Back up your Minecraft Bedrock server world while it runs with three console commands: save hold, save query and save resume. Copy the listed files in between and your backup stays valid.
The server supports taking backups of the world files while the server is running. It's not particularly friendly for taking manual backups, but works better when automated. The backup (from the server's perspective) consists of three commands.
Minecraft Bedrock server backup commands
save hold- This will ask the server to prepare for a backup. It's asynchronous and will return immediately.save query- After callingsave holdyou should call this command repeatedly to see if the preparation has finished. When it returns a success it will return a file list (with lengths for each file) of the files you need to copy. The server will not pause while this is happening, so some files can be modified while the backup is taking place. As long as you only copy the files in the given file list and truncate the copied files to the specified lengths, then the backup should be valid.save resume- When you're finished with copying the files you should call this to tell the server that it's okay to remove old files again.
Back up your Bedrock world step by step
- Open your server console in the game panel.
- Type
save holdand press Enter. - Type
save queryand repeat it until it returns a success with the file list. - Copy exactly the files in that list, for example with SFTP, and truncate each copy to the length shown next to it.
- Type
save resumeso the server can remove old files again.
Always finish with save resume. Until you run it, the server holds on to old files it would otherwise remove.
Just want a copy of the whole server? A backup from the game panel is easier: see How to backup your game server, or Backing up your entire Minecraft server if your server is on the Minecraft game panel.
Bedrock backup questions
How do I back up a Minecraft Bedrock server world?
Run save hold in the server console, then save query until it returns the file list. Copy only those files, truncated to the lengths shown, and finish with save resume. The server keeps running the whole time.
What is the Minecraft Bedrock server save command?
Bedrock Dedicated Server uses save hold, save query and save resume for backups. save hold prepares the world files, save query tells you when they are ready and which files to copy, and save resume lets the server carry on as normal.
Do I need to stop the server to back it up?
No. These commands are made for backups while the server is running. Some files can change during the copy, which is why you copy only the listed files and truncate them to the lengths save query gives you.
Want your own Bedrock server? See our Minecraft Bedrock server hosting.
Related guides
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