How to upload a custom world to a Minecraft server?

Built a killer world in singleplayer and want it online for friends? Follow these steps and get it live fast. With our dedicated Minecraft server, enjoy exceptional performance.

Prerequisites

• Access to your Oxygenserv panel (login and password)
• Your local world folder containing a valid level.dat
• A .zip of your world (or an SFTP client like FileZilla/WinSCP if the file is > 500 MB)
• Server stopped before any file changes
• Know your world’s version (e.g., Java 1.20.4) to avoid incompatibilities

Step-by-step

1. Stop the server cleanly
   Log into your Oxygenserv panel and open the “Console” tab. Click the red “Stop” button to shut it down gracefully. Wait until the console shows “Server stopped” or “Done” before proceeding. If logs are still scrolling, give it a few more seconds.
2. Prepare and zip your local world
   On your PC, open the saves folder: Windows %appdata%\.minecraft\saves\, macOS ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves/, Linux ~/.minecraft/saves/. Locate your world folder (e.g., MyWorld) and ensure it contains level.dat, region/, and possibly DIM1/ and DIM-1/. Right-click the world folder and compress it to MyWorld.zip. Avoid nested folders in the archive; the files must be directly under MyWorld/.
3. Open the file manager in the panel
   In Oxygenserv, go to the “Files” (File Manager) tab. You should see the server root with files like server.properties and eula.txt, and folders like plugins/ (if using Paper/Spigot). If you don’t see server.properties, you’re not in the root—navigate up one level using the “..” entry. This root directory is where you’ll upload the zip.
4. Upload the world .zip
   Drag and drop MyWorld.zip into the file manager. Large uploads can take time—watch the progress bar. Once complete, you’ll see MyWorld.zip listed. If the upload fails, switch to SFTP (more reliable for big files) or recreate the zip and retry.
5. Unzip and verify structure
   Right-click MyWorld.zip and choose “Extract” or “Unarchive”. A folder MyWorld appears; open it and confirm level.dat is directly inside (not in a subfolder). If you see MyWorld/MyWorld/level.dat, move the inner contents up one level and delete the extra folder. If extraction errors occur, re-upload the zip or recompress locally.
6. Point the server to your world in server.properties
   Back in root, edit server.properties. Find the line level-name= and set it to your folder name exactly, e.g., level-name=MyWorld. Click “Save”. A typo here will make the server generate a brand-new world, so double-check spelling and case.
7. Clean old world folders to prevent conflicts
   In root, look for legacy world folders like world, world_nether, and world_the_end. Rename them (e.g., world_old) or delete if you no longer need them, so only your MyWorld matches level-name. This avoids mixing dimensions from different worlds. Make a backup first if unsure.
8. Start and verify in the console
   Go back to “Console” and click the green “Start” button. Watch for lines like “Preparing level \”MyWorld\”” followed by “Done”. Join the server and confirm the spawn matches your world. If you spawn in the void, it’s usually a wrong level-name or bad folder placement.

Tips & optimization

– Big files (> 500 MB): use SFTP for reliability. Connect with your panel’s SFTP host and port (often 22) and upload to the server root near server.properties.
– Versions: open a 1.20 world with a 1.20+ server. Avoid downgrades; they often corrupt chunks.
– Pre-gen: for stable TPS, pre-generate chunks around spawn with a plugin (e.g., Chunky) before inviting everyone.
– Tuning: set view-distance to 6–8 and simulation-distance to 6–8 on heavy worlds.
– Bedrock/Nukkit: level-name also applies; worlds often live under worlds/. Default port is 19132 (UDP).

FAQ

The server loads a fresh world instead of mine. Why?

Almost always a mismatch in level-name vs folder name (case matters). Edit server.properties to exactly level-name=MyWorld, save, rename/remove the old world folder, then restart.

I spawn in the void or keep falling.

Your folder structure is wrong or nested. Ensure server.properties points to a folder that directly contains level.dat. Fix the structure (no MyWorld/MyWorld/...) and restart.

Where is my world on my PC?

Windows: %appdata%\.minecraft\saves\ — macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves/ — Linux: ~/.minecraft/saves/. Zip the world folder (e.g., MyWorld.zip).

Version error or “Failed to load world”.

Your server is likely older than the world. Update the server to the same or newer version as the world. Avoid opening a newer world on an older server.

Can I keep Nether and End from another world?

Yes, but they must match your level-name. If level-name=MyWorld, dimensions must be MyWorld_nether and MyWorld_the_end. Rename carefully.

That’s it! Your custom world is live. Need more power as your community grows? Upgrade and keep the adventure smooth. Have fun!

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