How to Install Plugins on Your Minecraft Server

Plugins add features to your server without anyone installing anything: land claims, homes, permissions, anti-cheat, voice chat. The panel has a built in browser that searches Modrinth, SpigotMC, CurseForge, Hangar and Polymart and installs straight into your server, so you never have to download a jar yourself.

1Make Sure Your Server Can Run Plugins

• Plugins need a plugin capable server type: Paper, Spigot, Purpur or similar. A Vanilla server cannot run them at all.
• Check the Versions page in the left menu. If it says Vanilla, switch to Paper first. See how to change my server type.
• Paper is the usual choice: it runs Spigot and Bukkit plugins and performs better than Vanilla.

2Open the Plugins Page

• Log in to your game panel and click your Minecraft server.
• Click Plugins in the left menu under GAME SERVER.
• Set Loader to the server type you are running and Minecraft version to your version. This filters out plugins that would not work.

3Find and Install

• Search by name, or browse. Provider switches between Modrinth, SpigotMC, CurseForge, Hangar and Polymart.
• Press Install next to the plugin you want. It downloads into your server's plugins/ folder.
• Install everything you want before restarting, rather than restarting between each one.

4Restart the Server

• Go to Console and press Restart.
• Plugins are loaded at startup, so nothing happens until you restart.
• Watch the console as it boots. Each plugin announces itself, and anything broken complains here first.

5Configure It

• Most plugins create a folder under plugins/ with a config file the first time they run.
• Open Files, go to plugins/, find the plugin's folder and edit its config.
• Restart again after editing, or use the plugin's own reload command if it has one.

Good to Know

• Match the version. A plugin built for 1.20 usually will not load on a newer server. If the console reports a plugin failing at startup, a version mismatch is the first thing to check.
• Use the Installed plugins tab. It lists what is on the server, which is the quickest way to find something you no longer want.
• Plugins are server side. Your players do not install anything. That is the main practical difference between plugins and modpacks.
• Add a few at a time. If the server misbehaves after installing ten plugins, you have ten suspects.

Finished

Your plugins are installed and running. Take a backup now that the server boots cleanly, so you have a known good copy before the next change.