clean, apply the same steps to the live server during a quiet window. This is the same idea as testing a restore — prove it works while it's harmless.

Don't forget datapacks and resource packs

Two things people overlook when jumping versions:

• Datapacks in world/datapacks/ can break across versions if they use commands or predicates that changed. Check each datapack supports the new version, or remove it before upgrading.
• A server resource pack (set via resource-pack in server.properties) should be updated to match, and its resource-pack-sha1 hash refreshed, or clients may fail to download it.

Have a rollback plan

Because a world usually can't be safely downgraded once opened in a newer version, your rollback plan *is* the pre-update backup. Keep it until you're fully confident. If the upgrade goes wrong:

# stop the server, then restore the pre-update snapshot
mv world world.failed-upgrade
tar -xzf ~/backups/pre-update-2024-05-01.tar.gz
# put back the old server.jar and start

That's why "back up first" is rule zero. For a bigger jump, or moving to new hardware at the same time, treat it as a migration — do the move first, confirm it works, then update as a separate, backed-up step. Modded servers follow the same discipline but as a whole pack update.

Snapshots vs stable releases

Mojang publishes snapshots (early preview builds) alongside full releases. For a server people play on, stick to stable releases — snapshots can be buggy, and crucially, most plugins and mods don't support them, so an upgrade to a snapshot will break your plugin set. If you want to preview a new version, do it on a throwaway test server, not production. When a full release lands, give the ecosystem a short while before upgrading: popular plugins like EssentialsX and LuckPerms usually update within days, but some take longer, and jumping the moment a release drops often means waiting on a broken plugin. There's rarely any harm in staying one version behind for a couple of weeks until your whole plugin set supports the new one — a stable server beats a bleeding-edge one that half your plugins can't load on.

FAQ

How do I update my Minecraft server version?

Back up, install the required Java, stop the server, swap in the new server.jar (or Paper build), update plugins/mods, and start. Test before going live.

Will updating corrupt my world?

Not if you back up first. The world upgrades on load and usually can't be downgraded, so keep the pre-update backup until you're confident.

Do I need to update plugins when I update the server?

Yes — plugins and mods are version-specific. Update them to builds for the new version before starting, or they'll fail.

Do players need to update their client?

Yes, to the matching version (set it in the launcher). Modded players update the entire modpack.

Testing an update is painless when you can spin up a second server cheaply. Nxeon's Minecraft server hosting gives you NVMe VPS plans and root access to stage upgrades safely.