Minecraft world problems

This page covers problems with the world itself: it will not load, it changed, or something is missing. Always make a backup before you try a fix.

Failed to load level

Failed to load level

Why it happens: The server could not read the world folder. Common reasons: the folder name does not match level-name, level.dat is missing or damaged, the world was made by a newer Minecraft version, or the disk is full.

How to fix it:

1. Open Properties (or server.properties in Files) and check level-name.
2. Open Files and make sure a folder with exactly that name exists and contains level.dat.
3. Check disk space (see Disk full).
4. If you recently changed version, see “Downgrading a world” below.
5. If the world is damaged, restore a backup (see “Restore a world from a backup”).

World corrupted or will not load

Why it happens: Corruption usually happens when the server was killed mid-save, the disk filled up, or a mod or plugin broke the data.

How to fix it:

1. Stop the server.
2. Restore the last good backup (see below).
3. If you have no backup, open the Console log and look for the first error near the start. A file name in the error (for example a region/r.0.0.mca) tells you which part is damaged.
4. A single damaged region file can be renamed or deleted in Files. The server regenerates that area, and you lose only what was built there. Rename it first instead of deleting, so you can undo.
5. Open a ticket if it is a whole world you cannot lose. We can help check what is left.

Missing chunks, holes or void where land should be

Why it happens: The chunk data was damaged or deleted, a region file was removed, or a world border or trim removed it.

How to fix it:

1. Restore a backup if you have one from before it happened.
2. Check that region files still exist in the world folder in Files.
3. If terrain is simply “not there yet”, it may generate as you walk, especially after a version change. This is normal.
4. If chunks are void after upgrading to a new version, see “Downgrading a world”.

The world was reset by accident

Why it happens: A new world folder gets created when level-name points to a folder that does not exist, when the world folder was deleted, or when Reinstall Server was used.

How to fix it:

1. Do not keep playing. New progress can overwrite what remains.
2. Open Files and look for the old world folder. If it is still there, set level-name in Properties back to its name.
3. If it is gone, restore a backup.
4. Reinstall Server in Settings > Danger Zone can remove or overwrite game data. Do not use it unless you mean to. See Settings.

Restore a world from a backup

Why it happens: You want to go back to an earlier copy of your world.

How to fix it:

1. Open Backups in the panel.
2. Pick the backup you want. Use the download option first if you want a safe copy of the current state.
3. Choose Restore. Restoring stops the server and can overwrite your current files.
4. Start the server and check the world.
5. If the restore did not bring back what you expected, the backup may be older than you thought. Check its date and try another.

Upload a singleplayer world

Why it happens: Singleplayer saves need to be put in the right folder with the right name before the server will use them.

How to fix it:

1. Find your save on your computer. In the Minecraft launcher, the saves folder holds one folder per world. Inside must be a level.dat file.
2. Stop the server.
3. Zip the world folder (the folder that directly contains level.dat).
4. In Files, either delete or rename the current world folder so it does not collide.
5. Upload your zip (default upload limit is 100 MB, larger worlds should use SFTP). See Files and Files and SFTP problems.
6. Use Unarchive on the zip and make sure the folder ends up with the name you want.
7. In Properties, set level-name to that folder’s exact name.
8. Start the server.

The upload must have level.dat right inside the folder. A common mistake is a zip that contains a folder inside a folder.

Nether and End folders (old Paper versus newer versions)

Why it happens: Different server software stores dimensions differently. Older Paper and Spigot used separate folders for the Nether and End, for example world_nether and world_the_end. Vanilla and Paper up to about Minecraft 1.21 kept them as DIM-1 (Nether) and DIM1 (End) inside the world folder. Starting with Minecraft and Paper 26.1, every dimension lives under dimensions/minecraft/ inside the main world folder (the_nether, the_end), and player data moved to a players subfolder.

How to fix it:

1. Open Files and look at how your server has stored them.
2. When uploading a singleplayer world to old Paper or Spigot, the Nether may need to go into a separate folder named to match your world (for example world_nether) with DIM-1 inside, and the End into a folder like world_the_end with DIM1 inside.
3. If the Nether or End looks reset after uploading, the dimension data is in the wrong place. Move the folders to match how your server stores them.
4. On 26.1 or newer, the server converts older layouts when it first loads the world. Make a backup first, because you cannot go back to an older version afterwards. If you are not sure, open a ticket.

Wrong seed or seed not applying

Why it happens: level-seed in Properties only affects new worlds. If the world already exists, changing the seed does nothing.

How to fix it:

1. Back up anything you want to keep.
2. See Regenerate the world.
3. Set level-seed in Properties before the new world is created.
4. To see the seed of the current world, run /seed in the Console.

World border problems

Why it happens: A world border stops players from going beyond it. It is stored in the world, not the panel.

How to fix it:

1. To view or change it, use these commands in the Console (set takes a diameter in blocks):

   worldborder get
   worldborder center 0 0
   worldborder set 10000

2. Players stuck outside the border take damage. Make the border larger or move it.
3. If chunks past the border look missing, they were never generated, which is fine.

Spawn point is wrong

Why it happens: The world spawn is set when the world is created, and beds and respawn anchors override it for each player.

How to fix it:

1. Stand where you want the world spawn and run /setworldspawn.
2. Players who slept in a bed respawn at their bed. To clear it, they must break the bed or sleep in a new one.
3. spawn-protection in Properties stops non-operators from building near spawn. If you cannot build there, that is why. See Minecraft server settings how-to.

Player inventory or player data lost

Why it happens: Player data is saved in the world folder, one file per player UUID (in playerdata, or players/data on 26.1 and newer). It is lost when the world changes, when online-mode changes (player UUIDs change), or after a restore.

How to fix it:

1. If you switched between online-mode true and false, players get new UUIDs and look like new players. Switch it back to check.
2. Open Files, go to the world folder, and open playerdata (or players/data on 26.1 and newer). Check that the player’s file exists.
3. Restore an older backup if the data was lost recently.
4. As a stop-gap, an operator can give items back with commands.

World is too large for the disk

Why it happens: Worlds grow as players explore. Pre-generation and backups also take space.

How to fix it:

1. See Disk full.
2. Delete unused worlds, old backups and old logs.
3. Do not pre-generate a larger radius than you need.
4. Consider a bigger plan if the world is truly large (see Upgrade).

Convert a Bedrock world to Java (or Java to Bedrock)

Why it happens: Java and Bedrock use different world formats.

How to fix it:

1. This is not directly supported on OmneHosting and is not a one-click job.
2. Community converter tools exist, such as Chunker. Results vary, so keep a backup and test before you rely on it.
3. See Minecraft Bedrock settings for the Bedrock product.

Downgrading a world to an older version

Why it happens: Minecraft saves are not built to go backward. A world opened in a newer version cannot always be opened by an older one.

How to fix it:

1. Do not downgrade the live world.
2. Restore a backup taken before the upgrade, then switch versions (see Change version).
3. If you have no backup, open a ticket before changing anything else.

World reverted or rolled back

Why it happens: The server may have lost recent progress if a backup was restored, if the server was killed before it could save, or if a plugin rolled back blocks.

How to fix it:

1. Check Activity and Backups to see whether a restore happened (see Activity).
2. Use Stop, not Kill, whenever you can. Kill can lose recent changes.
3. Before shutting down for changes, run save-all in the Console and wait for it to finish.
4. If a plugin such as CoreProtect is installed, it may be able to roll back specific damage.

The world is read-only or will not save

Why it happens: The server has no space, cannot write to the folder, or crashed before finishing. It can also be caused by disk limits.

How to fix it:

1. Check disk space (see Disk full).
2. Read the Console for lines with “Failed” or “Access denied”.
3. Use Files to check that you can edit the world folder.
4. If you still see errors, open a ticket with the console lines.

I changed level-name by mistake

Why it happens: If level-name points to a folder that does not exist, the server creates a fresh world.

How to fix it:

1. Stop the server.
2. In Properties set level-name back to the old folder’s exact name (spelling and capitals matter).
3. Start the server. Your old world is still on disk.
4. Delete the accidental new folder only after you are sure.

Reset just the Nether or the End

Why it happens: You want fresh dimensions but want to keep the Overworld.

How to fix it:

1. Stop the server and make a backup.
2. In Files, delete the Nether or End folder. It is a folder like world_nether or world_the_end on older Paper layouts, DIM-1 and DIM1 inside the world folder on vanilla and mid-age versions, or dimensions/minecraft/the_nether and dimensions/minecraft/the_end on 26.1 and newer.
3. Start the server. The dimension regenerates.
4. Anything built there is lost, and portals may lead to different places.

Trim or remove unused chunks

Why it happens: Big worlds slow saves and take space.

How to fix it:

1. Use a plugin such as Chunky to pre-generate only what you need, and use its trim features carefully if you know how.
2. Always back up first.
3. Trimming deletes terrain. Player builds in trimmed areas are lost.

Import a Realms world

Why it happens: Realms worlds can be downloaded from Minecraft and reused on a server.

How to fix it:

1. In Minecraft, open the Realms settings and download the world to your computer.
2. It becomes a normal singleplayer save.
3. Follow “Upload a singleplayer world” above.

Still stuck?

Open a ticket or ask on Discord. See Contact support. Do not delete anything until we have replied if your world cannot be replaced.