Minecraft
How to install plugins on a Minecraft server
Step by step: how to install plugins on a Paper or Spigot Minecraft server, from the plugins folder to configuring and updating them.
4 min read · Updated Jul 28, 2026
Installing a plugin is mostly copying a .jar into the right folder and restarting. The catch is that plugins only work on server software that supports them, namely Paper, Spigot, or Bukkit, not the vanilla server.
This guide covers installing, configuring, and updating plugins, and works for plugins you download or ones you build yourself.
Step by step
- 1
Use a plugin-capable server
Plugins need Paper (recommended), Spigot, or Bukkit as the server jar. The vanilla Minecraft server does not load plugins. Most hosts let you switch the server type in one click.
- 2
Get the plugin .jar
Download the plugin, or build your own. Match it to a Minecraft version close to your server's, since a jar built for a very different version may fail to load.
- 3
Drop it in the plugins folder
Stop the server, place the .jar inside the server's plugins directory, and start the server again. The plugin loads on boot and usually creates its own config folder.
- 4
Configure it
Open the plugin's generated config.yml inside plugins/PluginName, change any settings, then run the plugin's reload command or restart the server to apply them.
- 5
Verify and manage
Run /plugins to confirm it loaded (it shows in green) and check the console for errors. To update, swap in the new .jar and restart; to remove, delete the jar and restart.
What you can build
- A custom /kit plugin with cooldowns
- An economy and shop plugin
- A land-claim protection plugin
- A wave-based mob arena minigame