Your Minecraft server starts lagging the moment someone goes exploring? With Chunky, you can pre-generate your world and massively reduce those nasty lag spikes when players load new chunks.

Chunk generation is one of the heaviest tasks for any Minecraft server, especially when several players explore at the same time. By pre-generating your map with Chunky, you move that work to a controlled moment and keep gameplay smooth when it matters most.

In this guide, you will learn how to install Chunky on your Minecraft server, configure your world, center and radius, then manage the pre-generation safely. Follow the steps and your players will be able to explore without stuttering or rubberbanding.

Why use Chunky to pre-generate your Minecraft world

Whenever a player discovers a new area, the server has to generate chunks on the fly. This generation eats a lot of CPU and can cause slowdowns, brutal teleports (rubberband) or even timeouts if several players explore at once.

By using Chunky to pre-generate your Minecraft world, you ask the server to generate chunks in advance, at a controlled time (for example at night or when few players are online). As a result, exploration becomes much smoother and overall server load is more stable.

💬 Good to know: Pre-generation is especially useful on survival, factions or semi-RP servers where exploration is intense.

Download Chunky for your Minecraft server

Chunky is available in several formats depending on the type of Minecraft server you run. Always make sure you choose the version compatible with your server type (plugin or mod) and your Minecraft version.

• Spigot/Paper plugin (1.13+): Chunky page on SpigotMC

• Forge and NeoForge mod (1.16.5+): Chunky Pregenerator Forge on CurseForge

• Fabric mod (1.16+): Chunky Pregenerator Fabric on CurseForge

For pre-generation on Forge 1.7 to 1.18, it is recommended to use Chunk Pregenerator instead and follow a dedicated tutorial.

📝 Note: Always install the Chunky version that exactly matches your Minecraft server version to avoid startup errors.

Prepare Chunky pre-generation on your world

Once Chunky is installed on your Minecraft server, you can start configuring the pre-generation. All the following commands can be run in-game or from the console, as long as you have the required permissions.

You will go through three simple steps: choose the world, set the center of the area, then define the pre-generation radius. After that, you can start and monitor the process directly from your server.

Step 1: Select the world to pre-generate

First, you need to tell Chunky which world it should work on. Use the following command, replacing the placeholder with the exact name of your world:

/chunky world 

If you never changed your Minecraft server’s default configuration, the main world is usually called world. In that case, you can simply run:

/chunky world world

💡 Tip: You can pre-generate several worlds (Nether, End, farm world) by repeating the process for each world you want to optimize.

Step 2: Set the pre-generation center

Next, you need to define the center of the area to pre-generate. Chunky uses the X and Z coordinates only (height Y is ignored). Use this command:

/chunky center  

For example, if your spawn is at X = -100, Y = 80, Z = -250, you only enter the horizontal coordinates:

/chunky center -100 -250

📝 Note: Using your spawn or main base as the center is usually best, as it optimizes exploration around the area where most players live.

Step 3: Choose the pre-generation radius

The radius defines how far your Minecraft map will be pre-generated around the center you just set. This radius is expressed in blocks. Use the following command:

/chunky radius 

For example, to pre-generate a circle of 3,000 blocks around the chosen center, run:

/chunky radius 3000

⚠️ Warning: A radius of 3,000 blocks represents roughly 9 million blocks to generate. The larger the radius, the more pre-generation time grows exponentially. Always adapt it to your server’s power.

Start pre-generating your world with Chunky

Once the world, center and radius are configured, you can start the pre-generation. Chunky will begin generating chunks inside the selected area in the background, while the server keeps running.

/chunky start

While Chunky is running, your server will be more loaded than usual. Ideally, start the pre-generation when very few players are connected to reduce the impact on their experience.

🚨 Important: Avoid restarting the server in the middle of a large pre-generation unless you really have to. Chunky can resume, but a clean stop is always safer.

Monitor and control Chunky pre-generation

Chunky provides several commands to pause, resume or cancel pre-generation on your Minecraft map. You can also track the progress in real time to see how many chunks are left and how long it should take.

Here are the main management commands you should know to keep full control of your server while Chunky is working.

Pause, resume or cancel Chunky

To control the current pre-generation state, use these commands:

• Pause pre-generation: /chunky pause

• Resume after a pause: /chunky continue

• Cancel pre-generation completely: /chunky cancel

To check pre-generation progress (percentage, remaining chunks, estimated time), use:

/chunky progress

💡 Tip: If you notice players starting to lag, pause Chunky, let them play smoothly, then resume pre-generation during off-peak hours.

Advanced Chunky options and useful commands

Chunky also offers extra options to manage messages, reload its configuration or trim chunks outside your pre-generated area. These commands are handy to keep your console readable and your world clean.

Use them carefully, especially the ones that modify or delete chunks that are already generated on your Minecraft server.

Reduce messages and reload Chunky configuration

If Chunky progress messages are spamming your chat or console, you can reduce or hide them:

• Reduce message frequency: /chunky quiet

• Hide messages completely: /chunky silent

To reload Chunky’s configuration without restarting the whole server, you can use:

/chunky reload

⚠️ Warning: Hot reloading can sometimes cause unexpected behavior. When possible, prefer a full server restart after big config changes.

Trim chunks outside the selected area

Chunky can also delete chunks that are outside your pre-generation area. This is useful to reduce world size or reset exploration beyond a certain limit:

/chunky trim

This command removes all chunks generated outside the current selection. Only use it if you know exactly what you are doing and after informing your players.

🚨 Important: A badly configured /chunky trim can delete player builds located outside the selected area. Always make a backup first.

Frequently asked questions about Chunky and pre-generation

How long does Chunky pre-generation take?

The duration depends on your Minecraft server performance and the radius you choose. A small radius of a few hundred blocks can finish in minutes, while several thousand blocks may take many hours. Use /chunky progress to get a real-time estimate for your current pre-generation task.

Can players stay online while Chunky is running?

Yes, but CPU load will be higher. On a properly sized server, this remains playable, especially with a reasonable radius. For maximum comfort, start large pre-generations when few players are online, for example during the night or off-peak hours.

Does Chunky work on every server type?

Chunky is available as a plugin for Spigot/Paper and as a mod for Forge, NeoForge and Fabric. Always check compatibility with your server version and platform (plugin or mod). For very old versions, you may have to use other tools such as Chunk Pregenerator.

Does pre-generation really improve performance?

Yes, especially on servers where exploration is frequent. By generating chunks in advance, you avoid huge load spikes when players discover new areas. Your Minecraft server stays more stable and players feel less lag while moving around the world.

Conclusion

You now know how to use Chunky to pre-generate your Minecraft world and boost your server performance. By correctly setting the world, center and radius, then managing pre-generation with the right commands, you offer your players a much smoother exploration experience.

If you need more power for heavy pre-generation or big communities, our MyBox Pro offers are designed to handle demanding Minecraft servers without breaking a sweat. And if you have any questions about hosting, you can always browse our other blog articles or contact our support team.