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From Aternos to your own server: move your world

Take your Minecraft world from a free host to a server that is always on.

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Updated 2 November 2026

Playing on a free server such as Aternos and want more: no queue, a server that stays on, and more memory for plugins or modpacks? Then move your world to your own server. You don't have to start over: you simply take your world with you.

Free or paid: what's the difference?

Free hosting is fine to get started. Free providers do have to share their servers with a lot of players, and you usually notice that like this:

  • You have to start the server yourself and sometimes wait in a queue.
  • The server shuts down when nobody has been online for a while, so friends can't just join.
  • There's less memory, so big modpacks and lots of plugins struggle sooner.

With your own server it's on all day, without a queue, with fixed computing power and memory just for you. At ServerSpark that costs from €0.99 a month (paid quarterly), and you are never charged automatically.

1. Download your world

On Aternos you do it like this:

  1. Log in at aternos.org and open your server. Stop the server first so the world is saved properly.
  2. Go to Worlds and click Download next to your world. You get a .zip file.
  3. Using plugins or mods? Also download the plugins or mods folders and config files under Files if you want to keep them.
Stuck, or using another free host? Every host has a way to download your world; look in the menu for Worlds, Backups or Files.

2. Pick your plan

For a normal server with a few friends 2 GB is enough, with plugins or more players 4 GB, and for modpacks 6 GB or more. See How much RAM does a Minecraft server need? Choose the same kind of server you had: Paper for plugins, or Fabric, Forge or NeoForge for mods (you set that later in SparkPanel under Settings → Server software).

3. Put your world on your new server

  1. Open your server in SparkPanel and click Stop.
  2. Go to Files. Rename the existing world folder to world-old (so you always have a spare).
  3. Upload your .zip, extract it and make sure the folder is called world again. The file level.dat must be directly inside it.
  4. Upload your plugins or mods folder if you have one.
  5. Start the server and join. Your world, your houses and your chests are all there.
Playing a newer Minecraft version than your old server? That almost always works. The other way round (a world to an older version) doesn't. So pick the same or a newer version.

Rather have us do it?

We move it for you for free. Order your plan and email your order number and your world (or a download link) to info@serverspark.nl. Usually everything is ready within a day.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take my own world? Yes, your world is yours. You download it yourself from your old host.

Does my server address stay the same? No, you get a new address. Give it to your friends; you find it in SparkPanel under Network.

Can I try it first? There is no free trial, but you can start with monthly billing and cancel any time in your account. You are never charged automatically.