How to Install a Paper Minecraft Server

Requirements

• Java 21 or newer (Java 21 recommended for Minecraft 1.20.5+)
• At least 2GB of RAM (4GB+ recommended)
• A computer or VPS to run the server

Step 1: Install Java

Paper requires Java to run. For Minecraft 1.20.5 and newer, you need Java 21. Download it from Adoptium (Eclipse Temurin).

Verify your Java installation by opening a terminal and running:

java -version

Step 2: Download Paper

Download the latest Paper server jar for your Minecraft version:

Choose the Minecraft version you want to run and download the latest build.

Step 3: Create Your Server Folder

Create a new folder for your server. Name it something like "minecraft-server" and place the downloaded Paper jar inside.

Rename the jar file to server.jar for convenience.

Step 4: Create a Start Script

Create a new file called start.sh (Linux/Mac) or start.bat (Windows) with the following content:

Windows (start.bat):

java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar server.jar --nogui

Linux/Mac (start.sh):

#!/bin/bash
java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar server.jar --nogui

Step 5: First Run and EULA

Run your start script. The server will generate some files and then stop, asking you to accept the EULA.

Open eula.txt and change eula=false to eula=true.

Step 6: Configure Your Server

Before starting again, you can edit server.properties to configure your server:

• server-port - The port your server runs on (default: 25565)
• max-players - Maximum number of players
• motd - The message shown in the server list
• online-mode - Whether to verify players with Mojang

Need a clean config? Try the server.properties generator.

Step 7: Start Your Server

Run your start script again. This time the server will fully start. You will see a message like "Done!" when it is ready.

Connect to your server from Minecraft using localhost if playing on the same computer, or your IP address if connecting from elsewhere.

Next Steps

• Install plugins - Drop plugin jars into the plugins folder and restart
• Configure Paper - Edit files in the config folder for performance tuning
• Set up backups - Regularly backup your world folder

Troubleshooting

Need a different version? Browse all available Paper versions on MCServerJars.