How to Add Resource Packs and Behavior Packs to Your Minecraft Server

## Resource Packs vs Behavior Packs

Before we start, here's the difference:

- **Resource Packs (RP)** — Change how the game looks: textures, sounds, models, fonts, and UI. Available in both Java and Bedrock editions
- **Behavior Packs (BP)** — Change how the game works: mob AI, loot tables, crafting recipes, and game rules. **Bedrock Edition only** (Java uses Data Packs for similar functionality)
- **Data Packs** — Java Edition's equivalent of behavior packs: custom recipes, loot tables, world generation, advancements, and functions

**Do I need to separate resource packs and behavior packs?** Yes. Many addon downloads come as a single or zip that contains both an RP and a BP inside. You **must** separate them — the resource pack goes into the folder and the behavior pack goes into the folder. They cannot be in the same folder.

## Bedrock Edition

**Important — uploading pack files into the folders is NOT enough.** After uploading, you must also register each pack in a JSON file inside your world folder. Without this step, the server will ignore the packs entirely. This is the most common reason packs don't work.

## Step 1: Prepare Your Pack Files

- If your download is a file, rename it to and extract it. Inside you'll typically find **two folders** — one is the resource pack (RP) and the other is the behavior pack (BP). You can tell which is which by opening the in each folder and checking the field: it will say or
- If your download is a single , rename it to and extract it. It should contain a at its root
- If you have separate RP and BP files, rename each to and extract them separately

## Step 2: Upload to the Correct Folders

In the game panel, go to the **Files** tab:

- Upload your **resource pack folder** into (create this folder if it doesn't exist)
- Upload your **behavior pack folder** into (create this folder if it doesn't exist)

Your file structure should look like this:

resource_packs/
MyAddonRP/
manifest.json ← this must be here, not one level deeper
textures/
...

behavior_packs/
MyAddonBP/
manifest.json ← this must be here, not one level deeper
entities/
...

**Common mistake:** Uploading the zip file itself or having a double-nested folder like . The must be exactly one level inside the folder.

## Step 3: Register Packs in Your World (Required!)

**This is the step most people miss.** Just putting files in the folders does nothing — you have to tell the server to actually use them.

- Open each pack's and find the section. Note the and values:
{
"header": {
"name": "My Addon RP",
"uuid": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
"version": [1, 0, 0]
}
}

- **For resource packs:** Navigate to your world folder (e.g., or just ) and open or create a file called **world_resource_packs.json**. Add:
[
{
"pack_id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
"version": [1, 0, 0]
}
]
Replace the UUID and version with the actual values from your resource pack's .

- **For behavior packs:** In the same world folder, open or create **world_behavior_packs.json**. Add:
[
{
"pack_id": "x9y8z7w6-v5u4-3210-fedc-ba0987654321",
"version": [1, 0, 0]
}
]
Replace the UUID and version with the actual values from your behavior pack's .

**If you have multiple packs**, add them as separate objects in the same array, separated by commas:

[
{ "pack_id": "first-pack-uuid", "version": [1, 0, 0] },
{ "pack_id": "second-pack-uuid", "version": [1, 0, 0] }
]

## Step 4: Restart the Server

Go to the **Console** tab and restart the server. Watch the console output — you should see messages about loading the packs. If you see errors, check the Troubleshooting section below.

## Java Edition

## Adding a Server Resource Pack (Java)

Java Edition servers can suggest a resource pack that players automatically download when joining. The pack must be hosted as a direct download URL.

- Upload your resource pack file to a public file host (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive, or your own web server). You need a **direct download link**
- In the game panel, go to **Files** and open **server.properties**
- Set these values:

-
- (the SHA-1 hash of your .zip file — this verifies the download)
- (optional — forces players to accept or be disconnected)

- Save and restart the server

**Tip:** To get the SHA-1 hash, use an online SHA-1 calculator or run in a terminal. If you skip this, players may re-download the pack every time they join.

**Important:** Dropbox links must end in (not ). Google Drive links need to be converted to a direct download format.

## Adding Data Packs (Java)

Data packs are Java's way of modifying game behavior without mods.

- Download or create your data pack (it will be a file containing a and a folder)
- In the game panel, navigate to **Files** → your world folder (usually ) → **datapacks**
- Upload the file into the folder
- Either restart the server, or run in the console
- Verify with — your pack should appear as enabled

**Popular data pack sources:**

- Vanilla Tweaks (https://vanillatweaks.net/picker/datapacks/) — curated quality-of-life datapacks
- Modrinth (https://modrinth.com/datapacks) — community data packs
- Planet Minecraft (https://www.planetminecraft.com/data-packs/) — user-submitted data packs

## Troubleshooting

- **"I uploaded the packs but nothing changed"** — Did you create the and/or files? Uploading to the folders alone is not enough — you must register each pack in these JSON files
- **Wrong folder structure (Bedrock)** — The must be directly inside the pack folder: . If it's nested deeper like , move the contents up one level
- **"Invalid pack" or JSON errors** — The or might have a typo. Copy the UUID carefully. Validate JSON at jsonlint.com
- **Packs not applying after restart** — Check the console for error messages. Common cause: duplicate UUIDs across packs, or the world folder name doesn't match where you placed the JSON files
- **Pack not showing up (Java)** — Make sure the URL is a direct download link. Test it by pasting it in your browser — it should immediately start downloading a file
- **Resource pack too large (Java)** — Java servers have a default limit. Very large packs (100MB+) may fail to download for players with slow connections

**Note:** Custom pack installation falls under our unmanaged server policy. We're happy to help with basic setup, but for pack-specific issues, refer to the pack creator's documentation.