Where Does a PaperMC Server Store Plugins and Worlds?
A Paper server keeps plugins in plugins/, worlds in world/ and Paper settings in config/paper-global.yml, all relative to the folder holding the server jar.
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Paper runs from a single server directory and everything hangs off it. The jar, server.properties, bukkit.yml, and spigot.yml sit at the root. Worlds, plugins, logs, and the config folder branch below. There is no AppData style split, which makes full backups as simple as copying one folder with the server stopped.
Two Paper specific files matter most. config/paper-global.yml holds global tuning and config/paper-world-defaults.yml holds per world defaults. Plugin jars go in plugins and each plugin writes its own subfolder there on first run. The latest log at logs/latest.log names the exact file when a plugin fails to load.
Where PaperMC stores this, by platform
.\plugins
Everything is relative to wherever you placed the server jar. Back up the whole folder with the server stopped. World data sits in world/, plugins in plugins/, Paper tuning in config/.
./plugins
Same relative layout on Linux hosts. Typical spots are a dedicated folder in home or /opt/minecraft. Logs go to logs/latest.log and the Paper configs to config/paper-global.yml.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install a plugin on Paper?
Put the downloaded jar directly in the plugins folder at the server root, not in a subfolder. Paper only scans the top level of plugins. Restart the server and check logs/latest.log near the top for the plugin enable lines.
How do I move a Paper world to another host?
Copy the world folder plus server.properties while the server is stopped. Paper 1.21 and newer split dimensions under world/dimensions, so grab the whole world tree rather than individual region files. Mismatched version restores are the usual cause of chunk errors.
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