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To restore a Simple Backups world safely, stop the server, preserve the current world, identify the exact Minecraft/loader/mod versions, and locate the configured backup directory. Then use the restore procedure documented for the specific Simple Backups release you installed. The current project page and versioned wiki document creating, pausing, merging, and locating backups, but they do not publish a universal native restore command or a complete archive-extraction procedure. That means a copy-and-paste restore command would be unsafe to invent.
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This guide shows what is established, how to prepare a reversible recovery, how to handle full and incremental backup sets, and what to verify before players return.
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Simple Backups is a server-only Minecraft: Java Edition mod for scheduled world backups. The project is maintained by MelanX and supports Forge and NeoForge releases; the correct Minecraft version, loader, and mod file are release-specific prerequisites. A current CurseForge snapshot lists 54,481,635 downloads and a last update of September 30, 2026. Download totals and update dates change, so treat them as status information rather than a compatibility guarantee.
The mod can keep a chosen number of backups and enforce a maximum amount of disk space. When either limit is reached, it removes the oldest backup files according to its retention behavior. The documented manual command is /simplebackups backup start. An optional form, /simplebackups backup start <quiet (true/false)>, suppresses in-game messages when quiet is set to true.
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Those commands create backups; they do not, according to the cited current documentation, provide a documented, universal restore command. Restoration therefore depends on the archive format and release instructions for the files you have. Do not run an assumed command copied from a different version.
Before touching the backup: make recovery reversible
A restore replaces the newest state of a world with an older state. The first objective is to ensure that a failed attempt can be undone.
- Stop the server cleanly. Use the server console or hosting control panel’s stop action and wait until the process has exited. Never replace world files while the server is still saving.
- Make a safety copy of the live world. Copy the entire active world directory to a separate location, with a date and time in the name. Preserve the server configuration and mod configuration as well if you may need to reproduce the current environment.
- Record the environment. Write down the Minecraft version, Forge or NeoForge version, Simple Backups version, world folder name, and the point in time you are trying to recover. A backup made for one release should not be treated as interchangeable with a file from another release.
- Prevent automatic cleanup during investigation. Keep the server stopped while you inspect files. If retention limits are tight, starting the server could create another backup or trigger deletion before you have copied the set you need.
The safety copy is not optional: it preserves the latest player builds, inventories, and mod data in case the selected backup is older than expected or the release-specific restore procedure fails.
Confirm the exact Minecraft and mod release
Simple Backups files are published for particular Minecraft Java versions and loaders. Forge and NeoForge files should not be assumed interchangeable simply because both are supported by the project.
- Check the server’s Minecraft version, including the minor version.
- Check whether the server runs Forge or NeoForge and note that loader’s version.
- Check the Simple Backups jar filename and installed version in the server’s
modsdirectory. - Use the matching project file from the project’s CurseForge or Modrinth listing when you need to reinstall or temporarily reproduce the environment.
Keep the same mod set while inspecting a recovered world whenever possible. A missing content mod can make blocks, entities, dimensions, or inventories appear absent even though the backup itself is intact.
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Find where Simple Backups stored the files
The default output path is a directory named simplebackups, normally alongside the server files. The actual location is controlled by the outputPath setting, so a server that has been customized may store backups elsewhere.
Check the configured path
- With the server stopped, open the Simple Backups configuration file for the installed release.
- Read the
outputPathvalue. If it is unchanged, inspect thesimplebackupsdirectory beside the server installation. - Check
createSubDirs. When enabled, the mod can create separate subdirectories for different worlds, so do not select the first archive you see without checking its parent folder and world name. - List files by modification time and copy the entire relevant backup directory to a temporary recovery location before extracting or merging anything.
Do not confuse the backup output directory with the live world directory. The live world is the folder named by the server’s world setting; the backup directory is determined by Simple Backups’ output configuration.
Choose the right backup set
Match the backup timestamp to the event you are trying to undo. If a player reports griefing at 18:40, a backup from before 18:40 is relevant; a later file may already contain the unwanted change. Also consider the mod’s real-time timer and whether anyone was online when the backup should have been created.
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, not on in-game ticks. A server that was empty and stopped for several hours may therefore have no file corresponding to the wall-clock interval you expected.
Full backups
A full backup is intended to contain the complete data set for the world at that point. Before using it, confirm that the archive includes the world data you need and that its timestamp is the one you selected. Keep the original archive untouched; perform any extraction or conversion on a copy.
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Incremental backups and onlyModified
When onlyModified is enabled, a file may contain only changes since an earlier backup. The newest file by itself is not necessarily a complete world. The wiki warns that complete restoration requires the older backups in the chain.
Retain every earlier file required by that chain. Do not delete files merely because their timestamps are older, and do not copy only the newest incremental archive to another machine. Simple Backups documents /simplebackups mergeBackups for merging incremental backups in the configured output directory. Treat merging as a release-specific operation: preserve an untouched copy first, and run it only where the installed documentation says it is supported.
How to perform the release-specific restore
The exact replacement action depends on what the installed release produces and what its documentation instructs. The safe workflow below separates the decisions you can make now from the command or extraction step that must be verified for your release.
- Work on a copy. Copy the selected full archive, or the complete incremental chain, into a temporary recovery directory. Leave the originals in the configured output path.
- Identify the archive format. Use the file extension and the release documentation to determine whether the backup is an archive that must be extracted, a directory tree that can be copied, or an incremental set that must be merged first. Do not rename an archive and assume that changes its format.
- Merge when required. If
onlyModifiedwas enabled, preserve all prerequisite files and use the documentedmergeBackupsoperation for that release, or follow the release’s stated equivalent. Confirm that the result represents a complete world before replacing the live directory. - Follow the installed release’s restore instructions. Use the project page, versioned wiki, or release notes corresponding to the exact jar. The currently cited pages do not provide a universal restore command, so there is no safe generic command to paste here.
- Replace only after validation. Rename the existing live world directory rather than deleting it, then place the verified recovered world at the path the server expects. Keeping the old directory beside the recovered one gives you a rollback option.
- Preserve ownership and permissions. On a hosted Linux server, the account that runs Minecraft must be able to read and write the recovered files. On Windows, ensure the service account has equivalent access. Permission errors can look like a damaged world.
- Start in a controlled test. Start the server with the same Minecraft version, loader, and mod set. Watch the console for missing dimensions, registry errors, rejected data packs, or region-file warnings before allowing players to connect.
This procedure deliberately avoids presenting an unverified extraction command. Archive tools, directory layouts, and any in-game restore feature can vary by release; using instructions for another version can overwrite the wrong folder or produce an incomplete world.
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Validate the recovered world before reopening it
Do not treat a successful server start as proof that recovery is complete. Use an operator account and inspect the data that matters to your players.
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- Enter the main world and visit areas that were changed around the incident.
- Check player inventories, ender chests, experience, locations, and advancement data for several affected accounts.
- Visit every important dimension, including modded dimensions, and confirm that portals and world borders behave normally.
- Open chests, machines, farms, and other modded blocks to verify that block entities and stored contents loaded.
- Review the console for errors that may not stop startup but indicate missing mods or damaged region files.
- Ask a trusted player to test interaction, combat, redstone, and mod-specific machines before normal play resumes.
If the recovered state is wrong, stop the server, restore the safety copy you made before the attempt, and select another timestamp or rebuild the incremental chain. Do not repeatedly experiment on the only copy of the live world.
Settings that affect what your backup contains
The versioned wiki lists these defaults. They can change between releases, so check the configuration generated by your installed version rather than assuming every server has the same values.
| Setting | Documented default | What it means during recovery |
|---|---|---|
timer |
120 minutes | Automatic backup timing is measured in real time. A different value changes which timestamps are available. |
backupsToKeep |
10 | Once the retention count is reached, older files can be removed. Keep an external copy when you need a longer history. |
maxDiskSize |
25 GB | The configured storage ceiling can cause older backups to be deleted as the directory grows. |
saveAll |
true | Saving all data is the safer recovery baseline. The wiki warns that disabling it can leave player inventories insufficiently synchronized in a backup. |
outputPath |
simplebackups |
Determines where files are written; a custom value overrides the default beside the server files. |
createSubDirs |
Not stated as a universal default | When enabled, separate world subdirectories can make the correct world easier to identify but require checking the nested path. |
onlyModified |
Release/configuration dependent | When enabled, restoration needs the earlier chain rather than only the newest file. |
| Compression level | -1 |
The documented balance setting. Level 0 uses less CPU and creates larger files; level 9 uses more CPU for greater compression. |
Compression changes storage and backup time, not the need to preserve a complete incremental chain. A highly compressed file is not automatically a full backup.
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Create a manual backup before maintenance
From the server console or as an operator, run:
/simplebackups backup startTo suppress the in-game notification, use:
/simplebackups backup start trueThe extended syntax is documented as /simplebackups backup start <quiet (true/false)>. A manual backup is a precaution before maintenance; it is not a restore operation.
Merge incremental files
The documented merge command is:
/simplebackups mergeBackupsRun it only with the required chain present in the configured output directory and only after preserving a separate copy. The command’s purpose is to merge incremental backups; it should not be used as a substitute for checking the release’s restoration instructions.
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Troubleshooting common recovery failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | Safe response |
|---|---|---|
No backups appear in simplebackups |
outputPath points elsewhere, or createSubDirs placed files under a world-specific folder. |
Read the installed configuration and search the configured path while the server is stopped. |
| The newest file will not produce a complete world | onlyModified was enabled and earlier chain files are missing. |
Recover the older files, copy the full chain, and merge it according to the release documentation. |
| Player inventories are older or empty | The selected timestamp predates the inventory change, or a backup was made with saveAll disabled. |
Try a later valid backup and keep saveAll enabled unless you have a deliberate, documented reason not to. |
| The server starts but blocks or dimensions are missing | The loader, Minecraft version, or content-mod set does not match the environment that created the backup. | Stop the server and reproduce the matching versions before judging the backup. |
| Files cannot be read or written | Ownership or permissions changed during copying. | Restore access for the account that runs the server, then retry on a copy. |
| There is no file for the expected time | Automatic creation depends on server operation and player activity; the timer uses real time. | Inspect all timestamps and check whether a player was online or had just logged out when the interval elapsed. |
Planning backups so the next restore is easier
Set retention and disk limits based on the value of the world, not only on the defaults. Ten backups and a 25 GB ceiling may be sufficient for a small server but may cover a short period on a large, modded world. Copy important backup sets to storage outside the server machine so a disk failure cannot remove both the live world and its history.
Keep saveAll enabled for ordinary operation. Choose compression with awareness of the trade-off: level 0 reduces CPU work but consumes more space, while level 9 saves more space at a higher CPU cost; -1 is documented as a balance. If you enable onlyModified, document the chain-handling procedure for anyone who may perform an emergency restore.
Before a major mod or loader upgrade, make a manual backup with /simplebackups backup start, record the versions, and retain the resulting files outside the normal cleanup directory. That gives you a known rollback point even if subsequent retention rules remove older archives.
Full versus incremental recovery at a glance
| Question | Full-backup mode | onlyModified mode |
|---|---|---|
| Can the newest file stand alone? | Generally intended to represent the complete selected world; verify its contents. | No. Earlier files in the chain may be required. |
| What must be preserved? | The selected archive and the original live-world safety copy. | The selected file plus every prerequisite backup in order. |
| What operation may be needed? | Release-specific extraction or directory replacement. | Documented mergeBackups processing before the release-specific restore step. |
| Main failure risk | Choosing the wrong timestamp or archive format. | Deleting or copying only the newest incremental file. |
The practical answer
Simple Backups can give you a usable recovery point, but the mod’s documented commands are primarily for creating and managing backups. A safe restore is therefore a controlled file-recovery exercise: stop the server, preserve the current world, match the exact release, locate outputPath, keep the complete chain when incrementals are enabled, follow the installed release’s verified restore instructions, and test every important dimension and inventory before reopening the server.
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