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Files & Backups

Move your server from another host

Download your world, configs, mods and player data from your old host, upload them with the File Manager or SFTP, then check everything works.

Updated 6 min read
Table of contents

Switching hosts means copying your server's files: the world, configs, plugins or mods, and player data. Download them from your old host, then upload them here with the File Manager, or over SFTP for anything over 100 MB.

Before you start

  1. Stop the server on your old host, so the world is fully saved.
  2. Stop your server here from the Console, so it can't save over the files as they arrive.
  3. Note the version the old server runs and, on Minecraft, its software (such as Paper or Fabric).
  4. Take a backup here in Backups. Uploaded files replace same-named files, and the backup undoes that: How to create and restore backups.
Important

Keep your old plan until your players have moved and you've checked the world. Cancel it last.

What to bring

BringOn Minecraft
The worldworld, plus world_nether and world_the_end if your old server has them
Configsserver.properties, config, the .yml files
Plugins or modsplugins, mods (datapacks travel inside world)
Player listswhitelist.json, ops.json, banned-players.json

Player inventories travel inside world. Leave logs, the server .jar and start scripts such as start.sh behind, because your server here has its own. On other games, bring saves, configs and mods, not the game's own files.

Match the version first

On Minecraft, set the same software and version in the JAR Manager tab (under More) before you copy: Change Minecraft server version or loader. On Rust or Valheim, install the same mod framework first with How to install Oxide/uMod plugins on your Rust server or How to install BepInEx and mods on your Valheim server.

Caution

Don't load a Minecraft world on an older version than it last ran on. That can corrupt the save for good.

Download your files from the old host

Many hosts let you download a folder or a zip from their file manager. For a big server, connect to the old host with an SFTP app such as FileZilla instead, and drag the folders to your computer: Connect over SFTP with FileZilla or WinSCP shows how, using the old host's details in place of ours.

Where your old host shows its SFTP details

Checked October 2026. If a label has moved, look for a page called SFTP or FTP.

HostWhere the details are
ShockbyteFiles tab, then SFTP Connect
Apex HostingThe FTP File Access login page. Apex gives an FTP login, so pick FTP in your app.
BisectHostingFiles tab, then SFTP. The SFTP Details window shows the host and port together, so split them.
PebbleHostFile Manager, then SFTP Details. Server Address includes sftp:// and the port, so split them.
NodecraftOverview page, then Enable FTP. Nodecraft gives an FTP login, so pick FTP in your app.

Each host's name links to its own guide, with every download step from its panel.

Upload them here

Up to 100 MB: the File Manager

  1. Zip the files on your computer, or keep the old host's .zip or .tar.gz as it is.

  2. Open your server from the dashboard, go to File Manager and select Upload, then pick the archive. Browser uploads take files up to 100 MB. How to manage your server files covers the rest.

  3. Select the archive and choose Extract here. It opens .zip and .tar files, including .tar.gz, but not .rar or .7z.

  4. Delete the archive once its files are in place, so it doesn't use your storage.

Over 100 MB: SFTP

Open the File Manager, press SFTP at the right of its toolbar and copy the Host, Port, Username and Password from the SFTP details panel, or press Open in SFTP app. Its Step-by-step guide button walks through FileZilla and WinSCP with each value ready to copy. Connect and drag your folders across: Connect over SFTP with FileZilla or WinSCP.

If your files sit inside a folder

If the archive unpacks into a folder, such as myserver, your server won't find the files in it. Open that folder in the File Manager and move each item up, one at a time:

  1. Select the item and choose Move to….
  2. Enter / as the Destination folder and press Move.

A move onto a name the top level already has, such as the new server's world, is refused with Couldn't move this. Delete or rename the top-level one first, once your backup is done. Moving a folder called world also asks you to type its name to confirm.

Only bringing a Minecraft world?

Zip the world folder, with its level.dat, and use the World Import tab: Upload your singleplayer Minecraft world. Coming from Aternos or Minehut? Download your Minecraft world from Aternos and Download your Minecraft world from Minehut cover their download steps.

Check it works

  1. Start the server. On Minecraft, Done (…s)! in the Console means it's up.
  2. Join and check your builds, inventories and plugin or mod data.
  3. Share the new address from Server address in the left rail. On Minecraft, Join your Minecraft server (and fix errors) covers joining.
  4. Cancel the old plan once everyone is in.

If something's missing

Contacting support? Quote the exact message you see and name your old host.

  • "… is over the 100 MB limit" - upload that file over SFTP instead, or zip the folders in smaller parts.
  • No Extract here on the file - it's a .rar or .7z. Unpack it on your computer and upload a .zip instead.
  • Your storage fills up - leave out old backups, logs and map renders. Server out of disk space? Free it up shows what's using it.
  • A new world loads instead of yours - the files are still in a subfolder, or World folder in the Config Editor doesn't match your world's folder name.
  • Plugins or mods don't load - match the version and loader in the JAR Manager.

Frequently asked questions

Does moving change my old server?

No. Downloading only reads its files. Your old server stays as it is until you cancel it.

Will the old server.properties change my port?

No. The panel resets server-ip and server-port each time the server starts.

Can I bring my own JVM flags or start script?

You don't need to. The panel sizes Java's memory from your plan's RAM and applies tuned startup flags, and the File Manager hides start.sh.

Can I bring a MySQL database across?

No. Plans don't include MySQL databases, so the panel has no Databases tab. Before you move, check whether the plugin that uses one can store its data in files instead.

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