Exception in server tick loop, Ticking entity and Ticking block entity crashes

Exception in server tick loop is the description at the top of a crash report when the server hits an error while running the game. It is often followed by Ticking entity or Ticking block entity (older versions say tile entity), which means one mob, item, machine or chest-like block is broken and crashes the server every time it is updated. The crash report tells you what and where.

Why it happens

• A mod or plugin bug (most common on modded servers), often after an update or after removing a mod.

• A broken entity or block entity in the world, for example a corrupted machine or a mob with bad data.

• The wrong Java version or mismatched mod versions.

Step 1: Back up and read the crash report

1. Make a backup in Backups before you change anything.

2. Open Files → crash-reports and open the newest file.

3. Read the Description and the first lines of the error. Look for a mod or plugin name.

4. Look for the section Entity being ticked or Block entity being ticked. It shows the entity or block type and its coordinates. Write them down.

Need help with the format? See How to read logs and crash reports.

Step 2: Fix the most likely cause first

• A mod or plugin is named: update it to the newest version for your Minecraft version, or remove it (back up first; removing a content mod removes its blocks and items). Check the mod's issue tracker for the same crash.

• It started after an update: restore the backup from before the update in Backups, then update more carefully.

• Java version: the Versions installer picks the right Java automatically, so this mainly matters if you uploaded your own server jar or changed Startup → Docker Image by hand. Check it matches your Minecraft version. See Change Java version.

Step 3: Remove the broken entity or block

Forge and NeoForge: built-in option

Forge and NeoForge have server settings that delete an entity or block entity that crashes while ticking, instead of crashing the server:

• Forge: world/serverconfig/forge-server.toml

• NeoForge: config/neoforge-server.toml (the location can differ between versions; search the files for the option name)

1. Stop the server and open the file in Files.

2. Set removeErroringBlockEntities = true for a ticking block entity, or removeErroringEntities = true for a ticking entity.

3. Start the server once and check that it stays up.

4. Stop it and set the option back to false. Leaving it on can silently delete things in the future, such as a whole machine or a chest's contents.

Paper and Purpur

Paper already catches most of these errors. Instead of crashing, it logs a line such as Entity threw exception at ... and removes the broken entity or block entity. There is no setting to change. If you see these lines often, find the plugin or the area they point to.

If the server stays up long enough to run commands

From the Console, remove the thing at the coordinates from the crash report. For an entity (this example removes non-player entities within 2 blocks):

kill @e[type=!player,x=120,y=64,z=-340,distance=..2]

For a block entity, replace the block with air:

setblock 120 64 -340 air

Use your own coordinates. The area must be loaded for this to work.

Vanilla and Fabric: edit the world offline

If the server crashes as soon as it starts, edit a copy of the world on your computer:

1. Stop the server and download the world folder (see How to download your world).

2. Open the copy in a region editor such as MCA Selector, go to the coordinates, and delete that one chunk. It will be regenerated as fresh terrain, so builds in that chunk are lost. Delete as small an area as possible.

3. Upload the edited world (see How to upload your own world) and start the server.

For a big world you can also delete chunks on the server itself with the MCASelector – Delete Chunks option in Settings → Change Egg, then switch back to your normal server type. Read the steps and warnings in Corrupted world or chunks first.

Frequently asked questions