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Minecraft: changing the game version and server type (Versions)

What this is about

The Versions tab is for Minecraft (Java Edition) servers. It lets you change what your server runs without touching files by hand:

  • a different Minecraft version (for example 1.21.11 instead of 26.3),
  • a newer or older build of your server software (Paper #244 instead of #131),
  • a different server software altogether: Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and many more.more (but see the note below: for a permanent switch, use Change Game on the billing site instead).

The panel downloads the right server file for you, puts it in place and sets the matching Java version. Your world, plugins, mods and settings stay where they are.

The Versions tab: server types grouped by category

Before you start

  1. Stop the server from the Console. The Versions tab doesn't stop it for you, and swapping the server file under a running server is asking for trouble. The new version is used the next time the server starts.
  2. Take a backup. Minecraft upgrades your world when it first loads it in a newer version, and an older version can't open an upgraded world. If you ever want to go back, you'll restore this backup.
  3. Check your plugins and mods. They're built for a specific Minecraft version and server software. A big version jump, or a switch from Paper to Fabric, usually means updating or replacing them.

Subusers need the Files → update permission to install a version. Anyone who can read files can look at the list.

Reading the page

At the top you see what the panel found on your server right now: Currently running Paper, the Installed version and the Installed build. The panel works this out from the server file itself, so it's correct even if you changed things by hand.

  • A green edge means you're on the latest build of that version.
  • A yellow edge and a warning (Your server is currently running an outdated version of Paper 1.21.11. The latest build is #132.) means there's a newer build. Click View Versions to jump straight to the list for your server software.

Currently running Paper 1.21.11 build #131, with the outdated-build warning

Below that are the server types you can install, grouped into Recommended, Established, Experimental, Miscellaneous and Limbos. Each card shows how many Minecraft versions and builds are available. Two small marks to know:

Mark Meaning
Yellow warning triangle Experimental software. Expect bugs; keep backups close.
Red skull Deprecated. No longer maintained. Fine for an old world, not a good choice for a new one.

If the card at the top is missing, the panel couldn't match your server file to a known build (for example a jar you uploaded yourself or renamed). You can still install any version from the list.

Installing a version

  1. Click the server software you want, for example Paper.
  2. You get the list of Minecraft versions it's available for, newest first. Use Search to find one quickly, or the page numbers at the top right. Release (blue) is a normal version. Snapshot (orange) is a pre-release, release candidate or snapshot, only for testing. The version you're on now has a coloured edge. Back returns to the list of server types.

The list of Minecraft versions available for Paper

  1. Click the version. A window called Install Paper (1.21.11) opens.

The Install Paper (1.21.11) window with the build dropdown and the two switches

  1. Pick a build. The newest stable build is selected for you, and that's the right choice almost every time. Open the dropdown to pick an older build (useful when the newest one broke a plugin). Builds are grouped into Stable and Experimental; picking an experimental one shows a red warning asking you to back up first. Vanilla has only one build per version, so this dropdown isn't shown. Build names depend on the software: Paper counts #131, #132 and so on, while Forge and NeoForge show their own version numbers such as 66.1.5.
  2. Leave "Do you want to delete all files of this server before performing this action?" switched off. On, it wipes everything, world and plugins included, before installing. It can't be undone.
  3. "Do you want to accept the Minecraft EULA?": switch it on if your server has never started before, or if you just deleted all files. It writes the eula.txt file a Minecraft server needs before it will start. If your server already runs, the EULA is already accepted and you can leave this off.
  4. Click the red Install button. The download usually takes a few seconds; you get a Version installed successfully message and the card at the top updates.

After installing: Currently running Paper 26.3 build #244 with a green edge

  1. Start the server from the Console and watch the log. The first start on a new version takes longer than usual because Minecraft upgrades your world.

What Install actually changes

  • The server file. The old server.jar is replaced by the one you chose. For Forge and NeoForge the panel downloads a ready-made package (server.jar plus a libraries folder) and unpacks it.
  • The libraries folder is always removed first. That's a cache of helper files the server rebuilds on its next start. Nothing of yours lives in there.
  • The Java version. Every Minecraft version needs a particular Java (26.x needs Java 25, 1.21.x needs Java 21, 1.20.4 needs Java 17, 1.17 needs Java 16, 1.16 and older need Java 8). The panel switches your server to the matching Java automatically. You can see the result in the Docker Image box on the Startup tab. There's no separate Java picker on the Versions tab; you don't need one.
  • Everything else stays. Your world folders, plugins, mods, server.properties and configs aren't touched (unless you switched on "delete all files").
  • The change is written to the Activity log.

The Startup tab is not updated. The Minecraft Version and Build Number boxes on the Startup tab (normally latest) are only used when the server is reinstalled. If you later click Reinstall Server in Settings, the installer downloads whatever the Startup tab says and puts it in place of your chosen version. Your world survives a reinstall, but you'll have to pick your version here again, or set the Startup tab to match it first.

Switching server software (Paper, Vanilla, Purpur, Fabric, Forge…)

Changing software works exactly like changing a version: pick the other type at the top level, choose the Minecraft version, click Install. Keep "delete all files" off and your world comes along. What happens to the rest depends on where you're going:

From → To What to expect
Paper ↔ Purpur, Folia, Spigot, Pufferfish, Leaf and other Paper forks Drop-in. World and plugins keep working.
Paper → Vanilla World keeps working. Plugins are ignored (the plugins folder stays on disk but Vanilla doesn't load it).
Vanilla → Paper World keeps working. You can now add plugins.
Paper or Vanilla → Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt World keeps working. Plugins don't work on these; they use mods instead, which you add to the mods folder yourself.
Fabric ↔ Forge/NeoForge World keeps working, but mods are not interchangeable between loaders.
Hybrids (Mohist, Arclight, Youer) Forge/NeoForge mods and Bukkit plugins side by side. Powerful, but more things can break.

Velocity, BungeeCord, Waterfall and the Limbo servers are not game servers. They're proxies and waiting rooms for people running networks of several servers. Installing one on your game server replaces it with something players can't play on. Only pick them if you know you need them.

Trying out otherSwitching software is fine here. If you decide to move to Fabric or Forge for good,good? alsoUse use Change Game on the billing site (see Changing game) so your service matches.instead. The Versions tab can put Fabric or Forge files on a Paper server, but the billing site and the panel's reinstallReinstall Server button still treat this serverit as a Paper server, so a reinstall or a support change puts Paper back. Change Game (see Changing game) switches the whole server untilover youproperly, do.with the right Startup settings. Use this tab to try other software or to move between Paper and its forks; use Change Game to move to a different family (Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Vanilla).

Going back to an older version

You can install an older version from the same list. The catch is your world: once it has been opened by a newer Minecraft, the older version won't load it (the server stops with an error about the world being too new). To really go back, install the older version here and then restore the backup you took before upgrading.

Going back to an older build of the same version (say Paper 1.21.11 #131 after #132 gave you trouble) is harmless. Just pick it in the build dropdown.

Something went wrong?

  • "Version installed successfully" but the server won't start. Open the Console and read the last lines. The usual causes are a plugin or mod made for another version (remove it from plugins or mods with the file manager), a world that is newer than the version you installed (restore your backup), or the EULA not accepted yet (switch the EULA option on and install again, or edit eula.txt). More in My server won't start or keeps crashing.
  • The list is empty or Install shows an error. The version catalogue comes from an outside service (MCJars). Wait a minute and try again. If it keeps failing, open a ticket.
  • Your version doesn't show up in the card at the top. The panel needs a few seconds after installing; reload the page. If it still shows the old version, check the server was stopped during the install and try once more.