Building a 100×100-block PvP arena by hand takes a whole day. Filling it with quartz, placing the walls, digging the moats, making it symmetrical. And if you pick the wrong block three hours in, you start over. WorldEdit has been solving this problem for more than ten years: select an area, type a command, and hours of work are done in seconds. If you run a Minecraft server and are not yet using WorldEdit, you are losing a considerable amount of time.
Key takeaways
- WorldEdit lets you select, copy, paste, replace and generate thousands of blocks with a single command in Minecraft.
- It works as a plugin (Bukkit/Spigot/Paper) or a mod (Forge/Fabric) on all major versions of Minecraft Java Edition.
- On a server with several players, use FastAsyncWorldEdit (FAWE) instead: same commands, but asynchronous execution that does not lag the server.
- Permissions are the key to configuration: a player with unrestricted WorldEdit access can destroy your entire world with a single command.
What exactly is WorldEdit?
WorldEdit is an in-game world editor for Minecraft. Created by sk89q more than ten years ago, it is one of the oldest and most downloaded plugins in the Minecraft ecosystem. The principle is simple: instead of placing blocks one by one, you select an area (a cuboid between two points), then apply a command to that whole area. Fill, replace, copy, paste, rotate, stack, smooth, generate geometric shapes. All of it in a few keystrokes.
WorldEdit is available in two forms:
- Server plugin for Bukkit/Spigot/Paper: this is the version most used on multiplayer servers.
- Mod for Forge and Fabric: for singleplayer or modded servers.
Both versions share the same commands. If you learn WorldEdit on a Spigot server, you will know how to use it on a Forge server without relearning anything.
Installing on a Spigot/Paper server
Installation takes less than two minutes. In the field, it is one of the rare Minecraft plugins that works straight after drag-and-drop, with no mandatory configuration.
- Download the WorldEdit .jar file from dev.bukkit.org/projects/worldedit or from Modrinth. Check that the version matches your Minecraft version.
- Place the .jar in the
/plugins/folder of your server. - Restart the server (not a reload, a real restart).
- Check that WorldEdit is loaded with the
/pluginscommand in the console or in game. It should appear in green.
For Forge or Fabric, the .jar file goes in the /mods/ folder instead of /plugins/. The rest is identical.
Why prefer FastAsyncWorldEdit (FAWE)
"Classic" WorldEdit runs all its operations on the server's main thread. When a player runs a //set on a 500,000-block selection, the entire server freezes until the operation finishes. On a server with 20 connected players, everyone suffers the lag.
FastAsyncWorldEdit (FAWE) is a fork of WorldEdit that runs operations asynchronously: blocks are modified in the background without blocking the server tick. FAWE is compatible with all standard WorldEdit commands, adds more than 200 additional commands, uses less memory, and includes an unlimited history system with per-player rollback.
Our recommendation: if your server hosts players (even just a few), install FAWE instead of WorldEdit. The performance is incomparable. FAWE is available on SpigotMC, Modrinth and CurseForge.
The selection system: the basis of everything
Everything in WorldEdit relies on selection. Before you can fill, copy or replace anything, you must define the area you want to work on. The default method uses a wooden axe.
- Type
//wandto receive the selection tool. - Left-click a block to set position 1 (one corner of the cuboid).
- Right-click another block to set position 2 (the opposite corner).
- WorldEdit confirms the size of the selection in chat (e.g. "Region selected (15000 blocks)").
You can also set the positions manually with //pos1 and //pos2 (uses the block under your feet), or with //hpos1 and //hpos2 (uses the block you are aiming at from a distance). The latter method is particularly handy for selecting the top of a building without having to climb it.
A reflex to adopt: always check the size of your selection before running a command. A //set air on a 2-million-block selection by mistake hurts. And even with //undo, restoring an operation of that size can take time and consume a lot of RAM.
The commands you will really use
WorldEdit has hundreds of commands. In practice, you use about ten on a daily basis. Here are those that cover 90% of needs.
Fill and replace
//set stone fills the entire selection with stone. You can use any block ID: //set oak_planks, //set glass, //set air (to empty an area). To mix several blocks, use the percentage syntax: //set 70%stone,30%cobblestone fills the area with 70% stone and 30% cobblestone, randomly distributed. It is great for creating natural textures.
//replace stone glass replaces only the stone blocks with glass in your selection, without touching the other blocks. It is the most useful command for modifying an existing building without destroying it. You can also target "everything except air": //replace !air stone replaces all solid blocks with stone.
Copy, paste, rotate
//copy copies the selection to your clipboard. The reference point is your position at the time of the copy: when you then paste with //paste, the structure appears with the same relative offset. It is a detail that confuses many beginners. If you were 10 blocks south of your selection when you copied, the paste will place the structure 10 blocks north of you.
//rotate 90 rotates the clipboard contents by 90° (before pasting). Combined with //paste, it is the fastest way to create symmetrical structures: copy a quarter of your arena, rotate it three times, paste it at each rotation.
//flip mirrors the clipboard (horizontal or vertical). Useful for making a building symmetrical without rebuilding it.
Undo and redo
//undo undoes your last WorldEdit action. You can undo several actions in a row: //undo 5 undoes the last 5. //redo restores an undo. This safety net is the reason you can afford to experiment without fear. An unfortunate //set? One //undo and it is as if nothing happened.
Generate shapes
//sphere stone 10 generates a solid stone sphere with a radius of 10 blocks, centered on your position. //hsphere stone 10 generates a hollow sphere (just the shell). Same logic for cylinders: //cyl stone 10 5 creates a cylinder with radius 10 and height 5.
These commands are particularly useful for terraforming: creating hills, craters, domes, round towers. What would take hours of manual placement is done in one line.
Brushes: sculpting freehand
Selection commands work well for geometric modifications, but for organic terraforming (shaping terrain, smoothing cliffs, digging rivers), brushes are better suited. A brush binds a WorldEdit command to an item you hold. You then "paint" the world by clicking.
//brush sphere stone 5: each right-click places a stone sphere of radius 5 where you aim.//brush smooth 5: each click smooths the terrain within a 5-block radius. After several passes, bumpy terrain becomes a natural hill.//brush cylinder grass_block 3 1: each click places a grass disc, ideal for leveling terrain.
The smooth brush is probably WorldEdit's most underrated terraforming tool. Most of the impressive Minecraft maps you see on social media were largely sculpted with this tool. The process is simple: generate a rough shape with //set or //sphere, then smooth it with the smooth brush until you get a natural result.
Schematics: saving and reusing your builds
A schematic is a file that contains a copy of a build. You can save any selection as a schematic, store it on your server, and paste it elsewhere, in the same world or on another server.
- Select your build with the wand.
//copyto copy it to the clipboard.//schematic save mybuildingto save it to a file.- Later,
//schematic load mybuildingthen//pasteto place it again.
Schematics are stored in the /plugins/WorldEdit/schematics/ folder (or /config/worldedit/schematics/ depending on the version). You can share them between servers, download them from online libraries, or distribute them to your team of builders. It is also the best method for backing up specific builds without saving the whole world.
Configuring permissions: the point not to neglect
This is the point we insist on the most, and the one many admins botch. WorldEdit is a destructive tool. A player with unrestricted WorldEdit access can empty your whole world by typing //set air on a giant selection. They can duplicate items, corrupt terrain, or simply crash the server by launching an operation on millions of blocks.
WorldEdit permissions use standard nodes compatible with all permission plugins (LuckPerms, PermissionsEx, etc.). A few examples:
worldedit.wand: right to use the selection tool.worldedit.region.set: right to use//set.worldedit.clipboard.copy: right to use//copy.worldedit.clipboard.paste: right to use//paste.worldedit.*: full access (reserved for administrators).
Our recommendation: never grant worldedit.* to a player who is not an administrator. Create a "builder" rank with only the permissions your builders need (//set, //copy, //paste, //undo, //replace). And limit the maximum selection size with the max-changed-blocks setting in the WorldEdit config file. On a 50-player server, setting this limit to 50,000 blocks is a good starting point: enough to build, not enough to destroy the world.
Table of the most used commands
| Command | Action | Example |
|---|---|---|
//wand |
Get the selection tool | //wand |
//pos1 / //pos2 |
Set positions manually | //pos1 |
//set |
Fill the selection | //set stone |
//replace |
Replace one block type with another | //replace dirt grass_block |
//copy |
Copy the selection | //copy |
//paste |
Paste the clipboard | //paste |
//rotate |
Rotate the clipboard | //rotate 90 |
//flip |
Mirror flip | //flip |
//undo |
Undo the last action | //undo 3 |
//redo |
Redo an undone action | //redo |
//sphere |
Generate a sphere | //sphere stone 15 |
//hsphere |
Generate a hollow sphere | //hsphere glass 10 |
//cyl |
Generate a cylinder | //cyl stone 8 20 |
//brush sphere |
Bind a sphere brush to the held tool | //brush sphere dirt 4 |
//brush smooth |
Bind a smoothing brush | //brush smooth 5 |
//schematic save |
Save to a file | //schematic save mybase |
//schematic load |
Load a file | //schematic load mybase |
For the complete list of commands, see our article WorldEdit Minecraft commands
Frequently Asked Questions
Does WorldEdit work on Minecraft Bedrock?
No. WorldEdit is exclusively compatible with Minecraft Java Edition. Unofficial ports exist for Bedrock (such as WorldEdit BE), but they are limited in features and are not maintained by the original team. If you play on Bedrock, the closest alternatives are the built-in /fill and /clone commands, which cover basic operations but without the power or flexibility of WorldEdit.
What is the difference between WorldEdit and FastAsyncWorldEdit?
FAWE is a fork of WorldEdit that runs operations asynchronously (in the background) instead of blocking the server's main thread. All WorldEdit commands work in FAWE, with more than 200 additional commands, an unlimited history, and reduced memory consumption. On a multiplayer server, FAWE is the recommended choice. Classic WorldEdit remains relevant in singleplayer or on a development server with no connected players.
Can WorldEdit corrupt my world?
A massive operation (millions of blocks) can theoretically cause problems if the server runs out of RAM or if the process is interrupted mid-execution (crash, server kill). The best prevention is to limit the maximum operation size via max-changed-blocks in the config, and to always back up the world before a large-scale operation. With FAWE, the risk is reduced because operations are split into small batches.
How do I restrict WorldEdit for non-admin players?
Use a permissions plugin like LuckPerms to assign specific permission nodes (for example worldedit.region.set, worldedit.clipboard.copy) instead of worldedit.*. Complete with the max-changed-blocks limit in the configuration file to cap the number of blocks modifiable per operation. It is the safest combination for offering WorldEdit to your builders without risking the destruction of the world.
Can you use WorldEdit in survival?
Technically yes, but it is not designed for that. WorldEdit does not consume blocks from your inventory: it generates them from nothing. Using it in survival amounts to playing in creative with extra steps. Some servers allow it for admins in survival (to fix grief or restore damaged areas), but granting it to survival players completely breaks the game balance.
Is WorldEdit compatible with WorldGuard?
Yes, and it is even the most classic combination on Minecraft servers. WorldGuard protects areas against modifications (grief, explosions, PvP), and WorldEdit respects these protections. A player with WorldEdit permissions will not be able to modify an area protected by WorldGuard unless they also have the WorldGuard bypass. Both plugins are developed by the same team and work perfectly together.
Discover Minecraft servers
Find your next Minecraft server in our ranking.
No comments yet.