Every build on this site downloads as a schematic file – a saved copy of the blocks, not a world. To see the build you have to paste it into a world of your own, and which tool does that depends on the file’s extension. This page covers all five formats we publish, plus the problems that actually come up afterwards.

Which format do I have?

Check the file extension. Each one belongs to a different tool, and using the wrong one is the most common reason a paste “does nothing”.

  • .litematic – Litematica, a client-side Java mod. The most common format here.
  • .schem – WorldEdit (the modern Sponge format, Minecraft 1.13 and up).
  • .schematic – WorldEdit, but the legacy MCEdit format from before 1.13.
  • .nbt – vanilla Structure Blocks. No mod needed at all.
  • .mcstructure – Bedrock Edition’s own structure format.

None of these are interchangeable by renaming. A .schem renamed to .litematic will not load; the contents are laid out differently inside.

Pasting a .litematic file (Litematica)

Litematica is a client-side mod, so it works on any server you can join – the server does not need it installed. It needs MaLiLib alongside it.

  1. Install Litematica and MaLiLib for your Minecraft version, into the same mod loader (Fabric or Forge).
  2. Put the .litematic file in .minecraft/schematics/. Create the folder if it is not there.
  3. In game, press M to open the Litematica menu, choose Load Schematics, pick the file, and click Load Schematic.
  4. The build appears as a translucent ghost. Move it with Schematic Placements – that is also where you rotate and mirror it.

From there you have two ways to build:

  • By hand, in survival. The ghost stays as a guide while you place real blocks. Litematica’s Material List tells you exactly what is still missing, which is the honest way to build one of these on a survival server.
  • Easy Place mode. With this on, right-clicking places the correct block from your hotbar in one action. Still survival-legal in the sense that you supply every block, just far less error-prone.

In creative with cheats, Schematic Placements → Paste fills the whole thing in instantly.

Pasting a .schem file (WorldEdit)

WorldEdit runs on the server (or in single-player as a mod). FastAsyncWorldEdit is a drop-in replacement that handles big builds far better – worth it above roughly 100,000 blocks.

  1. Put the file in config/worldedit/schematics/ on the server, or .minecraft/config/worldedit/schematics/ in single-player.
  2. Load it: //schem load <filename> – no extension needed.
  3. Stand where you want the build’s origin and run //paste.

Useful variants:

  • //paste -a skips air blocks, so the build drops onto existing terrain instead of cutting a hole around itself.
  • //paste -o pastes at the original coordinates the build was saved from, ignoring where you stand.
  • //rotate 90 turns the loaded clipboard before you paste. Do this before the paste, not after.
  • //undo reverses it if the placement is wrong. Always the first thing to try.

For WorldEdit specifically we have two longer guides: importing a schematic with WorldEdit goes through the setup and permissions in detail, and WorldEdit’s copy and paste commands covers selections and the clipboard.

Pasting a .schematic file (legacy MCEdit format)

This is the pre-1.13 format, and it stores blocks as numeric ids rather than names – id 35 with metadata 14 for red wool, for example. Minecraft 1.13 replaced that system entirely, so the ids have to be translated on load.

A current WorldEdit does that translation for you, and the same //schem load and //paste commands apply. Two things to expect:

  • Some blocks may come out wrong. The old system had no way to express many modern block states, so slabs, stairs and doors occasionally land facing the wrong way.
  • Modded blocks may be missing. If the build was saved with Schematica in a modded world, ids outside vanilla’s range only resolve if that mod is present.

If a legacy file refuses to load at all, the usual cause is a tool that expects the modern .schem format and is being handed the old one despite the similar name.

Pasting a .nbt file (Structure Block, no mods)

This is vanilla Java Edition, so no mod or plugin is involved. The trade-off is a hard size limit: a Structure Block handles at most 48×48×48 blocks, so larger builds are split into several files.

  1. Put the file in saves/<your world>/generated/minecraft/structures/. Create the folders if needed.
  2. Give yourself a Structure Block: /give @s minecraft:structure_block.
  3. Place it, click it, and switch the mode to Load.
  4. Type the file name without .nbt, press Load to see the outline, then Place.

The build appears offset one block above and beside the Structure Block itself – that is normal, and the offset fields let you correct it.

Pasting a .mcstructure file (Bedrock Edition)

Bedrock has its own structure system and cannot read any of the Java formats above.

  1. Put the file in the world’s structures/ folder – on Windows, under com.mojang/minecraftWorlds/<world id>/.
  2. Enable cheats, then run /structure load <name> ~ ~ ~.

Bedrock’s /structure also takes rotation and mirror arguments directly, so no separate rotate step is needed.

Why blocks go missing: version mismatch

Every schematic records the Minecraft version it was saved in. Pasting into an older version means any block that did not exist yet has nowhere to go, and it is simply dropped – a cherry-wood build pasted into 1.19 loses every cherry block, because cherry wood arrived in 1.20.

Each download page on this site states the version the file was saved for. Match it or go newer; going older is what causes holes.

Redstone and containers rarely survive a paste

Two things a schematic does not reliably carry:

  • Redstone state. Repeater delays, comparator modes and which pistons were extended are stored inconsistently across formats. A farm can paste in perfectly and still not run until you check the mechanisms.
  • Container contents. Chests, hoppers and barrels usually arrive empty. That is normal, not a broken file.

For a redstone build, paste it, then walk the circuit once before deciding it is broken.

Getting the placement right

  • Water-level builds. A lake house or dock is saved relative to the waterline. Stand at water level when pasting, not on the shore above it.
  • Underground builds. Pasting a basement at surface level buries the entrance. Check the build’s height against where you stand.
  • Terrain. Most builds save a slab of their own ground. Pasting onto uneven terrain leaves floating edges – flatten the area first, or use //paste -a so existing ground shows through.
  • Rotation before paste. Every tool rotates the clipboard, not the placed build. Once it is down, rotating means undoing and pasting again.

Can I build it in survival?

Most builds on this site are made of ordinary blocks and can be gathered legitimately – the download page lists every block and quantity, so you can see what a survival attempt costs before you start.

Some cannot. A build containing bedrock, barriers, command blocks, spawners or budding amethyst has no survival path for those blocks; you either paste it in creative or substitute them. Where that is the case, the download page says so.

Blocks needing Silk Touch are a middle case – glass, grass blocks, ice, bookshelves and glowstone are all obtainable, but only with the right enchantment, so bring it before you start harvesting.

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