How to install plugins on Paper, Spigot and Purpur

Plugins add features to your server, such as homes, claims, ranks or minigames, and they run on the server only. Your players join with the normal game and install nothing. Plugins work on Paper, Purpur, Spigot and, for the few that support it, Folia. If your server runs Fabric, Forge or NeoForge you need mods instead. See How to install mods on Forge, Fabric and NeoForge. To compare the two kinds, read Minecraft server types explained.

Plugins have full access to your server. Install only plugins from sources you trust, and back up first. See How to back up, restore and reset your Minecraft world.

Install a plugin from the Modding tab

The Modding tab searches several plugin catalogues at once and puts the file in the right folder for you.

1. Open your server in the panel and click Modding.
2. Click the Plugins tab. If you do not see it, your server type does not run plugins. The tab explains this and names the types that do.
3. Type the plugin's name in Search plugins and press Enter. The Sort by menu can order results by Most downloaded or Recently updated.
4. Use the filters on the left if you need them. Source can be All sources, Modrinth, CurseForge, Hangar, SpigotMC or Polymart. Minecraft version starts on your server's own version.
5. Click Install on the row you want. The panel installs the newest build for the version shown in the Minecraft version filter, which starts on your server's version. To get an older build, change that filter, or download the jar yourself and upload it, as described below. Only pick a version your server can load.
6. If the plugin needs other plugins to work, a window opens that lists them, and its button reads Install 2 files or similar. Click it to install the plugin together with what it needs.
7. Restart the server so it loads the plugin. The panel does not restart it for you after a single install. See How to start, stop, restart and force-stop your server.

Plugins are only read when the server starts, so a plugin you installed does nothing until the restart.

What the badges mean

A plugin whose listing does not name your Minecraft version simply installs, with no warning. It often still works, but check the Console after the restart.

A Paper server accepts plugins listed for Paper, Spigot or Bukkit. A Purpur server accepts those too, plus plugins listed for Purpur. A Spigot server accepts plugins listed for Spigot or Bukkit, so a plugin made only for Paper will not install on it.

Install a plugin by uploading the file

Use this for a plugin you downloaded yourself, such as one that is not in the catalogues.

1. Download the plugin's .jar file from its official page. Hangar, Paper's own plugin site, is the place the Paper documentation recommends. Modrinth is another good one.
2. Open your server and click Files.
3. Open the plugins folder.
4. Click Upload and choose the .jar file. For many files, use SFTP. See How to connect to your server files with SFTP.
5. Restart the server.

Put the jar straight inside plugins. The Paper documentation says plugins in subfolders of plugins are not loaded. Some plugins are sold on sites that do not allow automatic downloads. Those you must download in your browser and upload yourself.

Check that the plugin loaded

1. Open the Console tab and watch the start. Look for the plugin's name and for lines marked as errors. The Errors filter shows only those.
2. When the server is Online, type plugins in the Console and press Enter. It lists the plugins the server knows. See How to use the console and run commands.

If the plugin is missing or the Console shows an error that names it, the plugin is probably built for a different Minecraft version or needs another plugin first. Read the plugin's own page for what it needs.

Change a plugin's settings

Most plugins create a folder with their own name inside plugins the first time they run, usually holding a config.yml. Open it from Files, edit it, save, and restart the server. The panel's Settings page does not list plugin files. It lists the server's own files, such as Bukkit Settings, Spigot Settings and Purpur Settings, when they exist.

Update and remove plugins

1. Open Modding, then Plugins, then the Installed view.
2. A plugin with a newer build shows both versions, such as 2.9.1 → 2.12.1, and an Update button. A bar at the top offers to update all of them at once. Updating replaces the plugin file only and leaves its settings alone. The old file is removed once the new one is in place.
3. To remove one, open its ... menu and click Uninstall. Tick Also delete its configuration and data only if you will not use the plugin again. It deletes the plugin's own folder, which holds its settings and what it saved, such as homes or claims.
4. Restart the server so the change applies.

Never keep two versions of the same plugin in plugins. The server may refuse to load either. The panel removes the old file for you when you update, but a file you uploaded by hand is yours to remove.

If the server will not start after a plugin

1. Open Files, then plugins, and delete the newest plugin you added. Leave its settings folder alone in case you want the plugin back.
2. Start the server. If it starts, the plugin was the cause.
3. If it still fails, restore the backup you took before. See How to create, download and restore backups.

For a full checklist, read How to fix a server that will not start. Plugins and lag are covered in How to reduce lag on your Minecraft server.

Good plugins to start with

These are long-running, widely used plugins, each with its own page on Modrinth or Hangar:

• LuckPerms manages ranks and permissions. See How to op yourself and manage permissions.
• EssentialsX adds the everyday commands, such as homes and warps. Some plugins need another plugin installed beside them. The panel lists those before it installs.
• WorldEdit edits large parts of the world quickly, for builders.

Read each plugin's page for the Minecraft versions it supports before you install it.