Updating your server software (Paper, Spigot, Forge, etc) is a very simple process. There are two ways to go about this.

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Manual update

  1. Download the latest version of the server software you are using from their respective websites:
  2. Stop your server and create a backup, just in case the update fails.
  3. Delete the old server software JAR file (usually named server.jar, double-check your startup command to make sure).
  4. Place the new JAR file in the same directory as the old one. Ensure the name of the JAR is the same, if it has changed, make sure the startup command reflects the change.
  5. Start your server, and run /version or /about to ensure the server is running the new version.

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Automatic update (via Fractal’s Heliactyl panel)

  1. Stop your server.
  2. Create a backup, just in case the update fails. You can do this by clicking the “Create Backup” button in the Backups tab.
  3. Head to the Advanced tab and ensure the MINECRAFT_VERSION is set to latest.
  4. Click the Reinstall button on the Settings page. This button overwrites the server.jar file with the latest version of the server software you are using.
  5. Start your server, and run /version or /about to ensure the server is running the new version.