Create Minecraft backups yourselfBack up world and configuration at any time - via SFTP & WebFTP

Published on October 20, 2026

To be honest: no automatic backups

Automatic backups are deliberately not part of our plans - in return, you have full control and do not pay for storage you may not need. You back up your data yourself at any time, as often as you like, and restore a backup immediately when needed.

Create a backup

1. Stop the server briefly (recommended) so that the world files are not changed while copying. Alternatively, run save-all in the console beforehand while the server keeps running.
2. Connect via SFTP or open WebFTP in your browser.
3. Download the world folder (default: world) and your configuration files (server.properties, plugins/ or mods/).
4. Save the backup with the date in its name, e.g. world-2026-08-03.

Tip: pack large worlds into a ZIP in the file manager before downloading them - that saves time and bandwidth.

Restore a backup

To restore, stop the server, upload the saved files back into the corresponding folders via SFTP/WebFTP and restart. Make sure that the server version and - with modpacks - the mods match the backup. A regular rhythm (e.g. weekly, before every update and before larger building projects) has proven itself. Uploading a world from elsewhere works the same way - see Upload a world.

What you actually need to back up

Downloading the complete server folder is the safest route, but takes a long time with modpacks. If you back up selectively, you need much less - these are the important parts:

What you do not need to back up: the server jar, the log files and the libraries. They can be obtained again at any time and make up the bulk of the data with modpacks.

When a backup is a must

Since nobody backs up all the time, a short list of moments when it really pays off helps:

• Before every version change. A world that has been opened in a newer version cannot be downgraded again. See Change the version.
• Before plugin and mod updates. A plugin that writes world data can break more in a failed attempt than it fixes.
• Before major interventions in the world. Such as resetting individual areas or changing the seed.
• After large building projects. The point at which a loss hurts the most.

For everything in between, a weekly rhythm is enough. Above all, do not leave the backup on the server itself: download it. A copy in the same directory helps against accidental deletion, but not against anything else.

Automate as far as possible

Because we do not create automatic backups, it is worth automating the part you have in your own hands. On a Paper server, backup plugins take care of this: they pack the world at set times and store the archive in the server directory. You still have to download it yourself - but packing and scheduling are done.

A practical trick: issue a save-all before packing and a save-on afterwards. This ensures that the packed files correspond to a complete state and were not copied in the middle of a write operation.

For modpack servers, a similar route is possible via Forge or Fabric mods. In both cases: check now and then whether a backup can actually be restored. An untested backup is an assumption, not a safeguard.

Frequently asked questions