Can I restore just the world (or just one plugin's config), not everything?
You don't have to restore your whole server to recover one thing. A manual backup makes selective restores easy — you can bring back just the world, or even a single plugin's config, and leave everything else untouched.
Why selective restores work
Because your manual backup is a .zip of your files, you can open it and pull out exactly the folder you need. Uploading only that piece leaves the rest of your server as it is.
Step-by-step
- Extract your saved backup
.zipon your PC. - Pull out only the folder you want — for example
world, orplugins/Essentials/. - Upload just that back via the Files manager or SFTP.
This selective restore leaves the rest of your server untouched.
Tip: Stop the server before overwriting a live folder so nothing is mid-write, then start it again once the upload finishes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I restore only one plugin's config? Yes — extract just that plugin's folder (e.g. plugins/Essentials/) from your backup and upload it over the current one.
Do I need to stop the server? It's best to stop it before replacing a folder that's in use, then start it back up afterward.
What if I only have a full backup? That's fine — a full backup still lets you extract and upload just the piece you want. You don't have to restore all of it.