Your Minecraft server's version and its server software are both changed from one place in the panel: the Version tab. You pick the software, pick the version, and the panel installs it. You never have to build or upload a server.jar yourself, and your worlds and settings stay where they are. What deserves your attention is the world itself, because Minecraft only lets a world move in one direction.
Before you start: take a backup
A version change rewrites the server's software, and the first start on a new version can convert your world. If anything goes wrong, a backup is the only way back.
The panel makes this easy. The version dialog has a Create a backup first option that is ticked by default, so leave it on. If all your backup slots are in use, the option cannot run and the dialog tells you so. Delete an old backup in the Backups tab first, then come back. Our guide to world backups covers restoring one.
The server software you can choose
At the top of the Version & software section, the software you run now is marked Active, with its version underneath. Below it are six cards, one per type of software.
| Software | Type | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | Server software | You want plugins and good performance. The usual choice for a plugin server |
| Vanilla | Server software | You want Minecraft exactly as Mojang ships it, with no plugins or mods |
| Spigot | Server software | A plugin specifically asks for Spigot. Most Spigot plugins also run on Paper |
| Fabric | Mod loader | Your mods are made for Fabric |
| Forge | Mod loader | Your mods or an older modpack are made for Forge |
| NeoForge | Mod loader | Your mods are made for NeoForge |
Plugins and mods are not the same thing. Plugins run on Paper and Spigot and only change the server side, so players join with a normal client. Mods run on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, and most of them also have to be installed by every player. A mod must be made for the loader you run, and for your exact Minecraft version.
Installing a whole modpack? Use the Modpack tab instead. It sets up the right loader and version for the pack in one go.
Step by step
- Open the game panel and select your Minecraft server
- Go to the Version tab
- Click the card for the software you want. To stay on your current software and only change the version, click its card
- Under Minecraft version, choose a version. Latest always installs the newest stable release
- Leave Create a backup first ticked
- Click Change version
The server goes offline for a couple of minutes while the new version installs, then starts by itself. Spigot takes longer, because the panel builds it from source during the install, the same build you would otherwise have to run yourself with BuildTools.
Some fields in the dialog only appear for certain software:
- Custom version (optional) lets you type a version that is not in the list. Leave it blank to use the one you picked above.
- Custom build (optional) appears for Paper. Leave it blank for the newest build of your chosen version.
- Specific Forge/NeoForge version (optional) appears for Forge (for NeoForge it reads Specific NeoForge version (optional)). Leave it blank for the recommended build.
- Bedrock crossplay appears for Paper and Spigot and lets Bedrock players join the same server. You can leave it off.
- Clean install (delete all current files) wipes the whole server before installing. Only tick it when you really want to start from nothing, and never without a backup.
Updating to a newer version
When a newer release line is out for Vanilla, Paper or Spigot (for example 1.21 while you run 1.20.x), the panel shows an Update to button next to your current software. It opens the same dialog with the new version already picked. The button does not appear for smaller updates within the same line, or when your server is set to Latest. You can always pick any version from the list yourself.
Updating is safe for the world in the sense that Minecraft converts it when the new version loads it. It is also a one-way trip: once a newer version has saved your world, older versions can no longer open it. Terrain you have already explored stays as it is. New blocks, biomes and structures show up in chunks that are generated after the update, so players often have to travel into new territory to see them.
Check your plugins or mods before you update. Many need their own update for a new Minecraft version, and a single outdated one can stop the server from starting.
Going back to an older version
If you pick a version older than the one you run, the panel shows a warning and asks you to confirm in a Downgrade version? dialog. Take the warning seriously. A world saved by a newer version usually fails to load, or loads damaged, on an older one.
The safe ways to go back are:
- Restore a backup that was taken while the server still ran the older version
- Or start a fresh world on the older version
Downgrading and then loading your current world is the one combination to avoid.
Switching between server types
Changing software keeps your files, but not everything in them keeps working.
Between Paper or Spigot and Vanilla. Paper and Spigot store the Nether and the End in their own folders next to the main world. Vanilla, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge keep them inside the world folder. Switch without moving them and the Nether and End look brand new, even though the old ones are still on disk. Our guides to converting from Spigot to Vanilla and from Vanilla to Spigot show how to move them.
From plugins to mods, or the other way round. Your plugins stay in the plugins folder but a mod loader ignores them, and Paper ignores the mods folder. Nothing breaks, it simply stops loading.
Between mod loaders. Fabric, Forge and NeoForge mods are not interchangeable, so you need versions of your mods for the new loader. Blocks and items from a mod that is no longer installed disappear from the world. For a modded server, a fresh world is often the cleaner choice.
Snapshots
Vanilla can also run Mojang's weekly test builds. When you open the Vanilla card, switch the list from Releases to Snapshots to see them. The panel asks you to confirm before installing one, because snapshots can be unstable, and a world opened in a snapshot may never open in a normal release again. Only try them on a copy of your world, or on a fresh one.
Troubleshooting
The server does not start after the change. Open the Console tab and read the last lines. The usual cause is a plugin or mod that does not support the new version. Update or remove it and start again.
Players get an "Outdated client", "Outdated server" or "Incompatible client" message. Their game version does not match the server. Players have to launch the same Minecraft version the server runs.
The Nether or End looks reset. You switched between Paper or Spigot and a Vanilla-style server. See the conversion guides further up. Your old dimensions are still in the files.
The backup option is greyed out. Your backup slots are full. Free one in the Backups tab and open the dialog again.
Frequently asked questions
Does changing the version delete my world? No. Worlds and settings are kept, unless you tick Clean install.
Do I still need to build a Spigot jar myself? No. Pick the Spigot card and the panel builds and installs it for you.
How long does it take? A couple of minutes for most software. Spigot takes several minutes longer because it is built during the install.
Something not starting after a switch? Open a ticket from the support page with your server name and what you changed, and we will look at the console with you. Need a server first? See our Minecraft server hosting.
