How to Pre-Generate Your Minecraft World with Chunky
How to Pre-Generate Your Minecraft World with Chunky
Chunk generation is one of the most CPU-intensive tasks a Minecraft server performs. When players explore new areas, the server generates terrain on the fly, causing lag spikes for everyone. Pre-generating chunks ahead of time eliminates this problem.
Install Chunky
Chunky works as both a plugin (Paper/Spigot/Purpur) and a mod (Forge/Fabric). No client-side installation needed.
- Download Chunky from Modrinth
- Upload the
.jartoplugins/ormods/via the control panel file manager - Restart the server
Pre-Generate the Overworld
Run these commands in the server console:
chunky center 0 0
chunky radius 5000
chunky start
This generates a 5,000-block radius around coordinates 0,0 — a 10,000 x 10,000 block area.
Choosing a Radius
| Server Size | Recommended Radius | Area | Approximate Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (1–10 players) | 3,000 | 6k x 6k | 15–30 min |
| Medium (10–20 players) | 5,000 | 10k x 10k | 30–60 min |
| Large (20+ players) | 10,000 | 20k x 20k | 2–4 hours |
Times vary based on server hardware and world complexity.
Pre-Generate the Nether and End
Chunky can generate other dimensions too:
Nether
chunky world world_nether
chunky center 0 0
chunky radius 2000
chunky start
The Nether is 1/8 scale, so a 2,000-block radius covers the equivalent of 16,000 overworld blocks.
End
chunky world world_the_end
chunky center 0 0
chunky radius 3000
chunky start
After generating other dimensions, switch back to the overworld:
chunky world world
Monitoring Progress
Check generation status at any time:
chunky status
To pause generation (e.g. during peak hours):
chunky pause
Resume later:
chunky continue
Setting a World Border
After pre-generating, set a world border to prevent players from exploring beyond the pre-generated area and causing new lag:
/worldborder center 0 0
/worldborder set 10000
This sets a 10,000-block diameter border (matching a 5,000 radius pre-generation).
Tips
- Run pre-generation when the server is empty — it uses significant CPU. Avoid running during peak hours.
- Don't set the radius too large — more chunks means more disk space and longer world saves. Generate only what your players will realistically explore.
- Pair with view-distance tuning — pre-generation eliminates generation lag, but a high view-distance still loads many chunks per player. See How to Optimize Your Minecraft Server Performance.