To install plugins on a Minecraft server, download the plugin’s .jar file for your game version, put it in the server’s plugins folder, restart the server and run the plugins command to check that it loaded. The steps are the same on a hosted server and on a home PC. Only the way you reach the files changes.
What you need to install plugins on a Minecraft server
Server software that loads plugins. Check this first, because a plugin does nothing on the wrong software.
| Server software | Loads plugins | What it runs |
|---|---|---|
| Paper, Purpur, Spigot | Yes | Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins |
| Vanilla | No | Data packs only |
| Fabric, Forge, NeoForge | No | Mods, in the mods folder |
| Bedrock Dedicated Server | No | Add-ons |
Not sure what you have? Check which software the server was set up with in your host’s control panel, or the name of the server jar you start on a home PC. If the server is vanilla, switch it to Paper before you go on, and back up the world first. Paper vs Spigot vs Purpur helps you choose. On Severoo, Paper and Purpur are both available and plugins are allowed on the free plan.
Your game version. As of October 2026 the current Java release is 26.3. Write yours down: every plugin download is tied to game versions.
Access to the server’s files and console. On a host, that is the file manager or SFTP, whichever your host offers, plus the console in the control panel. On a home PC, it is the server folder and the window the server runs in.
Step 1: download the plugin jar from an official source
Get the file from where the author publishes it:
- Hangar, the Paper team’s plugin repository
- Modrinth
- SpigotMC resources
- the plugin’s own site or GitHub releases page, when the author links to it
Before you press download, check three things on the plugin’s page:
- Game version. Your version is in the supported list.
- Platform. The file is for Paper, Bukkit or Spigot. Plugins such as LuckPerms and Chunky also publish Fabric and Forge builds, and those will not load as plugins.
- Dependencies. Some plugins need another plugin. WorldGuard needs WorldEdit, for example. Download both.
The file must end in .jar. If you get a .zip, extract it and look for the .jar inside, usually labeled bukkit or paper.
Step 2: upload it to the plugins folder
The plugins folder sits in the server’s main folder, next to server.properties. Paper creates it the first time the server starts.
server.properties
eula.txt
logs/
plugins/
ExamplePlugin-1.0.jar
world/Put the .jar directly inside plugins, not in a subfolder. On a host, upload it through the file manager or SFTP. On a home PC, copy it in.
If there is no plugins folder after the server has started once, the server is almost certainly not running plugin software. Go back to the table above.
Step 3: restart the server, do not reload
Plugins load when the server starts. Stop it and start it again, either from your host’s control panel or by typing this in the console and then starting the server:
stopstop saves the world before it shuts down.
Do not use /reload. Paper’s command reference marks it as deprecated and says to restart instead, because reloading is known to cause issues with plugins. A restart avoids that.
Step 4: confirm it with the plugins command
In the console, type:
pluginsIn the game, run /plugins (or /pl). Each plugin is listed by name:
- Green: the plugin is enabled.
- Red: it is not enabled. It loaded and then failed or was turned off. Jump to the troubleshooting section.
- Not listed: the server could not load the file, or never saw it. The troubleshooting section covers both.
version followed by a plugin’s name shows which version of it is running.
Where plugin configuration files appear
On its first start, a plugin creates its own folder at plugins/<Name>/. Most put a config.yml there, and some add more files.
To change a setting, edit the file and restart the server. These files are YAML, which is strict about layout: indent with spaces, never tabs, and keep each line at the indent it had. If a plugin stops working right after an edit, look in the log for an error that names the file.
Some plugins have their own reload command for their config. That is safe when the plugin’s documentation says so. It is not the same as /reload.
Updating and removing plugins
To update: back up the plugin’s jar and its folder, stop the server, delete the old .jar, upload the new one and start the server. Never leave two versions of the same plugin in the folder. Paper also documents an update folder: create a folder named update inside plugins, put the new jars in it, and they are applied on the next restart.
Before you update Minecraft itself, check that every plugin you rely on supports the new version. A world cannot be downgraded after it has been upgraded, so a missing plugin update can leave you stuck. Plugins catch up at different speeds: as of October 2026, the latest EssentialsX release on Modrinth lists 26.1.2, not 26.3.
To remove: stop the server, delete the .jar and start again. The plugin’s folder stays behind with its settings and data. Delete it too if you are not coming back.
Troubleshooting a plugin that will not load
Read logs/latest.log first
Every fix starts in logs/latest.log. Open it and look near the top, where the server loads plugins. Search for the plugin’s name and read the first line or two of the error. The long list of lines under it is a stack trace, and you can usually skip it.
A missing dependency
The log shows UnknownDependencyException and names the plugin that is missing, such as Vault. Install that plugin and restart.
The wrong game version
A plugin built for a different Minecraft version may fail to enable, or load and then throw errors when you use it. Download the build that lists your version. If there is none yet, wait for the author or use an alternative.
The wrong Java version
Minecraft 26.1 and later need Java 25. Versions 1.20.5 to 1.21.11 need Java 21. If the log shows UnsupportedClassVersionError, the file was built for a newer Java than the server is running. Run the server on the Java version your game version needs. If Java itself is the problem, see Minecraft server won’t start.
The file is not a plugin
InvalidDescriptionException means the server could not read the file as a plugin. It may be a Fabric or Forge mod, or a broken download. Download it again from the official page.
A plugin listed in red or not listed at all
When the log shows an error for the plugin, it is usually one of the causes above. If the log complains about an ambiguous plugin name, two jars of the same plugin are in the folder: keep one. If the plugin is missing from the list and the log says nothing, check that the file is directly inside plugins and ends in .jar.
Keep your server safe when adding plugins
A plugin is a program with full access to your server and the machine it runs on. Paper’s documentation tells you to fully trust the source of any plugin before installing it.
- Use official pages only. Avoid re-upload sites and files sent over chat.
- Never install cracked premium plugins. A paid plugin offered free may have been modified by someone you do not know, and you cannot see what they changed.
- Back up before you add or update. The safest copy is made with the server stopped: save the world folder,
server.propertiesand thepluginsfolder. - Install only what you use. Each plugin is more code to trust and more memory in use. The RAM calculator estimates what a plugin list needs.
- Use permissions, not operator status. A permissions plugin such as LuckPerms lets you give a player one command without handing over the whole server.
If the server slows down after a new plugin, how to reduce lag on a Minecraft server shows how to find the cause.