How to reset or generate a new world on a Minecraft server
Wipe your Minecraft Java server's world and generate a fresh one, keep the old world as a backup, and choose world type and seed.
Updated · 2 min read
To generate a new world, stop the server, remove (or rename away from) the current world folders, and start the server again. It creates a fresh world using the settings in server.properties.
Option 1: Keep the old world and switch
This is the safest way, because nothing is deleted.
- Stop the server.
- Edit
server.propertiesand changelevel-name:
level-name=world-season2
- Start the server. It generates a new world folder called
world-season2.
To go back, set level-name to the old name. Old worlds still take up disk space, so remove ones you no longer need. The free pool gives your team 10 GB of disk in total.
Option 2: Delete and regenerate
- Take a backup or snapshot first. See back up your Minecraft world.
- Stop the server.
- In the file manager, delete the world folders:
| Server type | Folders to delete |
|---|---|
| Paper, Sponge | world, world_nether, world_the_end |
| Vanilla, Forge | world (the Nether and End are inside it) |
If you changed level-name, the folders use that name instead of world.
- Start the server. A new world is generated.
Player inventories, advancements and stats are stored inside the world folder, so they reset too. Ops, the whitelist and bans are in the server root and are kept.
Choose the world settings first
These keys are only used when a world is created. Set them before step 4.
level-seed=
level-type=minecraft:normal
generate-structures=true
hardcore=false
level-type | World |
|---|---|
minecraft:normal | Default terrain |
minecraft:flat | Superflat |
minecraft:large_biomes | Biomes are much bigger |
minecraft:amplified | Extreme mountains (heavier on CPU) |
For a specific seed, see set a world seed. For hardcore, see hardcore mode.
Pre-generating the world
The first time players explore, the server has to generate every new chunk, which is the heaviest thing a Minecraft server does. On Paper, a plugin such as Chunky can pre-generate an area around spawn while nobody is online, so exploration is smoother later. Combine it with a world border so the world does not grow without limit and fill your disk.
worldborder set 10000
Reset only the Nether or End
On Paper, stop the server and delete only world_nether or world_the_end. On Vanilla and Forge, delete world/DIM-1 (Nether) or world/DIM1 (End). The dimension regenerates on the next start. See Nether and End folders on Paper vs Vanilla.