Paper 26.3 Server Jar Download

Version facts

What changed

Newest upstream commits:

• #227 · 27 Oct 2026 Fix duplicate dispense events for some items (#13922) 7f9c797
• [ci skip] Fix JavadocAlignParameterDescriptionCheck with inline tags (#14427) 9d95051
• #226 · 26 Oct 2026 Add API to query type of PersistentDataContainer value (#14143) 4f49049
• #225 · 26 Oct 2026 Detect rebound middle click clone actions in survival (#14249) 4623163
• #224 · 26 Oct 2026 Made time format output prefix for command block configurable (#14322) eb9098a
• #223 · 25 Oct 2026 Don't refresh entity data if its removed (#14423) e415f5e

Compatibility

Runs Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins built for Minecraft 26.3.

Players need a Minecraft: Java Edition 26.3 client. Other client versions can join only through a protocol plugin such as ViaVersion/ViaBackwards.

Minecraft 26.3 in other server software

Other Minecraft 26.3 server jars (Vanilla, Paper, Fabric, Forge…)

Known issues & safety notes

• Back up your world before changing versions: worlds upgrade automatically on start and cannot be downgraded.
• Known issues: search Paper's issue tracker for 26.3

How to set up Paper 26.3

1. Install Java 25 or newer (e.g. Eclipse Temurin) and check it with java -version.
2. Download the Paper jar into an empty folder.
3. Start it once with the script below; it creates eula.txt and stops.
4. Set eula=true in eula.txt to accept the Minecraft EULA, then start again. Players join on port 25565.
5. Put plugins (.jar) into plugins/ and restart.

#!/bin/sh
# start.sh — Paper 26.3
cd "$(dirname "$0")"
JAVA_MAJOR=$(java -version 2>&1 | awk -F'"' '/version/ {split($2, v, "."); print (v[1] == "1") ? v[2] : v[1]}')
if [ "$JAVA_MAJOR" -lt 25 ] 2>/dev/null; then
  echo "Java 25 or newer is required (found Java $JAVA_MAJOR)."
  exit 1
fi
java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch -XX:+DisableExplicitGC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:+PerfDisableSharedMem -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=8M -XX:G1HeapWastePercent=5 -XX:G1MaxNewSizePercent=40 -XX:G1MixedGCCountTarget=4 -XX:G1MixedGCLiveThresholdPercent=90 -XX:G1NewSizePercent=30 -XX:G1RSetUpdatingPauseTimePercent=5 -XX:G1ReservePercent=20 -XX:InitiatingHeapOccupancyPercent=15 -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 -XX:MaxTenuringThreshold=1 -XX:SurvivorRatio=32 -jar paper-26.3-227.jar nogui

@echo off
REM start.bat — Paper 26.3
REM Needs Java 25 or newer: run "java -version" to check.
java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch -XX:+DisableExplicitGC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:+PerfDisableSharedMem -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=8M -XX:G1HeapWastePercent=5 -XX:G1MaxNewSizePercent=40 -XX:G1MixedGCCountTarget=4 -XX:G1MixedGCLiveThresholdPercent=90 -XX:G1NewSizePercent=30 -XX:G1RSetUpdatingPauseTimePercent=5 -XX:G1ReservePercent=20 -XX:InitiatingHeapOccupancyPercent=15 -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 -XX:MaxTenuringThreshold=1 -XX:SurvivorRatio=32 -jar paper-26.3-227.jar nogui
pause

The JVM flags are Aikar's G1 flags as recommended by PaperMC. Customise RAM, flags and restart loop →

Rule of thumb: 2–4 GB for a few friends, 6–10 GB for a public server with plugins. Set -Xms equal to -Xmx and leave 1–1.5 GB for the operating system. How much RAM?

Docker

docker run -d -p 25565:25565 -e EULA=TRUE -e TYPE=PAPER -e VERSION=26.3 --name mc itzg/minecraft-server

Uses the community itzg/minecraft-server image, which downloads the file itself.

Upgrading

• Previous: Paper 26.3 Release Candidate 3
• How to update a Minecraft server safely