Switching from vanilla Minecraft to Paper is one of the best upgrades you can make to your server. It takes about ten minutes, you keep everything, and the performance difference is immediately noticeable. I have been running Paper on production servers for years and there is no reason to stay on vanilla unless you specifically need parity with singleplayer mechanics.
This guide walks through the full migration process, what changes, what stays the same, and the settings that trip up new Paper admins.
Why Switch from Vanilla to Paper
Vanilla Minecraft server software works, but it was never designed for multiplayer at scale. Even with five or six players online, you start noticing TPS drops during exploration or when players build entity heavy farms.
Paper fixes the biggest pain points:
- Async chunk loading. Chunk generation and loading happens off the main thread. This alone eliminates a massive source of lag spikes when players explore new terrain.
- Entity optimizations. Paper processes entities more efficiently. Mob AI uses less CPU per tick, and there are built in controls for activation ranges so distant mobs do not eat your tick budget.
- Plugin support. Paper supports the entire Bukkit and Spigot plugin ecosystem. Want Essentials, WorldGuard, LuckPerms, or a shop plugin? You need Paper (or something based on it).
- Bug fixes. The Paper team patches exploits and bugs that Mojang sometimes takes months to address. Duplication glitches, chunk corruption issues, and crash exploits get fixed faster.
- Better configuration. Paper exposes dozens of settings that vanilla hides. View distance, simulation distance, mob caps, spawn rates, anti xray, and more can all be tuned per world.
If you are running a community server with more than a few players, Paper is the obvious choice.
What You Keep When Migrating
Everything. This is the part that worries people the most, and it is the simplest part of the process.
- World data. Your entire world transfers over. All blocks, structures, terrain, builds. Paper reads the same world format as vanilla.
- Player data. Inventories, ender chests, XP levels, advancements, statistics. All stored in the same
playerdataandstatsfolders. - server.properties. Your existing config file works as is.
- Banned players and ops. The
banned-players.json,banned-ips.json,ops.json, andwhitelist.jsonfiles carry over directly.
You are not migrating data. You are swapping out the engine.
What Changes After the Switch
Paper is not a 1:1 copy of vanilla behavior. It makes intentional changes, and you should know about them before your players start asking questions.
Chunk format conversion. On the first load, Paper converts chunks to its optimized format. This is automatic and happens as chunks are loaded. The first few minutes might feel a little slower than usual as this conversion runs. After that, performance improves.
Vanilla exploits get patched. Paper disables several behaviors that vanilla allows:
- TNT duplication is disabled by default
- Bedrock breaking exploits are patched
- Sand duplication does not work
- Some zero tick farms are broken
If your players rely on these, you can re enable most of them in Paper's config files. More on that below.
Redstone behavior. Paper optimizes redstone processing. Most contraptions work identically, but a small number of setups that depend on vanilla's specific update order might behave differently. Quasi connectivity still works. Piston mechanics still work. But if someone built a machine that relies on a very specific timing quirk, test it.
Step by Step Migration Process
1. Back Up Everything
Before you touch anything, copy your entire server directory somewhere safe. The full directory. Not just the world folder.
cp -r /home/minecraft/server /home/minecraft/server-backup
On Windows, just copy the folder. On a hosted panel, use the backup feature or download via SFTP.
If something goes wrong, you want to be able to restore exactly what you had.
2. Stop the Server
Shut down your vanilla server cleanly. Use the stop command in the console. Do not kill the process.
stop
Wait until you see the shutdown complete message and the process exits.
3. Download the Paper Jar
Go to papermc.io/downloads and download the Paper jar for your Minecraft version. Make sure the version matches exactly. If your vanilla server runs 1.21.1, download Paper for 1.21.1.
4. Replace the Server Jar
Remove or rename your old server.jar (or whatever your vanilla jar is named) and put the Paper jar in its place. Rename the Paper jar to server.jar or update your start script to point to the new filename.
mv server.jar vanilla-server.jar.bak
mv paper-1.21.1-123.jar server.jar
If you use a hosting panel like ours at Space-Node, you can swap jars with one click in the panel. Select Paper, pick your version, done.
5. First Start
Start the server. Paper will generate new configuration files on the first boot:
bukkit.ymlspigot.ymlpaper-global.ymlpaper-world-defaults.ymlconfig/paper-world-defaults.yml(newer Paper versions)
Let the server fully start up. You will see messages about converting chunks as players load areas. This is normal.
6. Check server.properties
Your existing server.properties carries over, but double check these settings:
view-distance: Paper handles this better than vanilla, so you might be able to increase it. Or lower it to 8 for better performance.simulation-distance: Controls how far from players entities and redstone are ticked. 6 to 8 is a good range.max-players: Same as before, but Paper can handle more players at the same TPS than vanilla.
7. Configure Paper Settings
This is where Paper starts to shine. Open paper-global.yml and paper-world-defaults.yml (or config/paper-world-defaults.yml depending on version).
Key settings to review on first setup:
paper-global.yml:
proxies:
velocity:
enabled: false # Set true if using Velocity proxy
secret: ''
paper-world-defaults.yml:
anticheat:
anti-xray:
enabled: true # Turn this on, it is excellent
engine-mode: 1 # Mode 1 hides ores, Mode 2 replaces them with fake ores
Important Settings New Admins Miss
After migrating, most people just start the server and call it done. These settings are worth checking immediately.
Anti Xray
Paper has a built in anti xray system that is better than most plugins. Enable it. Engine mode 2 is more effective but uses slightly more bandwidth. For most servers, mode 1 is fine.
anti-xray:
enabled: true
engine-mode: 1
hidden-blocks:
- copper_ore
- deepslate_copper_ore
- diamond_ore
- deepslate_diamond_ore
- gold_ore
- deepslate_gold_ore
- iron_ore
- deepslate_iron_ore
- lapis_ore
- deepslate_lapis_ore
- redstone_ore
- deepslate_redstone_ore
- emerald_ore
- deepslate_emerald_ore
Mob Spawning Changes
Paper's default mob spawn rates differ from vanilla. You may notice fewer mobs in some situations. Check spawn-limits in bukkit.yml:
spawn-limits:
monsters: 70
animals: 10
water-animals: 5
water-ambient: 20
water-underground-creature: 5
axolotls: 5
ambient: 15
These are the defaults. If your players complain about empty farms, you can increase the values, but higher values cost performance.
TNT Duping and Other "Features"
Paper disables TNT duplication by default. If your players use TNT dupers for tree farms or quarries (which is extremely common), you need to re enable it:
unsupported-settings:
allow-piston-duplication: true
Same goes for other vanilla "features" that Paper considers exploits. Check the Paper documentation for your specific version because these config paths change between updates.
Can You Go Back to Vanilla?
Yes, but with a caveat. Paper makes small changes to the chunk storage format for optimization. If you switch back to vanilla, the world still loads, but you lose Paper's optimizations and some chunks may need to reconvert.
In practice, going back works fine. Just swap the jar again and remove the Paper config files. Your world will not be corrupted. But if you have been running Paper for a long time and the chunk format has diverged significantly from vanilla's expectations, there is a small chance of visual glitches in some chunks on the first load after switching back.
My recommendation: if you are trying Paper, just commit to it. There is very little reason to go back once you see the performance difference.
Common Problems After Migrating
Farm Rates Changed
This is the number one complaint. Paper's entity processing optimizations mean some vanilla farm designs produce less. Iron farms, mob grinders, and villager breeders may need adjustments.
The fix is usually in spawn rate settings or entity activation ranges in spigot.yml:
entity-activation-range:
animals: 32
monsters: 32
raiders: 64
misc: 16
water: 16
villagers: 32
flying-monsters: 32
Lower activation ranges save performance but reduce farm output. Find the balance that works for your server.
Redstone Contraptions Behaving Differently
Paper's async processing can change the order in which some redstone updates happen. Most builds work fine. But if someone has a complex flying machine or a circuit that depends on a very specific update sequence, it might break.
The player will need to adjust their build. There is no global setting to force vanilla redstone behavior. For most players, this never comes up.
Plugins Not Loading
Paper supports Bukkit and Spigot plugins. But if a plugin specifically checks for vanilla server software, it might refuse to load. This is rare and usually means the plugin developer made a bad assumption. Check for updates or contact the plugin developer.
"Unsupported Software" Warning
On first start, Paper shows a warning about being unsupported by Mojang. This is expected. Type I agree when prompted (or set it in the config). Paper is not official Mojang software, so they include this disclaimer.
Paper as Your Default
At Space-Node, Paper is the default jar for new Minecraft servers. We see the performance difference across thousands of servers, and there is simply no reason to run vanilla for multiplayer. The one click jar switcher in our panel makes it easy to swap between Paper, Purpur, Fabric, or Forge whenever you want. No file management required.
FAQ
"Will I lose my world when switching to Paper?"
No. Paper reads the same world format as vanilla Minecraft. Your world, player data, inventories, advancements, and statistics all carry over without any changes. Just swap the jar and start the server.
"Do I need to regenerate chunks after switching?"
No. Paper converts chunks to its format automatically as they load. There is nothing you need to do manually. The first load of each chunk takes a tiny bit longer than usual while the conversion runs.
"Can I still use vanilla commands?"
Yes. All vanilla commands work on Paper. You also get access to additional Paper specific commands and the full Bukkit command API if you install plugins.
"Will my redstone builds break?"
Most redstone works identically. Paper optimizes redstone processing, so a very small number of builds that depend on vanilla's exact update order might need adjustments. Standard farms, doors, piston elevators, and circuits are all fine.
"Is Paper compatible with Bedrock players through Geyser?"
Yes. Geyser works great on Paper. Install the Geyser and Floodgate plugins and Bedrock players can join alongside Java players.
"Does Paper work with mods?"
No. Paper supports plugins (Bukkit/Spigot API), not mods. If you need Forge or NeoForge mods, look at Mohist or Arclight. For Fabric, use the Fabric server loader. Paper and mods are different ecosystems.
"How much performance improvement will I actually see?"
It depends on your server. Servers with lots of exploration and chunk loading see the biggest gains because of async chunk processing. As a rough guide, expect 20 to 40 percent better TPS under the same load compared to vanilla, sometimes more.
"What Minecraft versions does Paper support?"
Paper tracks the latest Minecraft releases. As of mid 2026, Paper supports the current release and maintains builds for several recent versions. Check papermc.io for the latest supported versions.