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What Simple Backups does—and what it does not document
Simple Backups is a server-only mod for Minecraft: Java Edition. Its project listing describes scheduled backups, configurable retention and a maximum storage limit. When those limits are reached, the oldest backup files are removed. The project has Forge and NeoForge files, so the Minecraft version and loader are part of the backup plan, not an afterthought.
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The documented manual command is /simplebackups backup start. The extended form is /simplebackups backup start <quiet (true/false)>; setting quiet to true suppresses in-game messages. The cited current project page and wiki also document pausing and unpausing, output paths, settings and /simplebackups mergeBackups. They do not document a standard restore command or a single, complete archive-extraction workflow that applies to every release.
That distinction changes the correct answer to “How do I restore?” You can prepare the server and select a valid backup with the steps below, but the final replacement or extraction action must come from the instructions for the exact Simple Backups file you installed, or from a verified manual process appropriate to that backup’s format. A backup is not safely restored merely by copying the newest file and starting the server.
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- PLAY TOGETHER — Play cross-platform with friends in Bedrock Edition on console, mobile, and PC, or join community servers in Java Edition on PC, Mac, and Linux. Online console multiplayer requires a platform-specific subscription (sold separately).
Check compatibility before touching the world
Use the same Minecraft version, mod loader and Simple Backups release that created the backup whenever possible. CurseForge and Modrinth list files for multiple modern Java Edition releases, and Forge and NeoForge files should not be treated as interchangeable. A loader mismatch can prevent the server from starting; a Minecraft or mod-version mismatch can alter world data or make another mod fail during loading.
| Item to identify | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Minecraft edition | Java Edition | Simple Backups is a server mod for Java Edition, not a Bedrock add-on. |
| Minecraft version | The exact version shown by the server and the backup’s creation environment | World formats and mod APIs are release-specific. |
| Loader | Forge or NeoForge | Use the matching loader build; do not assume one loader’s jar works on the other. |
| Simple Backups release | The installed jar’s version | Configuration names and any recovery instructions can change between releases. |
| World name | The live server world’s configured name | The restored files must be placed where this server expects that world. |
Keep a copy of the installed mod jar, the server’s mod list and the configuration files with your recovery notes. If you need to roll back again, those details let you recreate the environment that produced the backup.
Make a safety copy and a final backup
Never replace the live world without preserving it first. The current world may contain builds, inventory changes or player activity that happened after the selected backup. A separate copy gives you a way back if the restore is incomplete or the wrong timestamp was chosen.
- Tell players to leave the server and prevent new connections.
- Stop the Minecraft server cleanly. Do not copy a world while it is still writing region, player or mod data.
- Copy the entire live world directory to a location outside the server’s normal world path. Give the copy a date and time so it cannot be confused with the restore source.
- If the server is still running and you want a last known-good snapshot, start it, run
/simplebackups backup startfrom an operator-capable console or in-game account, wait for the backup to finish, then stop the server again. Use/simplebackups backup start truewhen you do not want the normal in-game notification. - Record the selected backup’s timestamp before making any files writable or deleting anything.
The command creates a fresh backup; it does not restore one. Running it before shutdown protects the latest state, but it does not remove the need to preserve the current world separately.
Find the Simple Backups directory
The default output path is a directory named simplebackups beside the server files. The actual location can differ when the outputPath setting has been changed. If createSubDirs is enabled, Simple Backups creates separate world subdirectories, so look inside the directory named for the relevant world rather than assuming every file is at the top level.
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- EXPLORE AND CRAFT — Discover biomes, resources, and mobs, then craft your way through a sandbox world filled with surprises.
- SURVIVE THE ADVENTURE — Face mysterious foes, travel across exciting landscapes, and venture into perilous dimensions.
- PLAY TOGETHER — Play cross-platform with friends in Bedrock Edition on console, mobile, and PC, or join community servers in Java Edition on PC, Mac, and Linux. Online console multiplayer requires a platform-specific subscription (sold separately).
- Open the server’s Simple Backups configuration for the installed release.
- Read the configured
outputPath. Resolve a relative path from the server’s working directory, not from a random file manager location. - Check whether
createSubDirsis enabled. If it is, identify the subdirectory matching the world you are recovering. - Sort the backup files by their embedded timestamp or file metadata. Do not rely only on the operating system’s “modified” column if files have been copied between disks.
- Keep the complete directory structure intact while you decide which backup to use.
If no simplebackups directory exists beside the server, do not immediately conclude that the backups are gone. A custom outputPath, a per-world subdirectory, a different server working directory or a separate backup disk can explain the missing folder. The configuration used by the server that created the backup is the authoritative place to start.
Determine whether the backup is full or incremental
Simple Backups can be configured with onlyModified. In that mode, later files may contain only changes since earlier backups. The newest file alone is therefore not necessarily a complete world.
Full-backup mode
When onlyModified is disabled, each scheduled backup is intended to represent a complete snapshot according to that release’s backup format. You still need the release-specific extraction or replacement instructions, but you can select one timestamp without reconstructing a chain.
Incremental mode
When onlyModified is enabled, retain every earlier backup required by the chain. Deleting an older file to save space can make a newer timestamp impossible to restore. Do not copy only the newest incremental file into the world directory.
The wiki documents /simplebackups mergeBackups, which merges incremental backups in the configured output directory. Run it only after the server is stopped and only after confirming the command’s behavior for your installed release. Preserve the original chain before merging so you have an untouched recovery set if the result is not what you expect.
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- EXPLORE AND CRAFT — Discover biomes, resources, and mobs, then craft your way through a sandbox world full of surprises.
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- PLAY TOGETHER — Play solo or join friends in local split-screen and cross-platform play across console, mobile, and PC. Online multiplayer supports up to 8 players.
- COMMUNITY PLAY — Connect with players on community servers, or subscribe to Realms Plus (sold separately) to play with up to 10 friends on a private server.
| Question | Full snapshot | onlyModified chain |
|---|---|---|
| Can the newest file stand alone? | Generally, subject to the release’s format instructions | No; earlier required files must remain available |
| What must be preserved? | The selected backup and its surrounding metadata | All predecessor files needed to reach the selected timestamp |
| Documented helper | No universal restore command is documented | /simplebackups mergeBackups is documented for merging |
Understand the settings that affect recovery
The versioned wiki lists these defaults. They are release-specific defaults, not promises that every installed version uses the same values.
| Setting | Documented default | Recovery consequence |
|---|---|---|
timer |
120 minutes | Scheduled creation is based on real time, subject to the server’s player-activity trigger. |
backupsToKeep |
10 | Older files can be deleted as the retention count is reached. |
maxDiskSize |
25 GB | Files can be removed when the configured storage ceiling is reached. |
saveAll |
true |
Player and world data are saved together; disabling it can leave inventories incompletely synchronized in a backup. |
| Compression level | -1 |
The documented balance between CPU use and file size; levels run from 0 (less CPU work, larger files) to 9 (more CPU work, greater compression). |
outputPath |
simplebackups |
Determines where the backup files are written. |
createSubDirs |
Release/configuration dependent | Can separate backups into world-specific directories. |
Automatic backups are triggered during server operation when at least one player is online, or after a player has just logged out. The timer is based on real time. A server that runs empty continuously may therefore not create a backup at the moment you expect, even if the timer interval has elapsed.
Use the correct restore path for your release
After you have stopped the server, preserved the live world and identified the backup, verify the restore mechanism in the documentation for the exact installed release. The current cited documentation establishes how to create, locate, pause, unpause and merge backups, but it does not establish a universal native restore command. Any article or script that supplies a command without checking the release is unsafe to copy blindly.
There are two legitimate approaches:
- Maintainer-documented recovery: follow the instructions attached to your exact CurseForge or Modrinth file, including any required merge or conversion step.
- Manual world replacement: if the backup format and extraction process are explicitly understood for that release, unpack the selected snapshot into the server’s expected world location while the server is stopped. This is a file-management operation, not a documented Simple Backups command.
Safe checks for a manual replacement
Because the cited wiki does not specify one archive type or folder layout, inspect before replacing anything:
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- Make a working copy of the selected backup; never experiment on the only original.
- Use an archive utility that supports the file’s actual extension. Do not rename an archive and assume its format changed.
- Open the archive’s top level and confirm that it contains the world data structure expected by the server, rather than an extra wrapper directory or a different world’s files.
- Compare the world name, timestamp and approximate size with your recovery notes. A file with a recent timestamp can still belong to another world.
- Move the live world directory to the safety location created earlier. Do not delete it until the restored server has been inspected and accepted.
- Place the extracted world at the exact path and directory depth expected by the server. An extra nested folder can make the server generate a new world instead of loading the backup.
- Keep the same mod set and configuration for the first boot. Changing several variables at once makes a failed recovery difficult to diagnose.
If you cannot determine the archive format, required folder layout or incremental merge order from the release documentation, stop at this point and obtain release-specific guidance. Guessing can overwrite the only usable copy or produce a world that appears to load while silently missing dimensions, player data or mod state.
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First boot after replacement
Start the server with the exact Minecraft version, loader, Simple Backups release and supporting mods recorded earlier. Watch the console from the beginning rather than joining immediately. A successful process should load the intended world, not create a fresh directory with the same-looking name.
- Confirm the expected world appears and the server does not report a missing or incompatible level format.
- Join with a test operator account before allowing players back in.
- Check several locations, including the main spawn area and at least one known build.
- Inspect player inventories, ender chests and the dimensions used by your community.
- Verify mod-specific blocks, machines, claims, permissions and other persistent data.
- Check that the server’s logs do not show region, player-data or mod-migration errors.
- Only after these checks should you reopen the server to normal play.
The saveAll setting matters here: the wiki warns that disabling it can leave player inventories not fully synchronized in a backup. Keep it enabled unless you have a deliberate, tested reason to change it.
Troubleshooting common restore failures
The backup folder is missing
Recheck outputPath, the server’s working directory and createSubDirs. Confirm that you are examining the machine and instance that actually ran the server. Also check whether retention or the maximum disk size removed older files.
The newest backup will not open as a complete world
Check whether onlyModified was enabled. Restore the complete predecessor chain or use the documented mergeBackups operation in a copy of the backup directory. Never delete the originals before validating the merged result.
The server starts a new world
Stop it immediately. The extracted files are probably in the wrong directory depth, under the wrong world name, or missing the expected top-level world data. Restore the preserved live copy while you correct the layout.
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The server crashes during loading
Compare Minecraft, Forge or NeoForge, Simple Backups and every other mod with the versions that created the snapshot. Read the first meaningful error in the log rather than repeatedly restarting. Restore the pre-recovery world if the crash risks further writes.
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Verify that the selected snapshot includes player and mod data, that saveAll was enabled when it was created, and that the relevant dimensions and data folders were extracted. An incremental backup missing an earlier predecessor can look like a partial restore.
There is no documented restore command
That is a documentation limitation, not a reason to invent syntax. Use the exact release notes or maintainer guidance, and treat any manual extraction as a separate, verified file operation. Keep both the original backup chain and the pre-restore live-world copy until the result has passed inspection.
Operational practices that make future restores easier
- Write down the Minecraft version, loader, mod versions, world name and configuration whenever you change the server.
- Test opening a copy of a backup periodically; a file that exists is not proof that the whole chain is usable.
- Choose
backupsToKeepandmaxDiskSizewith enough headroom for the largest expected world, especially when compression level changes. - Keep at least one backup set on storage separate from the live server. Retention cannot protect against a failed disk if both live data and backups share it.
- Preserve incremental predecessors until a verified full or merged snapshot has been tested.
- Before a major mod or Minecraft upgrade, create a manual backup and record the exact command result and timestamp.
Project and version context
CurseForge’s 2026 snapshot reports 54,481,635 downloads and a last update of September 30, 2026. Those figures are volatile and can change; they do not establish that every release has the same settings or recovery behavior. Always read the documentation attached to the file you installed.
The Bottom Line
Simple Backups can create and retain the snapshot you need, but a safe restore depends on the exact Minecraft version, Forge or NeoForge loader, mod release, backup path and—when onlyModified is enabled—the complete predecessor chain. Preserve the live world, verify the release-specific restore method, and do not use an undocumented command.
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