Plugins and mods

How to install datapacks on a Minecraft server

A datapack (or data pack) changes the game without mods: new recipes, loot, advancements, structures, even whole new terrain. It is a zip file the server loads, so players join with a normal game and install nothing.

Datapacks work on every server type: vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge alike.

Install a datapack from the World tab

Open the World tab of your server and find Data packs.
Search for the pack, for example terralith, and click Install next to it.
Restart the server. Datapacks load at the next restart.

The pack goes into the datapacks folder of your world. Installed lists what is there, with Remove next to each pack.

Install a datapack by hand

For a pack from somewhere else, or one you made yourself:

Download the datapack. It is a .zip file, or a folder with a pack.mcmeta file in it.
In Files, open your world folder, the name in level-name, which is usually world. Open the datapacks folder inside it.
Upload the zip there. There is no need to extract it.
Restart the server.

The top folder of the server in the Files tab with the world folder and the Upload button — Your world folder is in the top folder of the server; `datapacks` is inside it.

The most common mistake is a zip inside a zip, or one folder level too many. Open the zip on your computer: pack.mcmeta must be right at the top, not inside another folder.

Check that the datapack loaded

Type datapack list in the Console. It shows the enabled packs first, then the packs that are there but switched off. A pack you uploaded shows as file/ followed by the name of the zip.

datapack enable "file/name.zip" switches on a pack that is listed as available.
datapack disable "file/name.zip" switches one off without deleting it.

Not listed at all? The pack is in the wrong folder, packed one level too deep, or made for another Minecraft version. The console shows a warning at startup for a pack it could not load.

Datapacks that change world generation

Terrain, biome and structure packs only affect land that is generated after they are installed. Areas players already explored stay as they were, and the new terrain starts where the old land ends.

To have such a pack in a new world from the first chunk:

Stop the server and rename the old world folder, as in change your server's seed.
In Files, make a new folder with the name from level-name, and a datapacks folder inside it.
Upload the pack into that datapacks folder.
Start the server. The new world is generated with the pack.

Big terrain packs make new chunks heavier to generate. Pre-generating the land players will use keeps exploring smooth; see pre-generate your world.

Datapacks with their own textures

Some datapacks add items or blocks that need a resource pack for their look. The pack's page says so. Put that resource pack on the server as in add a resource pack to your server, and players get it when they join.

Questions

Do players need to install the datapack?

No. Datapacks run on the server. Only a resource pack that comes with some datapacks goes to the players, and the server can send that for you.

Do datapacks work on Paper and modded servers?

Yes. Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge all load datapacks from the datapacks folder of the world, just like vanilla.

Can a datapack cause lag?

Most are light. Packs that run functions every tick, such as some mini games or complex mechanics, can lower the TPS. If the server slows down after adding one, remove it and compare.

How do I remove a datapack?

Click Remove next to it in the World tab, or delete the zip from the datapacks folder, and restart. Items and blocks that only existed through the pack can disappear from the world.

Checked against the World and Files tabs of our control panel, September 2026. Written by the Cheapest Minecraft Hosting team, updated 29 September 2026.