What format must a pre-made world be in, and can it include mods?
A pre-made world needs to be the actual world folder your software expects — not a wrapper folder around it — and any mods it relies on travel separately from the world data. Getting both right ensures your world loads correctly the first time.
What a valid world looks like
A world is a plain folder containing its region and level data, structured exactly the way your server generates one. Its mods and plugins are not part of that folder; they must be installed on their own.
How to prepare and upload it
- Ensure the world is a plain folder containing its region/level data (the same structure the server generates).
- Upload it so its folder name matches your config's world name.
- If the world depends on mods or plugins, install those too — the world data alone won't add them.
- Restart to load it.
Tip: A common mistake is uploading a zip that contains one extra folder level — the actual world folder must sit where the server looks for it, not nested inside another folder.
Frequently asked questions
My world needs specific mods — how do I handle that? Install matching mods or plugins at the matching version before loading the world, or it won't behave as intended.
Which world will the server load? The one named in your server config (for Minecraft, level-name in server.properties).