Summary
- Syncing saves between computers in Minecraft is not natively supported and requires you to set up some type of transfer method manually.
- Flash drives can be used to move Minecraft saves between devices, though it’s a more hands-on approach. Utilizing cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive, or even automation like Syncthing, can let you play Minecraft save across multiple computers.
- The best option is to not sync your saves at all, and just run a single-player Minecraft server to access your game from anywhere, no downloading world saves required.
Minecraft is still a great game, all these years later. However, unlike most games in 2025, there’s no native way to sync your saved games or worlds with other computers outside of Realms, which is only available for the Bedrock edition. Here’s how I synced Minecraft between six computers (and how it could easily be even more).
Why Sync Your Minecraft World?
While many games sync your progress to the cloud, Minecraft Java Edition does no such thing. Minecraft Bedrock offers the ability to start up a Realms server, but that costs money every month when you already pay for cloud storage elsewhere.
Because Minecraft doesn’t sync natively, if you ever want to play your world on another computer, or even just back it up in case your computer dies, then you need to do it manually.
Really, those are the two main reasons to keep your Minecraft world synced between devices. I sync my Minecraft world with a server, and have accessed it with at least six devices, but I could play from many more.
A Flash Drive Makes for Easy Save Transfers
The original way I moved my Minecraft save between devices was with a simple flash drive. You could use an external hard drive, SSD, or a traditional thumb drive for this method.
Minecraft puts all your world saves in a convenient folder that can simply be moved from computer to computer. For Minecraft Java Edition, open the Minecraft launcher, select Installations, and then hover over the install you want to access. Click the folder icon, and it’ll bring you to where the files are stored.
Once you’re in the folder, navigate to the saves folder, and then you’ll see all of your worlds there.
To move the saves to another computer, just do the same and put your world folder into saves on the destination system.
While moving files to multiple machines with a flash drive is very manual, it got the job done for me in the beginning before I started to try other automated methods.
Use Cloud Storage Like Google Drive or Dropbox to Sync Between Computers
After moving files with a flash drive, I switched things up to using Dropbox to sync my Minecraft saves.
This was a bit more difficult to set up, but it still worked just fine once configured. This time around, instead of just backing up my world and restoring it, I completely changed the working directory for Minecraft.
While relatively easy to do, you do have to move quite a few more files. What I did was create a folder called Minecraft in my Dropbox and then went through the same process as I did above, clicking the folder icon on the install screen of the launcher. From there, I coped all the contents of that folder over to the new “Minecraft” folder on my Dropbox.
Back in the Minecraft launcher, click the three dots to the left of the folder icon, then hit Edit. Change the Game Directory entry here to point to the Dropbox folder. Now, when Minecraft is launched, it’s looking at the Dropbox folder instead of the local folder on your computer.
Doing this means that all the Minecraft files will be backed up to the cloud, and they can also be synced to other computers just the same. Just make sure that Dropbox and Google Drive are set to keep the files local on the computer instead of storing them exclusively in the cloud, or things won’t work quite right.
For Minecraft Bedrock players, you can actually set up cloud storage on the device and then just download the world and move it into place. It won’t be quite as automated, but I was able to move a Minecraft Bedrock save between my iPad and desktop through Google Drive, and back again with ease.
Your Minecraft save will be in a different location on Android and iOS/iPadOS, so follow Mojang’s official documentation for handling the saves. Either way, it works great and is a solid choice for backing up and transferring even your mobile saves without having to pay for Realms.
Syncthing will keep multiple computers always up-to-date
While cloud storage is great, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I’ll admit, I’ve not used Syncthing personally to keep Minecraft up to date. However, since discovering it, I’ve used it to sync quite a few things, and it works great, so here’s how I’d use it for Minecraft.
Once you have two (or more) Syncthing instances set up, you can simply link folders to sync between the machines. These folders can be located anywhere on any of the systems, and told where to sync specifically on each device.
Syncthing also offers one-way syncing, where your main computer sends the files to a remote server for backup, or it can do bidirectional syncing. Bidirectional syncing is ideal for keeping multiple computers in sync with your Minecraft world, instead of just backing it up.
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Syncthing should also be able to run when not on the same network, though some reconfiguration might have to happen for it to function properly that way. Locally, however, Syncthing is a great choice to keep your laptop and desktop Minecraft instances in sync.
Run a Single-Player Server for Easy Access Anywhere You Are
My personal favorite way to sync my Minecraft world is with a single-player server. This is how I easily achieved playing the same world on six devices, and how I could do it on even more.
While running a single-player server is technically not syncing the world, it enables remote access, so you can play the same save from anywhere. In fact, I’ve accessed my Minecraft world from the tire store when having my vehicle serviced, from my in-laws during the holidays, in another state when visiting family, and just from my couch instead of my desk.
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Setting up a single-player server is just as easy as a multiplayer server. Put yourself on the allow list exclusively and don’t share the server information with anyone else. Doing this essentially makes it a server for you and you only. However, if you want to open it up in the future, it’s pretty easy to do so.
Running a single-player server also means that you don’t have to set something up on another computer to enjoy your save. While at my in-laws, for instance, I just launched Minecraft and typed the server info in after logging into my Minecraft account. For Syncthing or cloud storage, I’d have to set things up, configure storage, and then hope the syncing worked outside my network properly before I could play.
The server-based save is truly the most versatile option on this list and one that I hope you try out as you aim to sync your Minecraft worlds between different devices.
Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox game where you can build, explore, and create at your own pace. Whether you’re crafting masterpieces, battling creatures, or simply exploring, the world is yours to shape and enjoy, with endless possibilities for solo or community play.
