6 Ways to Recover Deleted Minecraft Worlds

Minecraft is a 3D sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios where players are allowed to play around, explore, and create their unique worlds using building blocks, popular with young users. If a Minecraft world that took a lot of effort and time to create is accidentally deleted, the blow to players may be fatal.

If this happens to you, stay calm. In this article, we focus on how to get back deleted Minecraft worlds.

Can I recover a deleted Minecraft world?

Where to find deleted files on Windows 10? The answer is Recycle Bin. But for deleted Minecraft Worlds, things go differently, it will bypass the Recycle Bin and delete Minecraft world completely.

But that does not mean the deleted Minecraft world is not recoverable. when you create Minecraft worlds, the world data will be saved in a local  folder. You can check if your game is there. Or try to restore Minecraft worlds from backup. If not, data recovery software will be a great choice.

The reasons behind a deleted Minecraft world

Many users spend hours exploring new lands and creating detailed structures in Minecraft world but find it disappear. You may be curious about the reasons, which may give you some clues to reduce this risk.

• Human errors like accidental deletion.
• Not enough space while saving Minecraft worlds.
• Game corruption while playing online.
• Virus or malware infection.
• Sudden hardware failure.

How to recover deleted Minecraft worlds from backup

How to get back a Minecraft world that was deleted? If you have created world backups, you can easily restore a backup file to get your Minecraft worlds back. If you don’t have a backup, don’t worry, you can also get them back with powerful recovery software. Now, let’s get started.

Way 1: Recover deleted worlds from Minecraft backup

Minecraft has two major versions, namely Java and Redrock, and their local backup directory and recovery methods are different.

• The Minecraft Java local backup path is:

\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\.minecraft\saves.

• The Minecraft Bedrock local backup path is:

\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds

In Minecraft Java edition:

If you are using Java edition, try to access the folder containing your backup copy of the world and move them to a new Minecraft saves folder.

Step 1. Create a new world in Minecraft and save it. This will generate new files that you will need later.

Step 2. Open File Explorer and go to the saves folder in Minecraft Java edition.

\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\.minecraft\saves

Step 3. Now copy your backup world folder and then Level.dat - Level.dat_old - session.lock - and spc.settings files.

Step 4. Go to the new world’s folder and paste the files you copied previously into it.

Step 5. Finally, open your Minecraft and load your new world. You will see the deleted world is there.

In Minecraft Redrock edition:

If you are using Minecraft Redrock, you can try to create a new world with the same settings as the old one to recover deleted Minecraft worlds on Redrock edition.

Step 1. Quite Minecraft and relaunch it. Create a new world using the same settings as the deleted world, save and close. Close Minecraft as well.

Step 2. Open File Explorer and go to the Minecraft Redrock backup directory.

C:\Users\Sumit\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds

Step 3. Open the new world you created previously and go to the db folder. Delete everything in it except the folder itself.

Step 4. Go to the deleted world and copy everything in the db folder.

Step 5. Paste the content into the new world/db folder. You are now able to open a new world in Minecraft Worlds.

Note: Sometimes you may fail to recover deleted Minecraft worlds on Redrock edition. This is because the files you are working with are hidden by Windows. Please be sure the Show hidden files option is enabled.

Way 2: Change level.dat file to get your Minecraft worlds back

The level.data file contains the world seed, game time and your player inventory. When you save a world, it will be renamed as level.dat_old and replaced with a new one. So you can rename the old one back.

Step 1. Open File Explorer and go to the saves folder. Replace YourName with the username you are logging in with.

\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\.minecraft\saves.

Step 2. Open your world folder and rename level.dat_old to level.dat. If you have a level.dat file here, please back it up first.

Step 3. You can then open Minecraft and check if the deleted world is back.

Way 3. Restore deleted Minecraft worlds from Windows backup

Windows also offers you an old backup software - Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in the latest operating system, such as Windows 10 to backup user files or selected data on the disk.

Step 1. Open Control Panel, select System and Security, and then click on Backup and Restore (Windows 7).​

Step 2. Click the Restore my files button under the Restore tab.​

Step 3. Click Browse for files or Browse for folders to select the game files that you need to restore, then click Next.

Step 4. Choose a storage location for restored files, and click on Restore to get back a Minecraft world that was deleted.

Way 4. Recover deleted Minecraft worlds from previous backup

Previous backups are copies of files from File History or System Restore. So please be sure one of them are enabled and there is an available backup.

Step 1. Press Win + R keys to open the Run command window, type %appdata% and click OK.

Step 2. Navigate to the .minecraft and saves folder respectively. If you are using Minecraft Bedrock edition, go to its local backup path instead.

Step 3. Right-click the empty space in the saves folder and select the Properties option.​

Step 4. On the fly-out properties page, go to the Previous Version tab.

Step 5. In the File Versions section, select a previous version of Minecraft World backup and click Restore.​

How to restore deleted Minecraft worlds without backup

What about the Minecraft worlds are not backed up? In this case, the best and most effective way is to use a powerful data recovery tool like MyRecover to get your Minecraft worlds back. With its two advanced scanning methods (Quick & Deep Scan) and high success rate & fast speed, you can easily recover permanently deleted Minecraft worlds in simple steps.

Please free download this data recovery software - MyRecover and learn how to recover deleted worlds in Minecraft easily with the following steps.

Step 1. Run Windows data recovery software - MyRecover. It will display all the recognized disks. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.

Step 2. This tool will automatically scan your devices and find all deleted and missing data including Minecraft worlds. You can tap Search for files and folders or Filter to find the items you want quickly.​

Notes:

• You can filter files through file type (eg: documents), date modified, size and path in the Filter features.
• You can click the Stop or Pause button if you select the wrong disk or something goes wrong.

Step 3. Select the deleted Minecraft worlds and click Recover xx files. Then, specify a new path to save them. Don’t save to the original location as it may cause data corruption or permanent data loss.

Notes:

• MyRecover displays the number of files to be recovered and their full size. You can use this to determine if you have selected all the deleted Minecraft worlds.
• You are able to recover deleted Minecraft worlds for free, up to 30MB each time. To recover unlimited files, try advanced editions.
• You still can use it to recover lost saved game data on PS 5, recover Steam missing download files, recover league replays saved data, etc.

How to recover deleted Minecraft Worlds on PS4

How to recover deleted files on PS4? PS4 offers users online storage to save files (eg: Minecraft worlds), if you have uploaded on it, try to recover deleted Minecraft worlds from cloud saves.

Step 1. Open PS4, go to Settings and find Application Saved Data Management.

Step 2. Select Saved Data in Online Storage and Download to System Storage in order.

Step 3. Select the deleted Minecraft worlds and click Download. Afterward, the deleted worlds will come back to your PS4.

Bonus tips to protect your Minecraft worlds safely

There is nothing worse than you deleted your Minecraft worlds but does not have a backup file for it. In this case, your files will go forever. Here are 3 different methods to backup your world files.

Way 1: Backup Minecraft worlds manually

Step 1. Open File Explorer and type the following path to access the saves folder.

\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\.minecraft\

Step 2. Copy and paste the saves folder to a new location, preferably on a different disk.

Note: Similarly, if you are using Minecraft Bedrock edition, go to its backup directory, copy and paste its db folder to a new location.

Way 2: Backup Minecraft worlds automatically

To backup Minecraft worlds automatically, you need a backup software that supports feature like schedule backup. AOMEI Backupper Standard is one of great choices and it can do more than built-in Windows backup software.

Step 1. Download, install, and launch free backup software for Windows - AOMEI Backupper Standard. Choose Backup and File Backup subsequently.

Step 2. Type a new task name to distinguish it from other backup tasks. Click Add Folder, navigate to the minecraft folder and select it. For Redrock edition, select minecraftWorlds as instead.

Step 3. Click the second box and select a local path, share or NAS, or cloud drive to save a copy of your Minecraft worlds.

Step 4. To backup Minecraft worlds automatically, click Schedule Backup and enable Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger, or USB plug in options.

Step 5. Confirm all the configured backup settings and click Start Backup to backup your Minecraft worlds. It will backup the entire folder and then only new worlds in this folder.

Way 3: Backup Minecraft worlds on PS4

If you’re using PlayStation Plus and have access to up to 100 GB of cloud storage, you can enable automatic backups on it. Click Settings > Application Data Management > Auto-Upload and check Enable Automatic Uploads. Your saved data will automatically be backed up online.

You can also go to Settings > System > Back Up and Restore and backup your Minecraft saves manually. To be sure it’s safe, you’d better transfer the Minecraft files to an external hard drive or other devices away from your PS4.

FAQs

If you have more questions about Minecraft Worlds, please check the following Q&A.

What happens when you delete a Minecraft world?

When you delete a Minecraft world, the buildings, items, and progress made within the world will be removed from your device. Once the world is deleted, you cannot recover deleted Minecraft world unless you have a backup saved elsewhere.

How to recover deleted Minecraft worlds on Android

Android phone also offers users a different backup solution to protect their files, such as Samsung Cloud.

• Go to Settings, then Accounts and backup.
• Scroll down to Samsung Cloud and click Restore data.

• Select your phone and select the items you want to restore. Click Restore.

How to recover deleted Minecraft worlds on iPhone

Your iPhone comes along with a cloud storage named iCloud and has 5GB of free cloud storage. If your turn on it, you can try to restore Minecraft worlds from iCloud backup.

• Go to Setting > iCloud > Storage and select Backup.
• Select the backup including your Minecraft files and wait for your iPhone to restore them.

Conclusion

Deleting Minecraft worlds accidentally is distressing. Be calm and you are able to recover deleted Minecraft worlds with 5 effective methods, even if you don’t have an available backup. You can also recover them on PS4 successfully.

Anyway, it’s important to be sure you have a backup file before deleting any Minecraft worlds. Free backup software for Windows - AOMEI Backupper is a great choice to help you. It supports backing up all kinds of files and set a scheduled task to run them automatically in daily, weekly or monthly mode.