How to make a resource pack required on your server

Step by step

1. Check the zip

   Open the zip. pack.mcmeta and the assets folder must be at the top level, not inside another folder. A pack that works from your own resourcepacks folder can still fail from a server if it is zipped one level too deep.

2. Upload it somewhere with a direct link

   The link must start the download straight away, with no page in between. Paste it in a private browser window to test: if you see a web page with a download button, the server cannot use it. Your own web host, a CDN or a resource pack host all work.

3. Get the SHA-1 of the file

   The SHA-1 is a fingerprint of the file. Minecraft uses it to check the download and to cache the pack, so players do not download it again on every join.

   Windows:  certutil -hashfile MyPack.zip SHA1
   Linux:    sha1sum MyPack.zip
   macOS:    shasum -a 1 MyPack.zip

   Copy the 40 letter and number code.

4. Edit server.properties

   Stop the server and set these lines in server.properties:

   resource-pack=https://example.com/packs/MyPack.zip
   resource-pack-sha1=0f3a9c...your 40 characters...
   require-resource-pack=true
   resource-pack-prompt={"text":"This server uses a custom menu pack.","color":"gold"}

   require-resource-pack=true disconnects players who decline. The prompt is optional and is shown on the accept screen. Start the server and join to test.

5. Update it the right way

   When you change the pack, upload the new zip and put its new SHA-1 in server.properties. If the hash does not match the file, the pack fails to load for everyone. Changing the file name with each version also stops old copies being served from a cache.

If it does not work

• "Failed to download": the link is not direct, it has expired, or the host blocks downloads from the game. Test it in a private browser window.
• Players get kicked straight away: their server list entry is set to decline packs. In Multiplayer, select the server, click Edit, and set Server Resource Packs to Prompt or Enabled.
• The pack loads but looks wrong: another pack on the player's list sits above yours, or two packs use the same font characters or models.
• Old version keeps showing: the SHA-1 in server.properties still belongs to the old file.

Using more than one pack

The server sends one pack from server.properties. If you need art from two packs, merge them: copy the second pack's assets folder into the first. Files with the same path overwrite each other, so merge lists like the font file assets/minecraft/font/default.json by hand instead of replacing it.

Bedrock servers

Bedrock Dedicated Server does not use a download link. The pack goes into the server's resource_packs folder and is listed in the world's world_resource_packs.json. To make it required, set texturepack-required=true in server.properties. Java packs do not work on Bedrock, and players joining a Java server through Geyser do not get the Java pack.

Questions