Backups are incredibly important for any well-maintained server. They serve as a fallback in case anything goes wrong, whether it be due to an unsuccessful mod update/installation, configuration changes that could impact player data, mod issues causing irrecoverable world corruption, and more. Without backups, you wouldn’t have anything to fall back to, and would be stuck with a broken server!
Currently, we do not create automatic backups for servers, any available backup will be listed in the Backups tab. It’s worth getting into the habit of creating a manual backup before making any major changes to the server. In the near future, you’ll be able to set up automatic scheduled backups through our panel!
Creating a new backup
Before backing up your server, you’ll first need to make sure that the server is not running. If the server is currently running, use the “Stop” button to send the shut down signal, and wait until it’s replaced by the “Play” button or the green dot on the console disappears.
Once the server has been fully stopped, you’re now able to backup the server:
Navigate to the Backups tab. You’re able to create new backups and restore existing ones from here!
Click the “Create backup” button, use a memorable name (or the default pre-filled name), and wait until the process is finished. Don’t start the server during this process!
This process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. However, it depends on the size of your server and the amount of data that has changed since the previous backup.
If the button is grayed out or the process doesn’t start, your server likely hasn’t been fully stopped. You can either wait until the server stops, or use the three dots -> “Kill” button to immediately terminate it.
Once the backup has been fully created, the progress bar will disappear and the “Restore” button will become available. The server may now be started if you’re not following any article that instructs otherwise.
If you’d like to download the newly-created backup to your computer, continue following this guide. Otherwise, your backups are safe with us! They’re stored separately from your server’s files and will persist through server erasures and mod pack swaps.
Downloading backups
Backups can be downloaded to your computer to save the files locally, make modifications to the files, convert the server’s world to work on singleplayer, and more. On an existing backup, you can use the three dots next to the “Restore” button -> “Download” button. Depending on the age of the backup, the following process may vary:
Backups created after October 14th, 2025 use our new backup system where the ZIP file is streamed to your browser as it’s being created. You’ll see the download start much sooner, however its speed may fluctuate.
Backups created before then will use an older version of the backup system where the complete ZIP file must be created before being downloaded by your browser. This may take anywhere between a few minutes to an hour depending on how large the backup is.
⚠️ Some browsers may encounter issues downloading backups. If you’re using a Chromium-based browser (such as Google Chrome, Opera, or Brave), try using Firefox and vice-versa. Contact support if you’re still experiencing issues downloading backups!
Restoring backups
To roll back the server to an earlier backup, use the “Restore” button. This will essentially erase your server’s files and replace them with the exact files from the restored backup. As such, make sure you’ve created a newer backup or saved any important files before restoring a backup!
This may take anywhere between a few minutes to an hour depending on how large the backup is. Don’t start the server before this process is finished! The progress bar will disappear and the “Restore” button will become available again once the backup has been fully restored.
⚠️ Currently, there may be an issue when restoring backups where the server software will not be properly rolled back. If you encounter any issues when starting the server, navigate to the Options -> Platform tab and click the “Reinstall” button.
Downloading the server’s world
Since backups contain all of the files that make up your server, they can also be used to download the server’s world to your computer! Using the backup system is often faster than using an SFTP client to download the server’s world, as the SFTP protocol is very inefficient when it comes to many small, individual files.
First, follow the steps outlined in the Creating a new backup and Downloading backups sections above, resulting in a .zip file downloaded to your computer. This file can be opened using archive management software, which is typically built into the operating system your computer is running. This archive includes all of the data that make up your server’s files; a replica of the server panel’s Files tab.
Since the server’s files contain sensitive information about players, it’s highly recommended to extract the server’s world from the backup if you’re planning to share it with others. You can find the world’s name from the Options -> Properties tab, and search for the “Level Name” value. Most servers use the default world name of world.
On most systems, you can extract specific files from an archive by first opening the archive, then dragging and dropping to anywhere outside of the archive. In this example, we’ll extract the world to the desktop:
This extracted world directory can then be re-compressed, typically through your computer operating system’s right-click menu, and sent to others!
ℹ️ In order to play on this world in single player, copy this world directory to a Minecraft instance’s saves directory. When using the Modrinth App, it can be found by clicking on the three dots near an instance’s “Play” button -> “Open folder” button -> saves directory. Make sure that the instance is using the same mods that were installed on the server!