---
title: How to Manage Your Minecraft Worlds
description: Create, upload, switch and back up every world on your Minecraft server from one place. This guide walks through the Nodecraft Worlds Manager, from uploading a singleplayer save to editing player inventories and flying around your world in 3D.
source: "https://nodecraft.com/support/games/minecraft/general/how-to-manage-your-minecraft-worlds"
image: "https://dynamic-assets.nodecraft.com/signedurl/w7vokBAexMnVlnMZ1Q/image.jpg?modifications=W3sibmFtZSI6ImdhbWVfYmciLCJpbWFnZV91cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2Ntcy1hLm5vZGVjcmFmdC5jb20vZi8xMzM5MzIvMjAwMHg1NTAvZGNiMGFkNjkzOC9jYXZlcy1hbmQtY2xpZmZzLXB0LTItMS0yLTAucG5nL20vIn0seyJuYW1lIjoiZ2FtZV9sb2dvIiwiaW1hZ2VfdXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9jbXMtYS5ub2RlY3JhZnQuY29tL2YvMTMzOTMyLzM3NXgxNTAvM2MxZGIyYmFiNS9taW5lY3JhZnQucG5nL20vIn0seyJuYW1lIjoiY3RhX3RleHQiLCJ0ZXh0IjoiQ3JlYXRlIHlvdXIgb3duIHNlcnZlciEifSx7Im5hbWUiOiJ0ZXh0IiwidGV4dCI6IkhvdyB0byBNYW5hZ2UgWW91ciBNaW5lY3JhZnQgV29ybGRzIn1d&s=cf82293ebcfdb0496a57da51f1e0faba082749994d4dfdeb1e8820c3bf6681f0"
published: "2026-09-30T20:39:09.982Z"
updated: "2026-09-30T20:39:09.982Z"
---

# How to Manage Your Minecraft Worlds

Create, upload, switch and back up every world on your Minecraft server from one place. This guide walks through the Nodecraft Worlds Manager, from uploading a singleplayer save to editing player inventories and flying around your world in 3D.

Your Minecraft server can hold as many worlds as you like, and the Worlds Manager in your Nodecraft control panel lets you look after all of them from one place. You can create new worlds, upload ones from your computer, switch which world the server plays on, and make copies before trying something risky. Each world also has its own page with player data, data packs, a 3D map and a direct editor for the world's saved data.

This guide walks through each part of the Worlds Manager and how to use it.

## Opening the Worlds Manager

1. Open your [Nodecraft Dashboard](https://app.nodecraft.com/dashboard) and find your Minecraft server under Currently Playing.

2. Click the `Manage` button on your server to open its panel.

![A Minecraft: Java Edition server card on the Nodecraft Dashboard, with the Manage button outlined in red.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1390x586/c15fa99487/minecraft-worlds-stills-01-dashboard-manage-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)

3. From your panel, click on `Game Settings` -> `Manage Worlds` in the sidebar

![The server panel sidebar with Game Settings expanded and Manage Worlds outlined in red.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/640x554/603a7a9fe0/minecraft-worlds-stills-02-sidebar-manage-worlds-2x.png/m/)

## Your Worlds List

Every world on your server shows as a card. The world your server is currently playing on is marked Active World and always sits first, with the rest sorted by when they were last played.

Each card shows the dimensions the world has, such as the Overworld, The Nether, The End, or any extra dimensions added by mods. Worlds with lots of modded dimensions show the first few, followed by how many more there are. The card also shows the world's Minecraft version, game mode and difficulty, when it was last played and how much space it takes up.

![The Manage Worlds page showing a Create New World card and six world cards. The active world is marked Active World, and two modded worlds list extra dimensions such as ae2:spatial_storage.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/2178x1222/ca2eae0485/minecraft-worlds-stills-03-worlds-list-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)

If your server has never been started, you won't have any worlds yet. You can start the server once to generate the default world, or create one straight from this page.

## Switching the Active World

Generally, your server can only play on one world at a time. To change which world that is:

1. Find the world you want to play on and click Set Active.

2. If the server is running, you'll be asked to stop it. Click Stop Server to continue.

3. The control panel points your server at the new world and starts it back up if it was online before.

![A world card with its Set Active and Manage buttons showing, and Set Active outlined in red.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/996x450/e8a8cfc7e9/minecraft-worlds-stills-04-set-active-2x.png/m/)Note: If the world was last played on an older version of Minecraft, you'll see an Older world warning. Your server will upgrade the world to its own version as soon as it loads, and Minecraft can't take a world back to an older version afterwards. Leave "Back up first" turned on and Nodecraft will save a copy of the world to your server's main folder before anything changes.

![The "Make James Oceanblock the active world?" confirmation, warning that the world was last played on Minecraft 1.21.1, with the Back up first toggle turned on.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1026x636/424c5a2e07/minecraft-worlds-stills-05-activate-older-world-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)To see everything about a single world, click `Manage` on its card. This opens the world's own page, covered further below..

## Creating a New World

1. From the `Manage Worlds` page, click the `Create New World` card.

2. Choose `Generate a new world`.

3. Give your world a Name. This becomes the world's folder on the server, so stick to letters, numbers, dots, underscores and hyphens.

4. Fill in the options you want (see below), then click `Generate world`.

![The Add a world window with two options: Generate a new world and Upload a world.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1282x604/9c8f267bd5/minecraft-worlds-stills-06-create-chooser-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)![The Create a world form filled in with the name survival-2 and the seed nodecraft, the level type set to Normal, Generate structures on and Hardcore off.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1282x1468/7e0628f437/minecraft-worlds-stills-07-create-form-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)Your server will stop, apply your settings and start back up to generate the world. This can take a few minutes for large or amplified worlds. Once it's done, the new world is set as your active world.

### World Options

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| Seed | Optional. Enter a number or any text you like. Leave it blank for a random seed. |
| Level type | Normal, Large biomes, Amplified, Superflat or Single biome. You can also type in a generator from a mod or data pack, such as `terralith:overworld`. |
| Generate structures | Turn off to skip villages, strongholds, temples and other structures. On by default. |
| Hardcore | Players are banned when they die, and the difficulty is locked to hard. |

Note: If you use a custom generator from a mod or data pack, it must already be installed on your server, otherwise the server won't start.

Game mode and difficulty aren't part of this form. You can change those at any time from `Game Settings` > `Minecraft Server Settings`.

## Uploading a World

You can upload a singleplayer world from your computer, a world from another server, or a world you downloaded from this page. Your server can keep running while the upload happens.

1. Find your world folder and compress it into a ZIP file. For a singleplayer world, this is inside your `.minecraft/saves` folder. Our [Uploading an Existing World](/support/games/minecraft/setup/uploading-an-existing-world-to-your-minecraft-server) guide shows where to find it.
2. From the Manage Worlds page, click the `Create New World` card and choose `Upload a world`.
3. Optionally, enter a `World name`. Leave it blank to keep the name from your upload.
4. Drag and drop your file onto the upload box, or click it to choose a file.
5. Your world is uploaded, unpacked and checked, then moved into place.
6. Once you see that your world is on the server, click `Set active` to start playing on it.

![The Upload a world window with a file held over the upload box, which reads Drop to upload and lists the accepted formats up to 5 GB.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1282x1236/6c78f13455/minecraft-worlds-stills-08-upload-dropzone-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)![Upload progress with four steps: Upload complete, Unpack in progress at 64%, then Check and Install still to come.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1282x852/245fbbe776/minecraft-worlds-stills-09-upload-progress-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)You don't need to worry about how the archive is laid out. The control panel looks inside for the world, so a zip of just the world folder, a whole `saves` folder with one world in it, or a backup of an entire server all work. If your upload contains more than one world, you'll be asked to upload them one at a time.

The Nether and The End are picked up too. If they came as separate folders from another server, Nodecraft will arrange them the way your server expects.

**Note: Uploads can be up to 5 GB.** ZIP, TAR (including `.tar.gz`, `.tar.xz` and `.tar.zst`), 7z and RAR files are all accepted. For larger worlds, see our [guide on using SFTP](/support/knowledgebase/nodepanel/basic-ftp-tutorial).

**Note: If your world was saved by a newer version of Minecraft than your server runs, the server won't be able to load it. You'll see a warning after the upload. Update your server to a matching version before setting it active.**

## Downloading a World

1. Click `Manage` on the world you want to download.
2. Click `Download`.
3. Click `Compress and download` to confirm.

![The download confirmation showing the world is 586.9 MB, noting the archive is saved to the server root as a .tar.zst file, with a Compress and download button.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1026x680/68d5fc266c/minecraft-worlds-stills-11-download-confirm-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)Your server will stop so the world is saved in one consistent piece, then Nodecraft compresses it and your download starts. The server stays stopped afterwards, so remember to start it again when you're ready.

The compressed file is also saved to your server's main folder as a `.tar.zst` file. It stays there until you delete it from the File Manager, so keep an eye on your storage if you download often.

You can also download a single dimension, such as only The Nether, from the Dimensions tab of a world.

Note: Worlds larger than 10 GB can't be downloaded through the panel. Use FTP to download these instead.

## Duplicating a World

Making a copy of your world is a great idea before trying out new mods, big builds or a version update.

1. Click `Manage` on the world you want to copy.
2. Click `Duplicate`.
3. Enter a `Name for the copy` and confirm.

![The Duplicate window with oceanblock-before-update entered as the name for the copy.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1026x616/0e85793397/minecraft-worlds-stills-12-duplicate-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)Your server will stop first so the copy is complete. The copy includes every dimension, player file and data pack from the original.

From the same page you can also `Rename` a world. If it's your active world, Nodecraft will point the server at the new name for you.

## Deleting a World

> **Deleting a world is permanent and can't be undone. We recommend downloading the world or creating a backup from the Backups section first.**

1. Click `Manage` on the world you want to delete.
2. Click `Delete`.
3. Check the list of folders that will be removed, then confirm.

![The delete confirmation naming the world folder that will be permanently removed, with a Delete World button.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1026x460/96d3c83496/minecraft-worlds-stills-13-delete-confirm-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)This removes the world along with every dimension, player file and data pack inside it. Your server will stop first.

You can't delete the world your server is currently playing on. If the `Delete` button is greyed out, set another world active first, then come back and delete it.

### Resetting The Nether or The End

If you only want to start over in one dimension, you don't need to delete the whole world. From a world's page, open the `Dimensions` tab and click `Reset` next to The Nether, The End or a modded dimension. Your server will generate a fresh copy from the same seed the next time it starts.

Leave `Back up` first turned on to save a copy of the old dimension to your server's main folder before it's removed. Your Overworld portals stay where they are, and their Nether side is rebuilt when players next travel through.

![The Dimensions tab listing the Overworld, The Nether and The End with their explored chunks and size, and the Reset button next to The Nether outlined in red.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1984x552/13aed2f60c/minecraft-worlds-stills-14-dimensions-reset-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)

The Overworld can't be reset this way. To start fresh, create a new world and set it active.

## Supported Servers and Worlds

The Worlds Manager works with Vanilla, Spigot, Paper and most modded servers across all versions of Minecraft: Java Edition. It reads what's actually on your server's disk, so it works the same way whether you've just installed a fresh server or you're bringing over a world that has been through years of updates.

- Vanilla and modded servers keep The Nether and The End inside the world folder.
- Spigot and Paper servers keep them in separate folders next to the world, such as `world_nether` and `world_the_end`. These are shown together as one world, so downloading, copying or deleting a world always includes all of its dimensions.
- Newer versions of Minecraft store dimensions in a new folder layout. This is handled for you, and nothing changes in how you use the Worlds Manager.
- Modded dimensions, such as the Twilight Forest or the Aether, show up alongside the vanilla ones by their dimension name.
- Plugin worlds on newer Paper servers, such as ones made with Multiverse, show as extra dimensions of the main world.

![The Dimensions tab of a modded world listing the Overworld, The Nether and The End followed by modded dimensions such as compactmachines:compact_world and dimdungeons:dungeon_dimension.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1920x808/a486fe5381/minecraft-worlds-stills-15-dimensions-modded-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)If you've recently updated a Paper server and moved to the new layout, you may see a notice about an old folder left behind. Click Remove old folder to clean it up. Nodecraft will save a backup of the folder to your server's main folder before removing it, just in case.

## Your World's Page

Clicking `Manage` on any world opens its own page. Along the top you'll find the world's version, game mode, difficulty and size, plus buttons to Set Active, Download, Duplicate, Rename and Delete. Below that are six tabs:

| Tab | What you'll find |
| --- | --- |
| Overview | The seed (with a copy button), game mode, difficulty, spawn point, time played and more. |
| Dimensions | Each dimension with how much has been explored and its size, plus View, Download and Reset buttons. |
| Map | A 3D view of your world. |
| Players | Everyone who has joined the world, with an editor for their data. |
| Data packs | The data packs in the world, with a switch to turn each one on or off. |
| Advanced | The world's folders on your server, and the world data editor. |

![A world page showing its name, version, game mode, difficulty, dimension count and size, the six tabs, and the Overview tab with the seed, spawn, last played and time played.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1984x954/1def24ef7b/minecraft-worlds-stills-16-world-overview-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)

## Editing World Data

Every Minecraft world has a `level.dat` file. It holds everything the game remembers about your world that isn't terrain, such as game rules, the spawn point, the weather, the time of day and the world border. Minecraft saves this in a format called NBT, which you normally can't open without special tools.

The Worlds Manager has an NBT editor built right in.

> **Editing NBT data directly is an advanced feature, and the wrong change can corrupt your world. Take a backup before making changes.**

1. Click `Manage` on your world.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Find World data (level.dat) and expand the values you want to change.
4. Edit the values, then save your changes.

![The level.dat editor on the Advanced tab with GameRules expanded, showing rules such as doFireTick and doMobSpawning.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1984x1530/2ab3183b4b/minecraft-worlds-stills-17-level-dat-editor-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)Stop your server before saving. While it's running, your server rewrites this file every time it saves, so your changes could be lost.

## Viewing and Editing Player Data

Everyone who has joined a world has a data file holding their inventory, position, health and stats. The Players tab lists them all, with their skin, username and UUID, and when their data was last saved.

1. Click `Manage` on your world.
2. Click the `Players` tab.
3. Use the search box to find a player by name or UUID.
4. Click `Edit data` next to the player.

![The Players tab listing a player with their skin, username and UUID, when their data was last saved, and an Edit data button.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1984x414/0703c0e26f/minecraft-worlds-stills-18-players-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)The player editor shows their inventory the way it looks in game, including their armor, offhand and Ender Chest, along with their health, XP level, position and the dimension they're in. The hotbar slot they were holding is highlighted. Below that is the full Raw NBT editor if you need to change something the inventory view doesn't cover.

![The player editor showing health, food, XP level, game mode, dimension and position, the armor slots, the inventory with the held hotbar slot highlighted, and the Ender Chest.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1984x2064/febbfd7455/minecraft-worlds-stills-19-player-editor-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)This is handy for things like returning items a player lost to a bug, moving a player who is stuck somewhere, or checking what someone was carrying. Stop your server before saving player data. Players who are online will overwrite their file the next time the server saves.

If a player shows as Unknown name, your server hasn't seen them recently enough to remember their username. Their data can still be edited by UUID.

## Managing Data Packs

Data packs add recipes, loot tables, advancements, new world generation and more without needing mods. Each world keeps its own data packs, and the `Data packs` tab shows every pack in that world with its description and whether it's turned on.

1. Click `Manage` on your world.
2. Click the `Data packs` tab.
3. Use the `On` switch next to a pack to turn it on or off.

![The Data packs tab listing the built-in vanilla pack as Enabled, with its On switch.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1984x494/0d569e4605/minecraft-worlds-stills-20-data-packs-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)When your changes apply depends on the world:

- **Active world with the server running:** Changes apply straight away, with no restart needed.
- **Server stopped:** Changes are saved to the world and apply the next time the server starts with it.
- **Another world while the server is running:** Stop the server, or set the world active first.

The packs built into Minecraft itself are listed too, but can't be turned off here.

### Adding a Data Pack

To add a new data pack, upload it to the world's `datapacks` folder using the **File Manager**. The `Advanced` tab has a quick link to the world's folders. Packs can be either a ZIP file or a folder. A new pack is turned on automatically the next time your server starts with that world.

## Exploring Your World in 3D

The `Map` tab lets you fly around your world right in your browser, without launching the game. It's a great way to show off your builds, check on a far away base, or see where your players have been.

[Video: Opening the Map tab on a world page and orbiting the 3D view over a modded base on the edge of an ocean](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/x/981dcaa0a3/minecraft-worlds-framed-shot-map-web-1080p30.webm)

1. Click `Manage` on your world.
2. Click the `Map` tab, or click `View` next to a dimension on the `Dimensions` tab.
3. If your world has more than one dimension, choose which one to look at.
4. Click on the view to take control.

![The 3D map viewing a modded base on the edge of an ocean, with the block coordinates in the top left and the minimap in the top right.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1920x1242/725a094e1d/minecraft-worlds-stills-21-map-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)

| Control | Action |
| --- | --- |
| W, A, S, D | Move |
| Mouse | Look around |
| Ctrl | Sprint |
| Space | Fly up |
| Shift | Fly down |

The map starts near the player who was most recently online in that dimension, or at the world spawn. The minimap shows where each player is, and you can use the `Jump to` buttons to fly straight to any of them. Terrain loads in as you fly, and anything you've already visited loads near-instantly next time.

![The 3D map with the Jump to player buttons below it outlined in red.](https://cms-a.nodecraft.com/f/133932/1984x1358/f35c4378bb/minecraft-worlds-stills-22-map-jump-to-2x.png/m/1000x0/smart)The map is view only, so nothing you do here changes your world. It's safe to use while your server is running, though it shows your world as it was last saved.

Note: The map works with worlds from Minecraft 1.13 and newer. Parts of a world that haven't been visited since an older version won't show until players load them in game again.

## Additional Considerations and Troubleshooting

- **Why does my server keep stopping?** Copying, downloading, deleting or switching worlds while the server is running could leave you with a broken or half saved world. Nodecraft always asks before stopping your server. Downloads and dimension resets leave it stopped afterwards, so start it again once you're done.
- **My upload says no world was found.** Make sure your ZIP contains the world folder itself, the one holding `level.dat`. Bedrock Edition worlds (`.mcworld` files) can't be used on a Java Edition server.
- **My upload says it holds more than one world.** Zip up and upload each world on its own.
- **The server won't start after switching worlds.** Check that your server runs the same or a newer version of Minecraft than the world was last played on. If the world uses a custom generator or modded dimensions, those mods need to be installed too.
- **The map shows missing terrain.** Areas that haven't been loaded since before Minecraft 1.13 can't be drawn. Visiting them in game will update them.
- **Leftover download files.** Each download also saves a compressed copy in your server's main folder. Delete these from the File Manager when you no longer need them to free up space.
- **Multi-world plugins.** If you use a plugin like Multiverse, check the plugin's own settings after deleting or renaming a world.