How to install plugins on a Minecraft server?

Plugins add features to your server (area protection, mini-games, economy, permissions…). They require a Paper or Spigot server, not Vanilla. Here's how to do it, by hand and then in 1 click on a managed Minecraft server.

1. Switch to Paper or Spigot

The Vanilla server does not load plugins. Replace the server.jar with a Paper build (recommended: optimized and Spigot-compatible). On a host, this is done by changing the "server type" in the panel.

2. Download reliable plugins

Get your plugins in .jar format from recognized sources (SpigotMC, Hangar/PaperMC, Modrinth). Check that they are compatible with your version of Minecraft.

3. Drop the .jar files into /plugins

Place the .jar files in the server's plugins/ folder (via WebFTP or the panel's file explorer), then restart the server. Each plugin then creates its own configuration folder.

4. Configure each plugin

After the first startup, edit the config.yml files generated in plugins/PluginName/ to set the behavior, then reload or restart.

Install plugins one by one and test: an incompatible plugin can prevent the server from starting. If there's a problem, remove the last one added.

The 1-click version

The FlyPanel panel of our Minecraft servers lets you switch to Paper and install plugins in one click, without handling any files. A real time-saver when managing a community. Before adding plugins, make sure your server is properly set up: see How to configure a Minecraft server.