Plugins and mods

How to add a resource pack to your Minecraft server

A server resource pack is downloaded by each player when they join, so everybody sees the same textures, sounds or custom items without installing anything by hand. The server only hands out a link; the pack itself comes from wherever you host it.

In short

To add a resource pack to a Minecraft server, upload the pack as a zip to a place that gives a direct https download link, make the SHA-1 of that zip, and fill both in under Server settings in Settings, as Resource pack URL and Resource pack SHA-1. Save and restart: every player who joins is then asked to download the pack, and with Force resource pack switched on it becomes required.

What you need for a Minecraft server resource pack

The pack as a .zip, with pack.mcmeta right at the top of the zip.
A direct download link that starts with https:// and downloads the zip straight away, without a page in between.
The SHA-1 of the zip: a code of 40 letters and numbers that lets the game check the download.

Zip the resource pack the right way

Most packs that fail are zipped one folder too deep. Inside the zip, these must sit at the very top:

pack.mcmeta, the small text file with the description of the pack and the number of the pack format it was made for.
The assets folder with the textures, sounds and models.
Optionally pack.png, the picture players see in their list of packs.

Select those items and zip them, rather than zipping the folder they are in. If the zip opens to a single folder with the pack inside, the game cannot find pack.mcmeta and refuses the pack.

Get a direct download link for the resource pack

The link has to give the zip itself. Test it in a private browser window: if the file downloads at once, it works. If a web page opens first, the game cannot use it.

Share links from cloud storage usually open a preview page. Many services offer a direct download form of the link; their help pages explain how.
Uploading the pack to your server's Files does not work: those files are not a public web address, so players cannot download from there.

Where to host a Minecraft resource pack

Where	How to get the direct link	Good to know
Dropbox	Change `dl=0` at the end of the share link into `dl=1`	Simple and reliable for packs of any size
GitHub	Use the download link of a file attached to a release	Free, fast and public
Google Drive	Not recommended	Large files open a warning page first, which the game cannot get past
A site made for server packs, such as mc-packs.net	The site gives the direct link	It shows the SHA-1 as well, so you can skip the next step

Get the SHA-1 of the Minecraft resource pack

The SHA-1 is a fingerprint of the file. With it, the game knows whether it already has this version of your pack, and it refuses a damaged download.

Windows: open Command Prompt in the folder with the zip and type certutil -hashfile pack.zip SHA1.
Mac: open Terminal in that folder and type shasum pack.zip.
Linux: type sha1sum pack.zip.

Copy the 40 letters and numbers. When you change the pack, the SHA-1 changes too, so make a new one for every new version.

Test the resource pack on your own computer first

Put the zip in the resourcepacks folder of your game. In Minecraft Java, Options, then Resource Packs, then Open Pack Folder opens it.
Back in the game, move the pack to the selected side and click Done.
Check the textures and sounds you changed. If the list says the pack was made for an older or newer version, get a version of the pack for your Minecraft version.

A pack that works on your own computer and fails from the server almost always has a link or SHA-1 problem, not a problem in the pack.

Fill in the Minecraft server resource pack settings

Open Settings, go to Server settings and search for resource pack.
Paste the link in Resource pack URL. It must start with https://.
Paste the code in Resource pack SHA-1.
Optional: write a short line in Resource pack prompt. Players see it when they are asked to accept the pack.
Optional: switch on Force resource pack. Players who decline the pack cannot play.
Save and restart the server.

In server.properties these are resource-pack, resource-pack-sha1, resource-pack-prompt and require-resource-pack, if you would rather edit the file in Files.

What players see when they join

Setting	What players see
Force resource pack off	A question whether to download the pack. Without it they can still play.
Force resource pack on	A screen that says the server requires the pack, with a choice to accept or leave. Declining disconnects them.
Resource pack prompt filled in	Your own line of text in that question, for example what the pack adds.

A player who declined once can change that later in the multiplayer list, as in join your Minecraft server.

When the server resource pack does not load in Minecraft

What happens	Why	Fix
Players are never asked	The link setting is empty, or the server was not restarted	Check Resource pack URL and restart.
The download fails	The link opens a web page, or the host blocks the download	Test the link in a private window; it must download the zip at once.
The pack is refused after downloading	The SHA-1 does not match the zip	Make the SHA-1 again from the exact zip you uploaded.
Players still see the old pack	The pack changed but the link and SHA-1 did not	Upload the new zip, make its SHA-1 and update both settings. A new file name for each version helps.
Textures look wrong or are missing	The pack was made for another Minecraft version	Use a version of the pack made for your server's version.

On a crossplay server, Bedrock players do not get the Java pack. Bedrock uses its own pack format.

Resource packs for Bedrock and crossplay players

Bedrock has its own pack format, the .mcpack file, and Java packs do not work there.

On a Bedrock server, put the pack in the resource_packs folder, add its ID and version from the manifest.json of the pack to world_resource_packs.json in the world folder, and set texturepacks-required=true in server.properties if every player must use it.
On a crossplay server, put the .mcpack file in the packs folder of Geyser, plugins/Geyser-Spigot/packs, and restart. Geyser sends it to Bedrock players when they join, while Java players keep getting the Java pack.

A Java pack can be turned into a Bedrock pack with a converter, but custom models and some effects do not carry over, so check it on a phone before you share it.

Resource pack or data pack?

The two are often mixed up. A resource pack changes how the game looks and sounds, and runs on each player's computer. A data pack changes how the game works, such as recipes, loot and world generation, and runs on the server, so players install nothing. Many custom item setups use both: the data pack adds the item, the resource pack gives it its look. Install datapacks covers the other half.

Questions from Minecraft server owners

Can players refuse the Minecraft server resource pack?

Yes, unless Force resource pack is on. Then declining means they cannot play on the server.

Do players download the resource pack every time they join the server?

No. The game keeps the pack and only downloads it again when the SHA-1 changes.

How big can a Minecraft server resource pack be?

Keep it as small as you can. Every player downloads the whole pack on their first join, and a large pack makes that first join slow.

Can I use more than one resource pack on a Minecraft server?

The setting takes one pack. Combine them into one zip, or use a plugin on Paper or Purpur that sends several.

Does a resource pack slow down my Minecraft server?

No. The pack goes from the host of the link straight to the players, so the server does not send it. A large pack only makes the first join slower for each player.

Is a data pack the same as a resource pack?

No. A data pack changes the rules of the game on the server, such as recipes and loot. A resource pack changes textures and sounds on the computer of each player.

Can Bedrock players get a resource pack on my server?

Yes, with a Bedrock pack in the .mcpack format. On a crossplay server Geyser sends packs from its packs folder; the Java pack itself does not work on Bedrock.

Checked against the Settings tab of our control panel, September 2026. Written by the Cheapest Minecraft Hosting team, first published 29 September 2026, updated 10 October 2026.