How to install data packs on a Minecraft server

A data pack changes the game with files only: new recipes, advancements, loot, structures, or even small mini-games. They run on Vanilla and on Paper, and need no plugin.

1. Find the right folder

Data packs live inside the world:

world/datapacks/

If your world folder is named something else, use that name (it is the level-name in server.properties). On Paper the Nether and End use the main world's data packs.

2. Upload the pack

A data pack is a .zip file, or a folder, with a pack.mcmeta file at its top. Open Files, go to world/datapacks, and upload the zip. Do not unzip it into a folder inside a folder: pack.mcmeta must be one level in.

3. Enable it

Restart the game, or run:

reload

Then check:

datapack list

Your pack should appear under enabled. If it is available instead, run datapack enable "file/mypack.zip".

4. Check the version

Each pack is made for a Minecraft version (pack_format in pack.mcmeta). A pack for another version may load with a warning or not work. Read the pack's page for the versions it supports.

Where to find packs

Modrinth and the Minecraft Wiki list many. Saryno also installs data packs for you from the Plugins tab, with the right folder already set.

Troubleshooting

Pack not listed: pack.mcmeta is in the wrong place, or the file is not a zip.
Pack listed but nothing happens: look at the console for errors after reload.
Worlds you move: a data pack stays with the world folder; if you move the world to a new server, the packs go with it.

For plugins, see how to install plugins.