How do I download and open a Minecraft world?

Who this is for: Minecraft players wanting to explore custom maps or transfer worlds between devices.


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Finding and Downloading Minecraft Worlds

There are several ways to get Minecraft worlds onto your device. You can download custom maps from community sites, export worlds from Realms, or transfer worlds between devices.

Downloading from Community Sites

Popular sites like Planet Minecraft, MinecraftMaps, and CurseForge host thousands of custom worlds. Look for the download button on the world’s page – files usually come as .zip or .rar archives. Make sure the world is compatible with your Minecraft version before downloading.

Exporting from Minecraft Realms

If you have a Realms subscription, you can download your world directly from the game. Go to your Realms list, click the pencil icon next to your world, then select “Download World.” The file will save to your device’s downloads folder.

Installing Downloaded Worlds

For Java Edition

Extract the downloaded world folder from its archive. Navigate to your Minecraft saves folder – on Windows, press Win+R, type %appdata%\.minecraft\saves and hit Enter. On Mac, go to ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves. Copy the extracted world folder into this saves directory.

For Bedrock Edition

Bedrock worlds use .mcworld files. Simply double-click the file and Minecraft will automatically import it. Alternatively, you can manually place world folders in the games/com.mojang/minecraftWorlds directory on Android or the equivalent location on other platforms.

Opening Your New World

Launch Minecraft and go to “Singleplayer” (Java) or “Play” then “Worlds” (Bedrock). Your imported world should appear in the list. Click on it and select “Play” to start exploring. If the world doesn’t show up, restart Minecraft and check that you placed the files in the correct directory.

Some worlds may require specific resource packs or mods to work properly – check the world’s description page for any additional requirements. Ready to dive into some amazing community-created adventures and start building your own epic worlds?

TL;DR

Download Minecraft worlds from community sites or export from Realms, then place the extracted folders in your saves directory. Launch the game and select your new world from the singleplayer menu.

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Joyst1ck

Gaming Writer & HTML5 Developer

Answering gaming questions—from Roblox and Minecraft to the latest indie hits. I write developer‑focused HTML5 articles and share practical tips on game design, monetisation, and scripting.

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