If you switch your server from Paper or Spigot back to vanilla Minecraft, you may find that your Nether and End look brand new - all the portals, builds, and explored areas are gone. This is a very common issue, but the good news is your old dimensions are not lost. They are just in the wrong place for vanilla to find them, and moving a couple of folders around will bring them back.
Why This Happens
Vanilla Minecraft and Paper/Spigot store world dimensions differently:
Vanilla keeps everything inside the main world folder:
world/
├── region/ (Overworld)
├── DIM-1/ (Nether)
└── DIM1/ (End)Paper and Spigot split the dimensions into three separate folders in your server's root directory:
world/ (Overworld)
world_nether/ (Nether)
world_the_end/ (End)When you switch from Paper or Spigot to vanilla, vanilla only looks inside the world folder for the Nether and End. Since they are not there, it generates new ones. Your original Nether and End are still sitting in the world_nether and world_the_end folders untouched.
Before You Start
Always create a backup before moving world files. See Using the Backup System for details.
You should also make sure your server is stopped before making any changes.
Fixing the Nether and End
Step 1: Delete Any Freshly Generated Dimensions
If you have already started your vanilla server at least once, it will have generated empty DIM-1 and DIM1 folders inside your world folder. You need to delete these so they do not conflict with the ones you are about to move over.
- Open the File Manager and navigate to your
worldfolder - If you see folders called
DIM-1andDIM1, delete them
If these folders do not exist, skip this step.
Step 2: Move the Nether
- Open the
world_netherfolder - Inside, you will find a folder called
DIM-1 - Move the entire
DIM-1folder into yourworldfolder
When you are done, you should have world/DIM-1/ containing your original Nether data.
Step 3: Move the End
- Open the
world_the_endfolder - Inside, you will find a folder called
DIM1 - Move the entire
DIM1folder into yourworldfolder
When you are done, you should have world/DIM1/ containing your original End data.
Step 4: Clean Up
Once you have moved both folders, the world_nether and world_the_end folders are no longer needed. You can leave them where they are (vanilla will ignore them) or delete them if you want to keep things tidy.
Step 5: Start Your Server
Start your server and check that your Nether and End are back the way you left them. Try walking through a portal or teleporting to known coordinates to confirm.
Things to Watch Out For
Your World is Not Called "world"
If you have changed the world name in server.properties (using the level-name setting), your folders will have different names. For example, if your world is called survival, then your folders will be survival, survival_nether, and survival_the_end. The process is exactly the same - just use your actual world name instead of world.
Move the Whole Folder, Not Just Region
When moving DIM-1 and DIM1, make sure you move the entire folder, not just the region folder inside it. Modern Minecraft stores villagers, entities, and other data in subfolders like entities and poi next to region. Missing any of these can cause villagers and entities in the Nether and End to behave strangely.
Do Not Copy level.dat
Inside world_nether and world_the_end you will see a level.dat file. Do not copy these into the DIM-1 or DIM1 folders. They are specific to Paper/Spigot and vanilla does not use them in those locations.
Switching the Other Way (Vanilla to Paper/Spigot)
If you ever want to go back to Paper or Spigot later, you can do the reverse:
- Create a
world_netherfolder and moveworld/DIM-1into it - Create a
world_the_endfolder and moveworld/DIM1into it - Start your server - Paper/Spigot will recreate the missing
level.datfiles automatically
Having Trouble Moving Your World Files?
Feel free to reach out to us and we can help you get everything back in place:
- Support Ticket
- Discord Server - use the
/supportcommand - Email: [email protected]