How to install a resource pack on a Minecraft server for all players

A resource pack on your computer only changes what you see. To give every player the same textures, the server offers the pack when they join and the game downloads it. This takes three things: a direct download link, the pack file hash and two lines in server.properties.

Step 1: host the zip file

Upload the zip to a place that gives a direct download link, meaning the link downloads the file itself and not a web page about it. File hosts that show a preview page do not work. A normal web server, object storage or a GitHub release asset works. If you use a share service, check that the link ends in the file and that the settings force a download.

Step 2: get the SHA-1 hash

The hash lets the game know whether the file changed, so it does not download the pack again every time. Generate it from the zip file.

# Linux or macOS
sha1sum mypack.zip

# Windows PowerShell
Get-FileHash mypack.zip -Algorithm SHA1

Step 3: edit server.properties

resource-pack=https://example.com/mypack.zip
resource-pack-sha1=0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01234567
require-resource-pack=true
resource-pack-prompt={"text":"Download the server textures"}

• resource-pack is the direct link to the zip.
• resource-pack-sha1 is the 40-character hash in lowercase.
• require-resource-pack=true kicks players who decline the pack. Leave it false if the pack is optional.
• resource-pack-prompt is the message shown in the download dialog.

Restart the server after you change server.properties. Changes to the file are not applied while the server runs.

Every time you update the pack

1. Upload the new zip. Use a new file name or a new link, because many hosts and the game cache the old file.
2. Generate the new SHA-1.
3. Update both lines in server.properties and restart.

Size limits

Keep the pack as small as you can. Players download it on their first join and again after every update. Recent versions allow large server packs, but a few megabytes loads much faster than a hundred. Textures at 16x and 32x are small, which is one more reason to start there.

Troubleshooting

• The download fails: open the link in a browser. It must start a download straight away.
• The pack loads but nothing changes: check the folder names for your version, block and item in 1.13 and newer.
• Players are asked every time: the SHA-1 is wrong or missing, or the link changes between visits.
• The pack works in single player but not on the server: the link is not direct, or the hash does not match the uploaded file.