User Guide

Quick start

1. On the Windows PC that holds your worlds, open the World Backup website and select Download Windows companion.
2. Extract the entire ZIP, then run Install-Companion.cmd from the extracted folder.
3. In the companion, enter the website's HTTPS address. Select your actual Minecraft world folder and a separate, existing backup folder.
4. Select Generate pairing code, then Copy code. Enter the code on the website and select Connect companion within 10 minutes.
5. Approve the connection in the companion on your PC. On Workspace, check that the website shows the expected computer and folder paths.
6. Close Minecraft. Enter a useful Backup description and select Create Minecraft backup.
7. Wait for Backup created in the status message, then open Backups and check Your backups for the new archive before reopening Minecraft.

Choose the right scope. The application backs up the entire Minecraft folder you select. Restoring replaces that entire folder. Selecting a folder containing several worlds means those worlds are restored together.

What you need

• A Windows x64 PC with access to your Minecraft world files and a backup destination your Windows account can write to.
• The published companion ZIP from your World Backup website. The standard package includes the .NET runtime; you do not need Visual Studio to use it.
• A current browser, an internet connection, and the publisher's HTTPS website address.
• Free disk space for your backup archives. Restore also needs space beside the current Minecraft folder for a fully extracted copy of the backup.

Install the companion on each PC whose folders you want to manage, using the Windows account that can access those folders. The companion stays running while the website controls it. This version does not provide scheduled backups or convert worlds between Java and Bedrock formats.

Install or update the companion

First installation

1. Download the companion onto your Windows PC. If the website says Download not available yet, contact the publisher using the support links at the bottom of the page.
2. In File Explorer, extract all files from the ZIP into a normal folder. Keep the executable, runtime files, installer scripts, and publisher.json together.
3. Open that folder and run Install-Companion.cmd. The installer normally needs no administrator rights and opens the companion when finished.
4. Later, open CoHo Appz World Backup Companion from the Windows Start menu. The window itself is titled World Backup Companion.

The installer copies the application to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\MCS-Minecraft-Companion. The internal MCS folder and executable names are retained for compatibility.

Updating an existing installation

Wait for any local file job to finish. Exit the companion using its notification-area menu, download the new package, extract it into a new folder, and run its Install-Companion.cmd. Your saved settings, worlds, archives, and restore recovery folders are kept. Open the updated companion and pair again when needed.

If installation reports missing files or missing publisher information, download a complete published companion package. The Visual Studio project ZIP and a lone executable are not the installation package.

Choose your Minecraft and backup folders

Use Choose… beside Minecraft folder and Backup folder in the companion. You can also use Choose on this PC → on the website after pairing; the Windows folder dialog opens on the companion's PC. Switch to that PC and complete the dialog.

Neither folder may contain the other, and they cannot be the same folder. For example, D:\MinecraftWorlds\MyWorld and E:\WorldBackups\MyWorld are separate locations. These are examples, not paths to paste into your configuration.

Do not select a whole drive, your whole user profile, the AppData root, or a Windows/system root. Select the actual folders rather than symbolic links or directory junctions. Files or subfolders that use those links are also unsupported.

Windows Bedrock's storage location depends on your installation and Windows account. Use the actual location you already use for that world, or import the location from your original MCS configuration. The companion does not automatically locate worlds. A folder on another PC is not selected by browsing from the website; folder selection occurs on the paired Windows PC.

The backup destination can be on another accessible drive. Keep that drive connected during operations. Check both paths on the website after changing them, especially before a restore. If you change worlds, using a separate backup folder for each world helps you avoid restoring the wrong archive.

Pair the website with your PC

1. In the companion's Website field, enter the complete HTTPS address shown by How to install and connect on the website. This version expects a site-root address such as https://worldbackup.example.com/, without a page path, query, or fragment. The host's physical folder name, such as /WorldBackup, is not automatically part of the public URL.
2. Select Generate pairing code, then Copy code. A code has five groups of four characters, for example ABCD-1234-EF56-7890-ABCD.
3. On the website, paste your code into Pairing code and select Connect companion. Codes expire after 10 minutes and can be used only once.
4. When the website says Approve the connection on your PC, switch to the companion and select Yes only if you initiated this pairing.
5. Check the computer name in Your Minecraft workspace and check the folder paths before sending a command.

Use Open website in the companion to open its configured address. Never share a pairing code or approve an unexpected pairing request.

If a code expires, is declined, or was already used, select Disconnect in the companion and generate a fresh code after any running job finishes. A website or hosting restart also ends the server's temporary pairing sessions; reconnect with a new code when prompted.

Auto-disconnect and the countdown

After you enter a code, Auto-disconnect in shows how long that browser pairing has left. The default is 120 minutes; the publisher can choose another default. Opening another application page, reloading the same tab, and automatic status polling do not restart it. The countdown updates approximately every two seconds. It turns amber in its last five minutes.

On Settings, enter a duration in Auto-disconnect after (minutes) and select Apply timeout and restart countdown. The usual range is 5–480 minutes; the publisher can set a different maximum. This explicitly restarts the current pairing's timer and applies only to that pairing. New pairings use the publisher's default.

At expiry, browser control ends and a fresh companion code and local approval are required. Disconnect the companion when it is idle, generate a new code, enter it, and approve the new connection. Any file job already running on the companion can finish. Unused codes still expire after 10 minutes; the connected-session countdown is a separate timer.

Understand the workspace

When you see Waiting for your PC, check the companion for a confirmation prompt or folder dialog. Some local preparations show no percentage until a total size is known. Wait for the final status message instead of treating a percentage as proof of completion.

Only one file operation can run at a time. Buttons are disabled while the companion is offline, a command is pending, or a job is running. You can read the User Guide without pairing. Return using Back to workspace; the same browser tab can reuse a still-valid pairing.

Create a backup

1. Open Workspace, save your work, and close Minecraft before starting. Keep it closed until the backup finishes.
2. Check the computer name and both folder paths. Make sure the backup drive is connected and has free space.
3. Enter an optional Backup description, such as Before installing a new mod or Castle complete. The website accepts up to 500 characters.
4. Select Create Minecraft backup once. Watch Status and leave the companion running.
5. Wait for Backup created and confirm that the archive appears in Your backups. Then reopen Minecraft.

Backups are ZIP files named mcraftBackup_<timestamp>_<id>.zip. The selected Minecraft folder's contents are copied, including empty directories, with one compatibility exception: entries named backup are skipped regardless of letter case. Keep anything you need to protect outside a subfolder named backup.

The application writes a temporary .zip.partial file while creating an archive. A partial file is not a completed backup and is not listed as one. Do not rename it to .zip or use it for restore.

If automatic retention is enabled, a successful backup also triggers expired-archive cleanup. If an operation reports a failure, read the message and check the backup folder and list: an archive may already have been created before a later metadata or cleanup step failed.

Find and preserve backups

On Backups, Your backups shows the description, archive filename, creation time, and size. Find a backup searches descriptions and filenames without regard to letter case. Select 10, 25, 50, or 100 in Backups per page; the default is 25. Use Previous and Next to move between pages. Changing the search or page size returns to the first page. The website receives at most the newest 2,500 archives from the companion. Older archives remain in the backup folder on your PC.

Only ZIP files beginning with mcraftBackup_ are listed. Unrelated ZIP files and .zip.partial files are ignored. Changing the backup folder changes the list; it does not move archives from the previous location. Archives copied into the folder outside the application may require a companion disconnect/reconnect, when idle, to refresh the list.

To preserve an important milestone beyond the retention period, copy its completed ZIP to a separate archive folder outside the configured backup folder. Retention has no per-backup lock or pin. A backup left in the configured folder can become eligible for cleanup even if its description says to keep it.

Descriptions for new backups are stored in .mcs\backup-metadata.json inside the backup folder, rather than inside each ZIP. When moving a backup collection, preserve that metadata folder and any legacy description file as well as the ZIP files. Avoid renaming archives if you want their description mapping to remain intact.

Restore a backup

Restore replaces the selected Minecraft folder. It does not merge files or restore only the world currently open in Minecraft. Confirm the PC, destination folder, and archive before continuing.

1. Close Minecraft and keep it closed until the restore is complete. Check that there is room beside the destination for the full extracted backup in addition to the existing folder.
2. On Backups, in Your backups, identify the archive by description, filename, date, and size. Select Restore on that row.
3. Read the website confirmation, then select Continue. Switch to the companion and approve its separate local confirmation.
4. Wait for the final Restore completed status. The message gives the location of the previous folder.
5. Open Minecraft and check the restored world before removing any recovery copy.

The companion first extracts to a temporary sibling folder and checks the archive entries and file integrity. After extraction succeeds, it renames the current Minecraft folder to a recovery location and puts the extracted folder in its place. It rejects unsafe paths, linked entries, duplicate entries, empty archives, and archives exceeding its restore limits of 250,000 entries or 500 GiB of expanded data.

If extraction or validation fails before replacement, the current folder is kept. If an error occurs while replacing folders, read the error and preserve any recovery path it names; the application attempts to put the previous folder back. Contact the publisher if the expected folder is missing. Do not repeatedly restore over an unexplained recovery problem.

An archive's format stays unchanged. This tool does not convert Java worlds to Bedrock or vice versa, and it does not guarantee compatibility with another Minecraft version or mod setup.

Keep or recover the previous folder

After a successful restore, the previous folder is kept beside the Minecraft folder with a name like <world-folder>.mcs-previous-<timestamp>-<id>. It is a normal folder, not an archive in Your backups.

Recovery folders are never removed by automatic retention or Clean up expired backups. They consume disk space until you move or delete them yourself in File Explorer.

To use a previous folder again, wait until the companion is idle, close Minecraft, and make sure you have identified the correct recovery copy. In File Explorer, move the currently configured Minecraft folder to another safe location, then move or rename the recovery folder to the exact configured Minecraft path. Keep both copies until Minecraft has opened the intended world successfully. Ask the publisher for help if you are unsure which folder contains the world you need.

After you verify the restored world and retain anything you still need, you may move old recovery folders elsewhere or delete them manually. Deletion in File Explorer is outside the application's retention controls.

Set retention and clean up expired archives

The default retention period is 30 days with Remove expired backups after a successful backup enabled. Retention uses each archive's creation date, not the last time you viewed or restored it.

1. On Settings, enter a value from 1 to 3,650 in Keep backups for (days).
2. Set Remove expired backups after a successful backup as desired.
3. Select Save settings and approve the change in the companion. Check the displayed retention period afterward.

Saving settings does not immediately delete archives. If automatic retention is on, expired archives are removed after the next successful backup. If it is off, successful backups do not automatically clean them up.

Use Clean up expired backups to apply the age limit now, even when automatic retention is off. Read the website confirmation, select Continue, and approve the local confirmation on the PC.

Cleanup always preserves the newest archive, even when it is older than the retention period. It also keeps restore recovery folders. This protection applies to retention cleanup; Delete can still remove the newest or only archive when you explicitly confirm it.

For example, with a 30-day limit, older listed archives are eligible for cleanup, while the newest archive remains. Copy milestone backups out of the configured backup folder before enabling a shorter retention period if you need to preserve them.

Delete a single backup

On Backups, select Delete on the archive's row, review the filename, and select Continue on the website. Approve the separate local confirmation in the companion to permanently delete that ZIP and remove its new-description metadata entry.

This action does not change your current Minecraft folder or remove restore recovery folders. It can delete the newest or only backup. There is no application undo for deleting an archive; cancel either confirmation if you want to keep it.

Bring settings and archives from original MCS

In the companion, select Import Minecraft settings from original MCS… and open your original application's .config file, such as its application configuration file. Import reads the Minecraft folder, backup folder, old descriptions location, and retention days. It ignores Hytale settings and does not move or convert worlds or archives.

Check the imported paths before pairing or restoring. If the old drive or folder no longer exists, choose its current location instead. Retention must still be within the supported range.

Existing mcraftBackup_*.zip archives in the selected backup folder are listed. For original MCS descriptions, use Choose… beside Old descriptions to select your mcsDesc.txt file. If no file is selected, the application also looks for mcsDesc.txt in the backup folder. Original description files are read for compatibility and are not rewritten.

Run, disconnect, or remove the companion

Keep it available

Minimize the companion to keep it running in the Windows notification area. Double-click its icon, or use the icon's Open World Backup menu item, to reopen it. The window's close button exits the application; use Minimize when you want it to keep running.

The website's Disconnect ends that browser's control session. A local operation already running can continue. The companion's Disconnect and Exit wait for you to finish local operations first. After a disconnect, generate a fresh pairing code to reconnect.

For another PC, install and pair that PC's own companion and check the displayed computer name. For another world on the same PC, finish the current operation before choosing its folder and the matching backup folder. There is no built-in account-based catalog of all your PCs or worlds.

Optional start with Windows

From PowerShell in the extracted companion package folder, run:

.\Install-Companion.ps1 -StartWithWindows

This creates a startup shortcut for your Windows account. It starts the companion, not a scheduled backup, and does not automatically approve a browser connection. Use the plain Install-Companion.cmd for a normal installation.

Uninstall

Wait for all operations to finish and exit the companion. From PowerShell in the extracted companion package folder, run:

.\Install-Companion.ps1 -Uninstall

The installer removes the installed application and its shortcuts. It keeps your saved settings, Minecraft worlds, archives, and restore recovery folders. Remove those separately only if you intend to discard them. If your PC's script policy blocks these optional commands, contact the publisher or your PC administrator for the approved installation method.

Troubleshooting

Privacy and saved files

Game files and backup ZIP contents are handled locally by the companion. The hosted website receives commands and metadata: computer name, configured folder paths, archive names/descriptions/dates/sizes, retention settings, and operation status/progress, including the current filename. It does not receive world files or archive contents through this application.

The companion contacts the website over outbound HTTPS. The browser does not directly browse your disk, and this application does not require an inbound companion port or a localhost web server.

The browser keeps its pairing credential in that tab's session storage. Reloading the same tab can restore a valid connection; a new tab, browser-data clearing, an expired session, or a website restart may require pairing again. Do not include pairing codes or browser credentials in screenshots or support messages.

There is no built-in cloud archive storage or synchronization. A copy on a separate drive or another location must be made using your own file-copy or backup process.

Common questions

Does the website back up the web server's game folders?

No. Commands are performed by the approved companion on the PC named in Your Minecraft workspace. The host provides the controls and relay; the selected local PC stores the worlds and archives.

Does this tool work on a live Realm?

No. It works with local Windows Bedrock world folders through the companion and does not connect to Realms or manage the Realm's hosted world.

Can I use the browser on a different device?

Yes, the browser can pair with the Windows companion using its code. The companion still runs on the PC holding the files, and its local prompts and folder pickers must be completed there. Check the displayed computer name so you know which PC you are controlling.

Does a backup happen automatically when I open the site?

No. Select Create Minecraft backup to request one. Automatic retention means cleanup after a successful backup; it does not schedule backups.

Can I restore only one world from a backup of several worlds?

The website restores the entire configured Minecraft folder. For a one-world workflow, select that specific world folder and keep its archives in a matching separate backup folder. Ask the publisher for help before manually extracting individual files from a collection archive.

Can I close the browser during a backup?

A job already running on the companion can continue, but the browser will no longer show its progress. Keep the companion and PC running, check the local status, and avoid resubmitting a command while the first job is still active.

Does cleanup remove recovery folders or pinned backups?

Recovery folders are kept. There is no pin feature for archives; copy milestones outside the configured backup folder to preserve them beyond retention.

Get help and keep a copy of this guide

Use the publisher's support email or contact-page link at the bottom of the website, or the contact details shown in the companion. For this independent tool, contact its publisher rather than Minecraft support.

Include the action you attempted, the exact error text, when it happened, whether the companion is running, and whether a job is still active. Tell the publisher which computer and folders you expected to use, but remove private information from any screenshots. Never send a pairing code or session credential.

Select Download offline guide to save a standalone HTML copy. Open it in a browser without needing a connection to this website. Select Print / Save PDF, or use your browser's print command, to print the guide or save it as a PDF if your browser offers that option.

The downloaded copy reflects the version you saved. Download a fresh copy after the application changes. Return to the controls with Back to workspace or the Workspace navigation link. What's New lists the current release changes and documentation.