How to update a Minecraft server (Java, Paper, mods and modpacks)

TL;DR: Back up the server, then change its version. On berrybyte you pick the new release under Settings → Software & updates and reinstall, which keeps your world. Check that your plugins or mods have builds for the new version first, and make sure every player runs the same version.

To update a Minecraft server, make a backup, stop the server, and switch it to the new release. Plugins and mods need builds made for that release before you switch. A modpack updates by changing the pack version, not the Minecraft version. Once the world loads on the new version, it can't go back without that backup.

Before you update

Most broken updates come from skipping one of these checks.

• Make a backup. Copy the whole server, not only the world. The backup guide shows how. Keep it until the new version has run for a while.
• Check your plugins and mods. Each one needs a build for the new Minecraft version. If one doesn't have one yet, wait or remove it on purpose.
• Tell your players. They need to update their game at the same time, or they can't join.
• Pick a stable release. Minecraft Java 26.3 is the current release as of November 2026 (Mojang's version list). Skip snapshots and release candidates on a server people play on.

Update a Vanilla or Paper server on berrybyte

On Paper, plugins update separately. PaperMC's update guide says to put new plugin jars in a folder named update inside plugins, then restart. Paper swaps them in on the next start. PaperMC also says to be there for every update and to watch the startup log after it. If you automate updates, it says to have a working backup first.

Update a Fabric, Forge, or NeoForge server

A modded server has three parts that must line up: the Minecraft version, the loader version, and every mod.

1. Check each mod's page on Modrinth or CurseForge for a build that matches the new Minecraft version and your loader.
2. Back up and stop the server.
3. In Settings → Software & updates, pick the new Minecraft version and a loader build offered for it. Then reinstall, as in the steps above.
4. Replace each mod in mods/ with its new build. Use Files in the dashboard or SFTP.
5. Start the server and read Console. A missing or wrong mod usually names itself in the first error.

Players need the same loader and the same mod builds on their side. If a mod has no build for the new version, the world can lose that mod's blocks and items. Restore the backup if that happens.

Update a modpack server

Don't change the Minecraft version of a modpack by hand. The pack picks the Minecraft version and loader, so you update the pack itself.

The dashboard keeps your world files in place during a pack update. Big updates can still change or remove mods, so read the pack's changelog before you start. The pack guides cover the details for ATM10 and Prominence II. To move the same pack to a build for a newer Minecraft version, use Change modpack and pick that pack again. Your world files stay in place, but mod changes can still break the world, so back up first. Switching to a different pack replaces the server's files. Tick Save my current world first in the picker, or your current files and world are deleted. See Install a Minecraft modpack.

Update a server on your own PC

1. Stop the server and copy the whole server folder somewhere safe.
2. Download the new server.jar from Minecraft's server page.
3. Replace the old jar with the new one. Use the same file name your start command uses. Leave the world folder and other files where they are.
4. Check your Java version. Minecraft 26.1 and later need Java 25, says the Minecraft Wiki.
5. Start the server and wait for the Done line.

For Paper, download the new Paper jar from PaperMC instead, and follow the same steps.

Fix version errors after an update

If players can't join after an update, their game and the server are on different versions. Minecraft refuses the join when the versions don't match.

• The player's game is newer than the server: update the server, or have the player pick the server's version in their launcher.
• The player's game is older than the server: the player updates their game or picks the server's version in the launcher.
• Modded server: the loader, the mods, and the pack version must match too.

To see what the server runs, open Settings → Software & updates. It shows the server software and, for a pack, the installed modpack and its version. The full checklist is in Can't connect to a Minecraft server.

Updates on berrybyte

Every berrybyte Minecraft plan includes automatic backups and manual snapshots, so you can keep a restore point before every update. Version and pack changes keep your world, and the right Java version is picked for you. Plans start at $9.95 a month on the Minecraft hosting page.