How to Install Datapacks on a Minecraft Server

Q: Where do I put datapacks on a Minecraft server?

In the datapacks folder inside the world folder, which is world/datapacks unless you changed level-name in server.properties.

Q: How do I see which datapacks are installed?

Run /datapack list as an operator, or /datapack list enabled to see only the active ones.

To install datapacks Minecraft server-side, upload the datapack .zip into the datapacks folder inside your world folder (world/datapacks by default), then run /reload or restart the server, and check it with /datapack list enabled. Packs that change world generation also need a restart, and they only shape chunks that have not been generated yet.

Datapacks run on a plain vanilla server and on Paper, Purpur, Fabric or Forge, with no mod loader required on the players’ side. That is why they are the easiest way to add new recipes, crafting tweaks, custom advancements or new terrain. Here is the full process and the mistakes that make a pack silently not load.

Where datapacks go on a server

Each world has its own datapacks folder, inside the folder named by level-name in server.properties. With the default name, that is:

Code

server-root/
├── server.properties
└── world/
    ├── level.dat
    └── datapacks/
        └── my-pack.zip      <-- here

On Paper, Purpur and Spigot, put the pack in the main world folder (world/datapacks), not in the Nether or End folders. One copy applies to all dimensions.
On 26.1 and newer, Mojang moved the dimension data inside the world folder into dimensions/, but data packs still go in datapacks/ at the root of the world folder.
Zip or folder: both work, as long as pack.mcmeta is at the top level. The Minecraft Wiki explains the structure.

How to install datapacks on a Minecraft server step by step

Download the pack for your exact version. Datapacks are tied to a pack format, and a pack made for an older version may fail on yours.
Check the zip. Open it: you should see pack.mcmeta and a data folder right away. If you see another folder first, the pack is double-zipped; use the inner folder or zip its contents.
Make a backup, especially for packs that touch world generation. See how to back up a Minecraft server world.
Upload it to world/datapacks.
Load it with /reload, or restart the server. Restart if the pack changes world generation.
Confirm with /datapack list enabled. Your pack shows as file/my-pack.zip.

If the pack appears under /datapack list available but not under enabled, turn it on by name. The quotes are needed because of the slash:

Code

/datapack list
/datapack list enabled
/datapack enable "file/my-pack.zip"
/datapack disable "file/my-pack.zip"
/reload

All of these need permission level 2, so you must be an operator; see how to OP yourself on a Minecraft server. In the server console you type them without the slash.

/reload, restart or a new world?

The pack adds or changes	What you need
Recipes, loot tables, advancements, functions, tags, predicates, item modifiers, structure templates	`/reload` is enough
World generation (`worldgen`), dimensions, dimension types	A server restart
New terrain, biomes or structures across the map	A restart, and only new chunks change; for the full effect, a new world
Experimental features (feature flags)	Only when the world is created

According to the wiki, /reload reloads the current data packs, but definitions the game treats as experimental, like dimension, dimension_type and worldgen, are not reloaded; on a server you need to reboot it. And like a new seed, a terrain pack cannot rewrite chunks that already exist. Players will only see the new terrain in areas nobody has explored, with visible seams at the border. If you want the whole map generated with the pack, install it and then reset the Minecraft server world, keeping the old one in a backup.

Datapack not working? Check this

It is not in the list at all. Wrong folder (it must be <level-name>/datapacks) or pack.mcmeta is not at the top of the zip.
It is listed but does nothing. Check that it is enabled, not only available, and read the console after /reload: errors in the pack are printed there, and if a pack has invalid data the game keeps the previous data.
Version mismatch. The pack was made for another Minecraft version. Get the release that matches your server.
New biomes do not appear. You are standing in old chunks. Travel to unexplored land or use a new world.
It needs a mod or plugin. Some packs are only half of a project. If the page says it needs Fabric or Forge, read how to install mods on a Minecraft server.

Install datapacks on TheGameHosting

Click Backups → Create backup, so you can undo a pack that breaks something.
Open Files → world → datapacks (create datapacks if it is missing) and upload the .zip. Large packs also go fine over sFTP.
Type reload in Console, or restart if the pack touches world generation.
Type datapack list enabled in Console to confirm it loaded.

If you change versions later with Version, check that every pack has a release for the new version before you start the server. A Minecraft server from TheGameHosting generates new terrain fast on AMD 9950X/7950X3D with DDR5 and NVMe, stays online 24/7 in Dallas or Amsterdam with DDoS protection, and keeps your world safe with one-click backups. See the plans and pricing and use code FULL2026 for 15% off for life.

FAQ

Where do I put datapacks on a Minecraft server?

In the datapacks folder inside the world folder, which is world/datapacks unless you changed level-name in server.properties.

Do I need to restart the server after adding a datapack?

Not always. Recipes, loot tables, advancements and functions load with /reload. Packs that change world generation or dimensions need a restart.

How do I see which datapacks are installed?

Run /datapack list as an operator, or /datapack list enabled to see only the active ones.

Do players need to install the datapack too?

No. Datapacks run on the server, so players join with a normal Minecraft client of the same version.

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Written by TheGameHosting Team, the people who run our servers in Dallas and Amsterdam and answer your tickets.

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