ViaVersion: let newer Minecraft clients join your server

If your game says the server is outdated, see outdated server or client.

ViaVersion lets players on a newer Minecraft version join a server that runs an older one. It is a plugin for Paper-based servers such as Paper and Purpur, and the server keeps running its own version. Two add-ons cover the other direction: ViaBackwards lets older clients join a newer server, and ViaRewind adds the very old 1.8 and 1.7 clients.

The ViaVersion README puts it as “Allows the connection of higher client versions to lower server versions”.

What each plugin does

Plugin	Who can join	Needs
ViaVersion	Clients newer than the server	A Paper-based server
ViaBackwards	Clients older than the server	ViaVersion
ViaRewind	1.8.x and 1.7.x clients on a server of 1.9 or newer	ViaVersion and ViaBackwards

Their pages say ViaBackwards runs on servers from 1.10 up, and ViaRewind on servers from 1.9 up. ViaVersion’s page says some Paper forks are not officially supported.

What it cannot do

It does not make the server newer. The world, the plugins and the blocks stay on the server’s version. ViaVersion’s page answers “I can’t use new blocks?” with: “Our aim is to provide compatibility and balanced gameplay. This is not a feature of ViaVersion nor is it planned.”
It does not load a newer world on older software. ViaVersion changes how a player’s game talks to the server. It does not touch the world files. A world saved by a newer Minecraft version may not open on an older server. See change your server version.

Versions on 26.3

On Modrinth, read on 11 October 2026:

ViaVersion 5.12.1 is a release, published 8 October 2026, and lists 26.3. A newer test build, 5.12.2-SNAPSHOT+1103, is marked Beta.
ViaBackwards 5.12.1 is a release that lists 26.3.
ViaRewind 4.2.0 is a release, published 18 September 2026, and lists 26.3.

In the panel’s Install dialog on 26.3 the list for ViaVersion starts with 5.12.2-SNAPSHOT builds marked Beta. The 5.12.1 release, which is not marked Beta, is further down the same list. Choose the release, because a beta can have bugs. ViaBackwards and ViaRewind are listed the same way. Take a backup before you install either.

ViaVersion’s page says it will be released “a few days after” a Minecraft update, so a brand new Minecraft version can have no build for a short time.

In the ArthOS panel

Open Add-ons, then Plugins. If there is no Plugins button, your server is not on Paper or Purpur. See switch to Paper or Purpur.
Under Find plugins choose Modrinth (or Hangar), search for ViaVersion and choose Install. Scroll the list to the 5.12.1 release and pick it, not a build marked Beta.
To let older clients in, install ViaBackwards the same way. For 1.8 and 1.7 clients also install ViaRewind. Install ViaVersion first: the others need it.
Choose Restart now. The plugins load only at a restart.
Type plugins in the Console. The Via plugins should be green.
Ask a player on a newer version to join. They need no change to their game. Type viaversion list in the Console to see each connected player and the version they use.

ViaVersion needs no setup to start. Its page says it “should work out of the box”.

By hand

Download the jars from the projects’ own pages: Hangar or Modrinth.
Put them in the plugins folder in Files, and restart.
Behind a proxy such as Velocity, install ViaVersion on the proxy or on the servers behind it, not both. This is ViaVersion’s own warning.

If it does not work

Players still see “Outdated server”. The server was not restarted after the install, or the plugin shows red in plugins. Read the start of the Console for a Via error. See Outdated client and Outdated server.
A Via plugin is red in the list. Read the first error in logs/latest.log. The usual cause is a build made for a different Minecraft version. Pick another build, or wait for one.
Bedrock players. Geyser has its own version limits. See Bedrock players on a Java server. Not checked on 26.3 as of 11 October 2026: ViaVersion together with Geyser.
The server lags after the install. Type spark tps in the Console. See fix lag.