Recovering only your Minecraft world

You want to download your Minecraft server map without dragging everything else with it (plugins, configs, etc.)? That is exactly what recovering only the world does. It is perfect if you want to play your map in singleplayer, move to another host, or keep a clean local backup.

In this guide, you will learn how to find the right world folder, compress it from the MineStrator panel, download it to your PC, and handle the special case of moving a Spigot/Paper world to Vanilla. Follow the steps and your world will be safely stored on your computer in just a few minutes.

What a Minecraft world actually contains

Recovering only the world of your Minecraft server means downloading the map and all data linked to it, without including the full server installation. This difference is key if you want to avoid moving useless files or anything tied to a specific host or setup.

✅ What you get when you download the world:

1. All builds and terrain modifications

2. Chests, shulkers and their contents

3. Entities (animals, villagers, named mobs, etc.)

4. Generated structures (villages, fortresses, temples, etc.)

5. Player progress (position, levels, inventories, stats, advancements), except data specific to some mods

6. Datapacks used in this world

❌ What you do NOT get with the world:

1. Plugins (Spigot/Paper/Bukkit) and their configuration files

2. Mods installed on the server

3. Permissions, groups and player ranks

4. Server settings (server.properties, motd, slots, etc.)

💬 Good to know: To play the same world with the same plugins or mods, you will need to reinstall them separately on the new server.

Why recover only the Minecraft world?

Downloading only the world of your Minecraft server is useful in many scenarios. You save time, disk space, and you avoid moving technical files that belong to the original hosting environment.

When this method is especially useful

1. Server migration: Move your world to another host or a fresh server without starting from scratch.

2. Local backup: Keep a copy of your worlds on your PC so you can archive them or restore them later.

3. Version change: Switch from Spigot/Paper to Vanilla (or the other way around), or change modded versions while keeping the same map.

4. Map sharing: Share your creation with other players, content creators, or friends.

📝 Note: The world can then be used in singleplayer, on another Minecraft server, or as the base for a brand-new project.

Step 1: Access your Minecraft server files

Before you can download the world from your Minecraft server, you need to access the files through the MineStrator panel. Everything is done directly from your browser, no FTP client is required.

1.1 Open the Files tab

Log in to your MineStrator account and open the panel. Click on the server you want to manage to display its dashboard and main information.

Always shut down your server before editing or downloading files. This prevents world corruption and ensures you get a clean backup of your map.

Once the server is stopped, click the Files button in the menu on the left of the console to access your server file tree:

⚠️ Warning: Do not edit or delete files while the server is running, or you may corrupt the world.

1.2 Browse through the server files

In the Files tab, you see the full file structure of your Minecraft server. The interface works like a classic file explorer: folders, files, and actions via right-click.

From here, you will locate your world folder, compress it, and then download it to your computer.

Step 2: Identify your Minecraft world folder

The location and structure of your Minecraft world depend on the type of server you are running: Vanilla/Forge/Fabric or Spigot/Paper/Bukkit. The folder layout is not the same, so you need to be sure you grab the correct directories.

2.1 World on a Vanilla, Forge or Fabric server

On a Vanilla, Forge or Fabric server, the world is stored in a single folder. By default, this folder is named:

1. world (default world name)

2. Or the custom name defined in the server.properties file (key level-name)

Here is a typical structure inside the world/ folder:

world/
├── DIM-1/          <-- The Nether
├── DIM1/           <-- The End
├── data/
├── datapacks/
├── entities/
├── playerdata/
├── poi/
├── region/         <-- Overworld chunks
├── stats/
├── level.dat       <-- Main world data
└── level.dat_old   <-- Previous backup

💡 Tip: If you are unsure about the world name, open server.properties and check the value of level-name.

2.2 World on a Spigot, Paper or Bukkit server

Bukkit-based servers (Spigot, Paper, Purpur, etc.) use a different layout for dimensions. Each dimension is stored in its own separate folder at the root of the server.

By default, you will see:

1. world: the Overworld (main world)

2. world_nether: the Nether

3. world_the_end: the End

Example structure with Spigot/Paper:

Server root/
├── world/              <-- Overworld only
│   ├── data/
│   ├── entities/
│   ├── playerdata/
│   ├── region/
│   └── level.dat
├── world_nether/       <-- Nether
│   └── DIM-1/
└── world_the_end/      <-- End
    └── DIM1/

📝 Note: To back up your full world on a Spigot/Paper server, you must download all three folders together.

2.3 World with a custom name

If you changed the world name (for example SurvivalCraft), the folders will use that name instead of world. This applies to both Vanilla and Spigot/Paper setups.

1. Vanilla version: SurvivalCraft/

2. Spigot/Paper version: SurvivalCraft/, SurvivalCraft_nether/, SurvivalCraft_the_end/

💬 Good to know: The folder prefix (for example SurvivalCraft) stays the same; only the suffixes _nether and _the_end change.

Step 3: Compress your Minecraft world folder

To download your Minecraft server world easily, the best option is to compress it into a ZIP archive directly from the MineStrator panel. That way you only download a single file instead of hundreds or thousands.

3.1 Use compression in the WebSFTP

From the Files tab on the panel:

1. Select the world folder(s):

2. Tick the checkbox next to the world folder (or your custom world name)

3. On Spigot/Paper, select the three folders (world, world_nether, world_the_end) at the same time

4. Start the compression:

5. Click the Compress button in the floating menu at the bottom of the page

6. Choose an archive name:

7. For example: archive_world.zip

8. Confirm the creation:

9. Click Create to launch the compression

💡 Tip: Compression time depends on the size of your world. The more your players explored, the heavier the archive will be.

Step 4: Download the world archive

Once the ZIP archive is created, you can finally download your Minecraft server world to your PC. This archive contains all the folders you selected in the previous step.

To download the archive:

1. Locate the ZIP file in the current folder (the archive is created in the directory you were in when you launched compression)

2. Right-click the archive and select Download

3. The file will be saved to your default download folder on your PC (usually Downloads)

📝 Note: Keep this archive safe, it is your full world backup on the map side.

Special case: from Spigot/Paper to Vanilla

If you want to use a Spigot/Paper world in singleplayer or on a Vanilla server, you need to adapt the folder structure. Vanilla expects Nether and End dimensions to be stored inside the main world folder, in DIM-1 and DIM1.

Why this conversion is needed

On a Spigot/Paper server, dimensions are split into three folders (world, world_nether, world_the_end). In singleplayer or on a Vanilla Minecraft server, the game expects the DIM-1 (Nether) and DIM1 (End) folders directly inside the main world folder.

🚨 Important: Without this merge, your portals may generate brand-new empty dimensions, as if you had started a fresh map.

How to convert Spigot/Paper worlds to Vanilla

1. Extract the archive you downloaded

On your PC, right-click world_backup.zip and choose Extract. You will get several folders corresponding to the dimensions of your Minecraft server.

2. Make sure you have these three folders:

1. world/: contains the Overworld

2. world_nether/: contains the Nether in a DIM-1 subfolder

3. world_the_end/: contains the End in a DIM1 subfolder

3. Merge dimensions into the world folder

For the Nether:

1. Open the world_nether/ folder

2. Copy the DIM-1 folder inside it

3. Paste this DIM-1 folder directly into world/

For the End:

1. Open the world_the_end/ folder

2. Copy the DIM1 folder inside it

3. Paste this DIM1 folder directly into world/

4. Check the final world structure

At the end of the process, your world/ folder should look like this:

world/
├── DIM-1/          <-- Merged Nether
├── DIM1/           <-- Merged End
├── data/
├── datapacks/
├── entities/
├── playerdata/
├── poi/
├── region/
├── stats/
├── level.dat
└── level.dat_old

5. Remove folders you no longer need

Once the DIM-1 and DIM1 folders are copied into world/, you can delete the separate dimension folders:

1. world_nether/ (now empty or containing only leftover files)

2. world_the_end/ (same situation)

💡 Tip: Keep a copy of the original ZIP archive in case you ever need to roll back.

Check that the conversion worked

Once your Minecraft world is converted for Vanilla, you should test that everything works correctly: world loading, portals, and builds in each dimension. This prevents bad surprises later on your server.

1. Place the world folder into the saves directory of your local Minecraft installation

2. Launch the game and open the Singleplayer menu

3. Check that your world shows up in the list of available worlds

4. Test the portals:

5. Enter a Nether portal and confirm your original Nether is loaded

6. Use an End portal to verify your builds and the state of the End

7. Inspect your builds in each dimension to spot any missing or regenerated chunks

⚠️ Warning: If the world does not appear in Singleplayer, check that it is not still compressed (ZIP) and that the level.dat file is at the root of the world folder.

Common issues when recovering a Minecraft world

When you recover or convert a Minecraft world, a few recurring problems can appear. Here is how to identify and fix them quickly so you can get back to playing.

Dimensions look reset or brand-new

If the Nether or the End look fresh (without your builds), it usually means the DIM-1 or DIM1 folders are not in the right place.

Double-check that:

• The DIM-1 and DIM1 folders are directly inside world/

• You did not create an extra subfolder (for example world/world/DIM-1)

The world does not appear in singleplayer

If your world is missing from the Singleplayer list:

• Make sure the world folder is not still compressed as a .zip

• Check that the level.dat file is present at the root of the world folder

• Confirm that the world folder is directly inside .minecraft/saves/ and not nested in another folder

Missing or corrupted chunks

If some areas of the map look missing or replaced by new terrain:

• Check that all .mca files were copied correctly into the region, DIM-1 and DIM1 folders

• Make sure no transfer was interrupted during copy or compression

💬 Good to know: If you are unsure, start again from the original ZIP archive and redo the conversion step by step.

Conclusion

You now know how to recover only the world of your Minecraft server, compress it via the MineStrator panel, download it, and even convert a Spigot/Paper world to Vanilla. With these steps, your maps are safe and ready to be played again wherever you want.

If you run into any issues during the process, you can reach our team through the MineStrator support page or check our FAQ for quick answers. Do not have a server yet, or want to start a fresh project on a new world? Try a free 12-hour Minecraft server, no credit card required, and launch your next adventure in just a few minutes.