How to set a world seed on your Minecraft server

Put the seed in level-seed in server.properties, then generate a new world. The seed is only used when a world is created, so changing it does nothing to a world that already exists.

Find your current seed#

Run this in the Schokr console (or /seed in-game as an op):

seed

The console replies with something like Seed: [-4172144997902289642].

Use a specific seed#

1. Back up your current world if you want to keep it. See back up your Minecraft world.
2. Stop the server.
3. Open the file manager and edit server.properties:

level-seed=-4172144997902289642

4. Make the server create a new world. Either:
   • delete the existing world folders (world, and on Paper also world_nether and world_the_end), or
   • change level-name to a new name, such as level-name=world2, which keeps the old world on disk.
5. Start the server. It generates a new world from your seed.

Full details on resetting are in generate a new world.

Seeds can be text or numbers#

You can type a word or phrase, like level-seed=schokr. Minecraft turns text into a number using a hash, so the same text always gives the same world. Numeric seeds are used as-is.

Leave level-seed blank for a random seed.

Will I get the same world as someone else?#

You get the same terrain as another player using the same seed only if:

• the Minecraft version is the same (world generation changes between major versions),
• the world type is the same (level-type, for example minecraft:normal vs minecraft:large_biomes), and
• structures are enabled the same way (generate-structures).

Forge mods that change world generation also produce different results.

Using a seed from singleplayer#

If you want the exact world you already played in singleplayer, including your builds, upload the world folder instead of copying the seed. See upload an existing world.

Seed did not change?#

• The old world folder still exists, so the server loaded it. Delete it or change level-name.
• On Paper, world_nether and world_the_end are separate folders. If you only deleted world, the old Nether and End remain.
• Check there are no spaces after the seed and only one level-seed= line.