How to add a behavior pack and resource pack to your Bedrock server through the panel, then switch them on for your world so they actually take effect.
Addons on Bedrock come in two parts: behavior packs (that change how things work) and resource packs (that change how things look). Most addons include both. Installing one is really two jobs: putting the pack files on the server, and then enabling them on the specific world you want to use them on. Uploading alone does nothing until you enable.
Before you start
- Have the addon files ready. Packs usually download as .mcpack or .mcaddon files, or as plain folders. You will need to unzip them into folders first, since the server reads folders, not the packed files. A .mcaddon is often just several packs bundled together.
- Know your world name. On the server the active world lives in a folder under worlds/, for example worlds/Bedrock level. If you are not sure, open the Files tab and look inside worlds/ for the folder that matches your world.
Where things live on the server
In the Files tab (the file manager in the panel) you will see these folders in the server root:
- behaviorpacks/` holds every behavior pack that is installed on the server.
- resourcepacks/` holds every resource pack.
- worlds/ holds your worlds. Each world folder is what you actually enable packs on.
A pack being present in behaviorpacks/ or resourcepacks/ just means it is available. It is not switched on until you tell the world to use it.
Step 1: upload the packs
- Stop the server first from the Console tab. Editing files while it is running can cause the changes to be overwritten or ignored.
- Open the Files tab in the panel.
- Go into the behaviorpacks/ folder and upload your behavior pack as a folder. Each pack should sit in its own subfolder, and that folder must contain the pack's manifest.json at its top level. If your pack came as a .mcpack`, unzip it on your computer first and upload the resulting folder.
- Go back and into resourcepacks/` and do the same for the resource pack, if the addon includes one.
A quick sanity check: behaviorpacks/YourPack/manifest.json should exist. If the manifest.json` is buried an extra folder deep, the server will not find the pack.
Step 2: enable the packs on your world
Both pack types usually need enabling on the specific world, and they are enabled through two small files inside the world folder:
- worldbehaviorpacks.json for behavior packs.
- worldresourcepacks.json for resource packs.
Each entry links a pack by its ID and version, both of which come from the pack's manifest.json.
- Open your world folder, for example worlds/Bedrock level.
- Open (or create, if it is missing) worldbehaviorpacks.json.
- Add an entry using the uuid and version from the behavior pack's manifest.json. The format looks like this:
```json
[
{
"pack_id": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
"version": [1, 0, 0]
}
]
```
Replace the packid with the pack's real UUID and the version` with its real version numbers. If the file already has entries, add yours to the list rather than replacing them.
- Do the same in worldresourcepacks.json for the resource pack, using that pack's UUID and version.
- Save both files, then start the server from the Console tab.
When players join, Bedrock will apply the behavior pack straight away, and it will offer or apply the resource pack depending on your server's resource pack settings.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing changed in game. The most common cause is the pack being uploaded but not enabled. Recheck worldbehaviorpacks.json and worldresourcepacks.json and confirm the UUIDs and versions match the manifests exactly.
- Server would not start after editing. A JSON file with a missing comma or bracket will stop the world loading. Paste the file into a JSON validator, fix the syntax, and try again. Keeping a copy of the original before you edit saves a lot of pain here.
- Pack not found. Check that the folder sits directly inside behaviorpacks/ or resourcepacks/ and that manifest.json is at the top level of that folder, not one folder deeper.
- Version mismatch. The version array in the world JSON must match the version in the pack's manifest.json. If they differ, the game ignores the pack.
- Resource pack not showing for players. Your server's resource pack policy affects whether packs are forced or optional. Check the relevant setting in server.properties or the Startup tab. On Bedrock the setting is texture-pack-required in server.properties: set it to true to force the pack, or false to make it optional.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.