How to Add Addons on Bedrock Dedicated Server (Step-by-Step Guide)

A Bedrock Dedicated Server is like the foundation of your Minecraft world, and addons are like the custom rooms, smart lighting, and upgrades you build on top of it.

Addons on a Bedrock Dedicated Server help transform a basic Minecraft world into a customized multiplayer experience with new mobs, blocks, textures, gameplay mechanics, and features. Whether you want custom weapons, realistic textures, survival enhancements, or mini-game mechanics, Bedrock addons make it possible without changing the core game installation.

In this blog, we will explore how to add addons on a Bedrock Dedicated Server, how to download, extract, and configure addons. correctly, from start to finish, your players can enjoy a customized server experience without any hiccups.

How to Add Addons on a Bedrock Dedicated Server (Step-by-Step Guide)

Here is the complete process to install addons on your Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server.

Step 1: Download Your Addon

Visit a trusted site such as CurseForge or MCPEDL and download your chosen addon. It will typically be a .mcaddon, .mcpack, or .zip file. Save it to your desktop.

Take note of whether the addon includes a behaviour pack, a resource pack, or both.

Step 2: Extract the Addon Files on Your PC

Your Bedrock Dedicated Server cannot load .mcaddon or .mcpack files directly; you must extract them first.

• Rename the .mcaddon or .mcpack file extension to .zip.
• Right-click the file and extract it using 7-Zip or WinRAR.
• After extraction, you should see one or two folders which is, one for the behavior pack and one for the resource pack. Each folder must contain a manifest.json file at its root.

Important: If you see a folder nested inside another folder (double nesting), move the inner folder up one level. The structure must be: YourAddon_BP/manifest.json — not YourAddon_BP/YourAddon_BP/manifest.json.

Step 3: Connect to Your Server via SFTP

Open FileZilla or WinSCP and connect to your server using the SFTP credentials from your hosting panel (hostname, port, username, and password).

Step 4: Upload Pack Folders to the Correct Server Directories

On your server, navigate to the root directory. You will see behavior_packs and resource_packs folders. Upload your extracted folders into the correct locations:

Step 5: Get the UUID and Version from manifest.json

Open the manifest.json file inside each pack folder with a text editor. Locate the “header” section and copy the “uuid” and “version” values.

Use the UUID under “header” only – not the one under “modules”. These are different values.

Step 6: Create and Edit world_behaviour_packs.json

On your server, navigate to /worlds/[YourWorldName]/. If the file world_behavior_packs.json does not exist, create it. Add the following, replacing the placeholder with the actual UUID and version you copied:

Step 7: Repeat for world_resource_packs.json

Create or edit world_resource_packs.json in the same world folder using the UUID and version from the resource pack’s manifest.json.

Before saving, paste your JSON into jsonlint.com to validate the syntax. A single misplaced comma or bracket will prevent the pack from loading, and the server will give no obvious warning.

Step 8: Restart Your Server

Start your server and watch the console output. A successful addon load will confirm the pack name. If errors appear, refer to the troubleshooting section below.

How to Run Multiple Addons on a Bedrock Dedicated Server?

Running multiple addons simultaneously is straightforward. For each additional addon, upload its BP and RP folders to the matching server directories, then add a new entry to both JSON files:

Each pack_id must correspond exactly to the UUID in that pack’s manifest.json header. If two addons modify the same game element (e.g., both change a mob’s behaviour), they may conflict. Test one addon at a time when troubleshooting conflicts.

How to Add Addons to an Existing Bedrock Server World?

Adding addons to a world that is already in use requires a few additional steps, as the world needs to be prepared through the Bedrock client first.

• Stop your server and download the world folder from /worlds/ via SFTP.
• Copy the world folder to your local Minecraft Bedrock worlds directory: C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds\
• Launch Minecraft Bedrock on your PC and find the world in your single-player list.
• Click the edit (pencil) button on the world, navigate to Behavior Packs and Resource Packs, and activate the addons you want.
• Exit Minecraft completely, then re-upload the modified world folder back to your server’s /worlds/ directory, overwriting the old one.
• Upload the pack folders to the server’s /behavior_packs/ and /resource_packs/ directories as described in the main guide above.
• Restart the server.

What is a Bedrock Dedicated Server?

A Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS) is an official server software released by Mojang that allows players on Bedrock Edition, including Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, to connect and play together. Unlike Realms, a dedicated server gives you full control over the world settings, game rules, and add-on configuration. You can self-host it on your own machine or rent one from a hosting provider.

The BDS software is available as a free download from the official Minecraft website. It runs on both Windows and Ubuntu Linux.

What Are Bedrock Addons?

Addons are the Bedrock Edition equivalent of mods. According to Minecraft’s official Help Center, addons allow you to transform the way things look and behave in the game. They are split into two components:

• Behaviour Packs: Change game logic: mob behaviour, loot tables, crafting recipes, spawn rules, and custom scripts.
• Resource Packs: Change visuals and audio: textures, 3D models, sounds, and UI elements.

Addons typically come in the following file formats:

Behaviour Pack vs Resource Pack

Addons are split into two distinct pack types, and each can work independently or together:

• Behavior Pack (BP): Runs server-side. It controls the logic of your world, like entity behaviors, loot tables, crafting, game rules, and JavaScript/TypeScript scripts. All players on the server are affected automatically.
• Resource Pack (RP): Runs client-side. It controls visuals and sounds such as textures, models, and UI changes. Players need to download the resource pack locally to see the visual changes in-game.

In most cases, a full addon includes both. When you extract a .mcaddon file, you’ll find two separate folders inside, one for BP and one for RP, each containing its own manifest.json file.

Things to Keep in Mind Before You Begin with Addons on Bedrock Dedicated Server

Before you start installing addons on your Bedrock Dedicated Server, go through this checklist:

• Stop your server before editing any world files or uploading packs; editing files while the server is running can corrupt them.
• Use addons from trusted sources only, like CurseForge, MCPEDL, or Planet Minecraft.
• Marketplace addons will not work on a dedicated server (to know why, read the detailed section).
• Your resource pack version must match your server version, as mismatched versions cause silent loading failures.
• Have a text editor ready, such as Notepad++ or VS Code, for editing JSON files. Plain Notepad can introduce encoding issues.
• Have an SFTP client installed, such as FileZilla or WinSCP, to transfer files to your server.
• Back up your world folder before making any changes, especially on an existing world.

Common Issues When Bedrock Dedicated Server Addons Don’t Work and How to Fix Them?

Pro tip: Enable Minecraft’s Content Log under Creator Settings when testing on a local world. It displays which packs loaded and shows detailed error messages for any that failed.

Can You Use Marketplace Addons on Bedrock Dedicated Server?

No, marketplace content purchased from the official Minecraft Marketplace is license-restricted. Marketplace content is licensed only to the purchasing account and is intended for solo worlds or Realms. Hosting it on a public dedicated server violates that license. Even if the files are uploaded, encrypted Marketplace addons will not load correctly on a BDS and may prevent players from joining.

Only use addons distributed as downloadable files from third-party sites. These are not encrypted and are compatible with the dedicated server software.

From Where to Download Addons Safely?

Always download the .mcaddon or .mcpack file directly. Skip any pop-up ads or unrelated download buttons, and never run .exe files from addon sites.

Conclusion

Installing addons on a Bedrock Dedicated Server comes down to four core actions: extract the addon on your PC, upload the behaviour and resource pack folders to the right server directories, register each pack in the world’s JSON files using the correct UUID and version, and restart. Once that process is clear, running multiple addons or adding them to an existing world becomes straightforward.

The most common mistakes are using the wrong UUID, skipping JSON validation, or uploading Marketplace content but you can now avoid all of that by following the checklist provided in this guide. Bookmark it, follow the steps carefully, and your server will be running custom addons reliably from your very first install.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can you add addons to a Bedrock Dedicated Server?

Ans. Yes, you can install behaviour packs and resource packs on a Bedrock Dedicated Server by extracting the addon files, uploading them to the correct server directories via SFTP, and registering them in your world’s world_behavior_packs.json and world_resource_packs.json files.

Q2. Where do I put addons in Bedrock Server?

Ans. Behavior pack folders go into /behavior_packs/, and resource pack folders go into /resource_packs/ at the root of your server directory. You also need to register each pack’s UUID and version in the JSON files inside your world folder at /worlds/[WorldName]/.

Q3. Why are my addons not working?

Ans. The most common reasons are: the UUID in your world JSON file doesn’t match the one in manifest.json’s header section; the JSON file has a syntax error; the pack folder has double-nested subfolders; or the addon version is incompatible with your current server version. Validate your JSON at jsonlint.com and double-check the UUID source.

Q4. Do addons require experimental mode?

Ans. Some addons that use features still in the development phase, such as certain scripting APIs or experimental game rules, do require experimental gameplay to be enabled. The addon’s download page will state if this is required. You can enable experimental features when creating or editing a world in the Bedrock client before uploading it to your server.

Q5. Do addons stay active after restarting the server?

Ans. Yes, once correctly registered in world_behavior_packs.json and world_resource_packs.json, addons remain active across all server restarts. You only need to modify the JSON files again when adding, removing, or updating an addon.

Q6. Do all players need to download the resource pack?

Ans. Yes, because resource packs are a client-side thing, each player needs the pack installed locally to see the visual changes. Behaviour packs are server-side and affect all players automatically without any action on their end.

Q7. What is the difference between .mcaddon and .mcpack?

Ans. An .mcaddon file is a bundle that contains both a behaviour pack and a resource pack together. An .mcpack file contains only one, either a behaviour pack or a resource pack, but not both. When you extract either format, you end up with the same folder structure internally.

Q8. How do I add multiple addons to a Bedrock server?

Ans. Upload each addon’s behaviour and resource pack folders to the respective server directories. Then add a separate entry, with the correct pack_id (UUID) and version, for each addon inside world_behavior_packs.json and world_resource_packs.json. Each entry must exactly match the UUID found in that pack’s manifest.json header.