How do I set or change the seed for a new world?

A seed decides what terrain your world generates, and you set it in server.properties. The important thing to know is that a seed only affects newly generated terrain — it won't reshape a world that already exists.

How seeds work

Open server.properties in the Files tab and set level-seed=YOURSEED. The seed only takes effect when the server generates a new world — it doesn't change the terrain you already have. To apply a seed to a server that already has a world, you must delete or reset the world folders first so the terrain regenerates.

Step-by-step

1. Stop the server.
2. In Files, open server.properties and set level-seed=YOURSEED.
3. If a world already exists, delete/reset the world folders so it regenerates (back up first if you want to keep it).
4. Save and restart.

Tip: Leave level-seed blank for a completely random seed — handy when you just want something new and don't care about the exact terrain.

Frequently asked questions

I set a seed but the terrain didn't change — why? The seed only affects newly generated terrain. Your existing world stays as-is until you reset the world folders.

Where do I find good seeds? Community seed sites list seeds by version. Paste the seed value into level-seed= exactly as given.

Does the seed need quotes? No — enter it plain, e.g. level-seed=123456789. Word-based seeds also work; Minecraft converts them internally.