Short answer: WorldEdit commands start with two slashes. You select an area with //wand (left click sets the first corner, right click the second), change it with commands such as //set stone, //replace dirt grass_block or //copy and //paste, and take back any mistake with //undo. The current release is WorldEdit 7.4.6 from 15 October 2026, which supports Minecraft 26.3 on Paper, Spigot and Folia as well as on Fabric and NeoForge. Below you find every command you need for building, sorted by task, with working examples and the permission each one needs.
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At a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Latest version | WorldEdit 7.4.6 (15 October 2026) |
| Minecraft versions | Paper, Spigot and Folia: 1.21.11 and 26.1 to 26.3; Fabric and NeoForge: 26.3 |
| Who can use it | nobody by default; operators or players with the worldedit.* permission |
| Undo history | your last 15 actions, kept for 10 minutes after you log off |
| Selection tool | wooden axe from //wand |
| Faster fork for huge edits | FastAsyncWorldEdit 2.16.1, Paper and Spigot 26.1 to 26.3 |
Versions and supported Minecraft releases come from the WorldEdit and FastAsyncWorldEdit pages on Modrinth, checked on 21 October 2026. The command syntax follows the official WorldEdit 7.4 documentation from EngineHub.
Installing WorldEdit on your server
On a Paper, Spigot or Folia server WorldEdit is a plugin: the .jar goes into the plugins folder and the server loads it on the next start. On Fabric or NeoForge it is a mod for the mods folder, and on those platforms single player works too. Use the build that matches your Minecraft version: an older WorldEdit is not made for a newer Minecraft release and may fail to load or miss features there.
On a Minecraft server at HostValues you install it without uploading anything yourself: open the Plugins tab in the game panel, search for WorldEdit and install the version for your Minecraft release. You can also upload the .jar in the File managers tab or over SFTP. Restart the server and check the console, then type /worldedit version in game to see that it loaded. Moving the whole server to 26.3 at the same time? Our Paper 26.3 server guide covers Java 25 and the other plugins.
WorldEdit gives nobody access by default. The quickest way for the server owner is operator status: type op YourName in the console. For staff and builders a permissions plugin is better, for example LuckPerms with lp user YourName permission set worldedit.* true. Every command has its own permission node, so you can hand out exactly what someone needs, such as worldedit.wand, worldedit.selection.pos, worldedit.region.set, worldedit.clipboard.copy and worldedit.history.undo.
How WorldEdit commands are built
- Two slashes: most editing commands start with
//so they do not clash with commands of other plugins. Navigation commands such as/upand the brush commands start with one slash. - Patterns say which blocks to place. A block name like
stoneis the simplest pattern.50%red_wool,10%red_stained_glassmixes blocks; the numbers are relative weights, so this gives five parts wool to one part glass.##slabspicks random blocks from a block tag and#clipboardrepeats what you copied. - Masks say which blocks to change.
!airmeans everything except air,#existingevery non-air block,>grass_blockblocks directly above grass and<airblocks directly below air. Several masks separated by a space must all match:"sand <air"is sand with air above it. - Directions can be north, south, east, west, up and down, their first letter, or
mefor the way you are looking.
Selection commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
//wand | gives you the selection tool (wooden axe): left click = corner 1, right click = corner 2 |
//pos1 and //pos2 | set a corner where you stand, or at coordinates with //pos1 x,y,z |
//hpos1 and //hpos2 | set a corner on the block you are looking at, handy for large areas |
//chunk | selects the chunk you are standing in |
//expand 10 up | grows the selection; //expand vert stretches it from the bottom to the top of the world |
//contract 5 down | shrinks the selection from the opposite side |
//outset 3 and //inset 3 | grow or shrink in all directions; -h horizontal only, -v vertical only |
//sel sphere | other shapes: cuboid, extend, poly, ellipsoid, sphere, cyl, convex |
//size, //count stone, //distr | size of the selection, number of matching blocks, block distribution |
//sel (or //desel) without a shape | clears the selection |
WorldEdit does not draw your selection by itself. In creative mode //drawsel shows the outline of a cuboid up to 48 by 48 by 48 blocks; for larger areas and other shapes the client mod WorldEdit CUI (Fabric) shows the lines.
Changing blocks in a selection
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
//set stone | fills the whole selection; //set air clears it |
//replace dirt grass_block | replaces only dirt; without the first block it replaces every non-air block |
//walls stone_bricks | builds walls around the selection without floor and ceiling |
//faces glass | builds all six sides, walls plus floor and ceiling (alias //outline) |
//overlay torch | places a layer on top of the terrain inside the selection |
//stack 5 north | repeats the selection five times, for bridges, tunnels or rows of houses |
//move 3 up | moves the contents; -s moves the selection along |
//smooth 4 | smooths terrain over four passes |
//naturalize | turns the top layers into grass, dirt and stone |
//hollow 1 | hollows out objects and leaves a shell one block thick |
//line stone 2 | draws a line between the two corners of a cuboid selection |
//regen | regenerates the area as the world generator first made it |
//setbiome minecraft:plains | changes the biome inside the selection |
Be careful with //regen: it uses the current world generator. If the world was created with an older Minecraft version or an external tool, the regenerated part will not match the land around it. Make a backup first, as described in How to Back Up Your Minecraft Server.
Copy, paste and schematics
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
//copy | copies the selection, remembering where you stood |
//cut | copies and removes the original |
//paste | pastes relative to your position; -a skips air, -o pastes at the original spot, -s selects the pasted area |
//rotate 90 | rotates the clipboard around the vertical axis |
//flip | mirrors the clipboard in the direction you face |
//schem save castle | saves the clipboard as castle.schem |
//schem load castle | loads it back into the clipboard, then use //paste |
//schem list and //schem delete castle | shows or deletes saved schematics |
Your position at the moment of //copy decides where //paste puts things. Copy a house while standing at its front door, and the paste appears with its front door where you stand. Add -e to copy entities and -b to copy biomes. Schematics are stored in plugins/WorldEdit/schematics on Paper and Spigot and in config/worldedit/schematics on Fabric and NeoForge. Upload a .schem from another server into that folder and it shows up in //schem list.
Shapes and generation
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
//cyl glass 5 10 | filled cylinder, radius 5, height 10, starting at your feet |
//hcyl stone 8 1 | hollow cylinder; height 1 gives a circle |
//sphere stone 6 and //hsphere glass 6 | filled or hollow sphere; -r raises it so the bottom is at your feet |
//pyramid sandstone 10 | pyramid ten layers high (//hpyramid for a hollow one) |
/forestgen 20 oak 5 | plants a forest around you |
//generate stone (0.75-sqrt(x^2+y^2))^2+z^2 < 0.25^2 | any shape from a formula, here a torus inside your selection (alias //g) |
Undo and redo
//undo takes back your last action and //undo 5 the last five. //redo puts it back. WorldEdit keeps your last 15 actions by default, and your history stays available for 10 minutes after you log off. A player with the right permission can undo someone else's edit with //undo 1 PlayerName. One limit matters in practice: WorldEdit only records its own changes. Water that starts flowing or doors and torches that pop off are not undone, so drain water and remove loose blocks before a big edit.
Brushes and tools
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/brush sphere stone 3 | binds a sphere brush to the item in your hand; right click places it from a distance |
/brush cylinder grass_block 4 1 | flat round brush, good for paths and floors |
/brush smooth 4 | softens terrain where you click |
/brush clipboard | pastes your clipboard where you click |
/mask stone and /size 5 | limit the brush to stone, change its size |
/tool none | removes the brush or tool from the item |
Handy cleanup and navigation commands
//drain 10drains a pool around you within a radius of 10 blocks;-walso removes waterlogging.//fill water 5fills a hole,/fixwater 10and/fixlava 10make flowing liquid still./removenear oak_leaves 10and/replacenear 10 stone cobblestonework around you without a selection./butcher 30removes mobs within 30 blocks; pets and NPCs only with the extra flags-pand-n./up 10,/ascend,/descend,/thruand/jumptomove you up, between floors, through walls or to the block you look at.
Limits and server performance
A single //set on a huge selection changes millions of blocks at once and can freeze a server for seconds. Three settings help:
- Change limit: in plugins/WorldEdit/config.yml,
limits.max-blocks-changedsets a default and a maximum per edit. Both are -1 (no limit) in a fresh config. Players can set their own limit with//limit, up to that maximum. - History size:
history.size(15) andhistory.expiration(10 minutes) decide how much undo data WorldEdit keeps in memory. - Side effects:
//perfswitches side effects such as neighbour updates and lighting off or on for your edits. It replaces//fast, which WorldEdit 8 will remove.
Do you regularly move areas of hundreds of thousands of blocks? Then FastAsyncWorldEdit (FAWE) is worth a look. It is a separate fork with largely the same commands that processes large edits asynchronously, so the server keeps running while the edit is done. Install either WorldEdit or FAWE, not both.
Common errors
- "You are not permitted to do that": you lack the permission. Give yourself operator status or the right node.
- Unknown command: often one slash too few.
/setis not//set. - "Make a region selection first": set both corners with the wand or
//pos1and//pos2. - WorldEdit fails or warns about your Minecraft version after an update: the plugin is older than your server. Install the build for your release, for 26.3 at least 7.4.6.
A server for building with WorldEdit
WorldEdit itself needs little memory, but large edits and a long undo history fill RAM quickly. For a building server with a few friends and a handful of plugins we recommend Redstone with 4 GB for €5.60 per month. If you combine WorldEdit with WorldGuard, a map plugin and more players, Gold with 5 GB and 50 GB of NVMe storage for €7.00 per month gives you more room. Every plan has the Plugins tab, two backup slots and SFTP access, and you can upgrade at any time without losing your world. All plans are on our Minecraft page.
Frequently asked questions
Is WorldEdit free?
Yes. WorldEdit is a free, open source project by EngineHub. You download it from Modrinth, CurseForge or the EngineHub site, or install it straight from the Plugins tab of your game panel.
Does WorldEdit work on Minecraft 26.3?
Yes, from version 7.4.6. That release supports 26.3 on Paper, Spigot and Folia, and has separate builds for Fabric and NeoForge. Older WorldEdit versions were not made for 26.3, so update the plugin together with your server.
How do I undo a WorldEdit command?
Type //undo for the last action or //undo followed by a number for several. By default you can go back 15 actions. Changes that Minecraft makes afterwards, such as flowing water, are not part of the undo.
What is the difference between WorldEdit and FAWE?
FastAsyncWorldEdit is a fork of WorldEdit with largely the same commands that handles very large edits with less lag. For normal building WorldEdit is enough. Use one of the two on a server, never both.
How do I stop players from using WorldEdit?
Do nothing: without operator status or a worldedit permission, players cannot use it. To let builders use only part of it, give them single nodes such as worldedit.region.set and worldedit.history.undo, and cap their edits with limits.max-blocks-changed in config.yml.
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