Move a Minecraft Realms world to your own server

Prepare a destination and keep the original

Record the edition, game version, installed packs and world size. Check file import support and enough storage for the world plus recovery copies. Our Bedrock pricing guide covers costs separately.

Create a private, empty destination. Keep the Realm available during validation. A successful server start does not prove that the whole world transferred correctly, and combining migration with a major upgrade adds another variable.

Download the correct Realms world

Open the selected world’s settings in Realms and use its download function. Java and Bedrock menus differ; Minecraft’s official instructions describe the displayed edition’s workflow. Select the current world or an identified backup and wait for the download to finish.

Check that the world appears in local saves without progressing that copy. Close the game and keep an untouched archive. You do not need to replace a Realm slot to export a world, and Realm backups are not retained indefinitely.

Import into a compatible server

1. Start the destination once to generate its folders, then stop it.
2. Locate the panel’s world importer or the appropriate storage directory.
3. Upload the complete world in the expected format. An extra enclosing directory can prevent detection.
4. Set the world to load. On a standard Java server, this is the level-name setting.
5. Restart and check the console for the world actually loaded.

For Bedrock, use a Bedrock server and its import workflow. Paper with Geyser still runs Java; installing Geyser does not convert a Bedrock Realm’s files.

Validate before changing the address

Join with the usual accounts. Check a known build, containers, inventory, required packs and used dimensions. If you change Java server implementation, also verify how it stores dimensions before removing any folders.

Have a friend connect from outside your network. Save and restart the destination, then confirm that progress persists. Once the group accepts the result, agree on a switch time and retain the original export. Avoid progressing two separate worlds that would later need to be reconciled.

Frequently asked questions