How to Change the World Seed on Your Minecraft Server
Set or change the world generation seed on your Minecraft Java server. Includes how to find the current seed and warnings about world regeneration.
The world seed determines how Minecraft generates terrain, biomes, structures, and ore placement. Same seed + same version = identical world layout.
Important: Seeds only apply when the world is first generated. Changing the seed on an existing world has no effect — you'd need to delete the world folder to regenerate.
Set a Seed for a New World
Stop the server
In the XGamingServer Panel, go to Console and stop your server.
Open server.properties
Click Files in the sidebar and open server.properties.
Set level-seed
level-seed=your_seed_hereSeeds can be:
- Numbers:
12345 - Text strings:
my awesome world(hashed to a number) - Empty (random):
level-seed=
Save and start
If this is a fresh server with no existing world, the new seed takes effect on first start.
Change Seed on an Existing Server
To use a new seed when you already have a world, you need to delete the world folder:
Create a backup
In the XGamingServer Panel, go to Backups and save your current world. This is irreversible without a backup.
Set the new seed
In server.properties, change level-seed to your new value.
Delete the world folder
Click Files and delete the world/ folder (and world_nether/, world_the_end/ if present).
Start the server
A new world generates with your seed.
Warning: Deleting the world folder erases all player builds, progress, inventories, and chests. Always back up first.
Find Your Current Seed
In-game with OP permissions:
/seedThis prints the current world's seed to the chat. Useful for sharing the seed with others or saving it before a wipe.
Popular Seed Sources
- Chunkbase — visual seed map preview, structure finder
- Minecraft Seeds — categorized seed lists
- r/MinecraftSeeds — community-shared seeds with screenshots
Special Seed Notes
| Behavior | Detail |
|---|---|
| Java vs Bedrock | Same seed produces different worlds across editions |
| Version-locked | Same seed produces different terrain across major Minecraft versions (e.g., 1.18 cave update changed everything below Y=0) |
| Text seeds | Are hashed to numbers internally — level-seed=hello works |
| Empty seed | Generates a truly random seed on first start |
Related Guides
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Minecraft Bedrock Server Guides
Complete guides to set up, configure, and manage your Minecraft Bedrock Edition dedicated server at XGamingServer.