Fixing Ticking Entity Crashes on a Minecraft Server

What a Ticking Entity Crash Means

A ticking entity crash happens when Minecraft tries to update something in the world and that object fails badly enough to stop the server. The cause is usually corrupted data attached to a mob, NPC, or another entity. In crash reports, this often appears as something similar to `java.lang.NullPointerException: Ticking entity`.

The problem can be severe because Minecraft processes entities constantly. If the same broken entity is loaded again, the server can crash again immediately. These crashes can happen in vanilla Minecraft, but they are more common on modded servers because mods add new mobs, blocks, AI behavior, and world data. More moving parts means more chances for one part to behave like it skipped breakfast.

How Minecraft Ticks Work

Minecraft runs on ticks. A tick is one pass through the game's update loop, where Minecraft processes world changes, entities, blocks, redstone, weather, and many other tasks.

Minecraft normally runs at 20 ticks per second, so one tick happens every 0.05 seconds. A full Minecraft day is 24,000 ticks, which equals 20 real-world minutes. When a mob moves, a crop grows, or a block entity updates, it is being processed through this tick system.

A ticking entity crash means one of those updates failed while Minecraft was handling an entity.

Ticking Entity, Ticking Block, and Ticking World

These crash types sound similar, but the details matter when choosing a fix.

Ticking Entity

A ticking entity crash is tied to an entity such as a mob, animal, projectile, NPC, or modded creature. The crash report often includes the entity type and its location, which makes this the most practical version to repair.

Ticking Block

A ticking block crash is similar, but it points to a block or tile entity instead of a mob. This is often caused by modded machines, storage blocks, generators, pipes, or other blocks that process logic every tick.

Ticking World

A ticking world crash is usually the worst of the three. Minecraft can tell that something in the world is failing, but it may not be able to provide exact coordinates. Without a location, manual cleanup becomes much harder and sometimes impossible. In many ticking world cases, restoring a backup is the most reliable option.

Removing mods usually does not fix an already corrupted world. If the bad data has already been written into the save, the world can continue crashing until that data is removed or the world is rolled back.

Before You Start Fixing It

Act quickly when a ticking entity crash appears. If your server creates automatic backups while the corrupted entity is still present, newer backups may contain the same broken data. Keep any older backup that was made before the crash started.

If the crash returns after the bad entity is removed, a mod may be creating the issue repeatedly. Start by reviewing recent mod additions or updates. If needed, remove mods in batches until the crash stops, then narrow the cause from there. It is not glamorous detective work, but it is often faster than guessing forever.

Option 1: Restore a Clean Backup

The simplest fix is to restore a backup from before the ticking entity appeared. This is the safest option when:

• The crash report says `Ticking world` and gives no useful coordinates.
• The server crashes too quickly for commands to run.
• Multiple entities or blocks seem corrupted.
• The world damage is unclear.

Before restoring, save a copy of the current world if possible. That gives you a fallback in case you need to recover player builds, region files, or other data later.

On HolyHosting, use the backup tools in your server panel if a clean backup is available. Choose the newest backup from before the crash began, restore it, then start the server and confirm players can join normally.

Option 2: Read the Crash Report

Crash reports are the best source of information for this problem. A ticking entity crash report can usually tell you:

• The crash type.
• The entity that caused the crash.
• The mod that added the entity, if it is modded.
• The exact X, Y, and Z coordinates.

Look for sections such as `Description: Ticking entity` and `Entity being ticked`. The entity name may be a vanilla mob, or it may include a modded name. For example, if a crash report names a custom creature from a specific mod, that mod is probably involved.

If coordinates are shown, write them down exactly. They are usually listed as X, Y, Z values, such as `183.54, 51.95, 67.90`. Those numbers are useful for teleporting, editing the world, or targeting cleanup commands.

If the report says `Ticking world` or `Exception ticking world` and no coordinates appear, skip the coordinate-based fixes and use a backup if one exists.

Option 3: Use the CoFH Killall Command

If your modpack includes CoFH Core, you may have access to the `/cofh killall` command. This command can remove entities by type and can work even when the entity is in an unloaded chunk, which is important because loading the chunk may crash the server.

The server must still be able to start long enough for the command to run. You can run the command from the console, so you do not need to join the server in-game.

To remove a specific entity type, use:

`/cofh killall [type]`

Replace `[type]` with the name or part of the name of the broken entity from the crash report. If the entity name is not matching correctly, check the exact spelling in the report and try the mod's internal entity name if it is shown.

Running the command without a type may remove hostile mobs. As a last resort, this command can remove all loaded entities:

`/cofh killall *`

Use the wildcard version carefully. It can remove more than the broken entity, including mobs you intended to keep.

Option 4: Teleport to the Entity and Kill It

This is the manual method, and it only works if the server stays online long enough for you to act. Use it when the crash report gives coordinates and the entity can be killed quickly.

Prepare before teleporting:

• Set yourself to creative mode with `/gamemode creative`.
• Use a weapon or command that can kill the entity instantly.
• Keep the coordinates from the crash report ready.

Then teleport to the entity location:

`/teleport <player> <x> <y> <z>`

Replace the values with the coordinates from the crash report. Once you arrive, kill the entity immediately. If the chunk crashes the server before you can act, use a command-based fix or restore a backup instead.

Option 5: Use Forge Error Removal Settings

Forge has settings that can remove entities or tile entities that cause crashes. This can fix a ticking entity or ticking block problem, but it is risky because Forge decides what to delete. It may remove things you wanted to keep.

Before using this method, make a backup of the entire server or at least the affected world. Damage caused by these settings can only be undone by restoring a backup made before they were enabled.

To use the Forge method:

1. Stop the server.
2. Open the `config` folder in the server files.
3. Find and edit `forge.cfg`.
4. Find the relevant setting.
5. For ticking entities, set `removeErroringEntities` or `removeErrorEntities` to `true`, depending on the Forge version.
6. For ticking blocks, set `removeErroringTileEntities` to `true` only if the crash is block related.
7. Start the server and let it fully load.
8. Stop the server again right away.
9. Change the setting back to `false`.
10. Start the server and check the world.

Do not leave these settings enabled permanently. If Forge keeps deleting anything it dislikes, blocks or entities may disappear unexpectedly. That is not server maintenance, that is a magic trick with consequences.

If buildings, machines, or important blocks vanish after using this method, restore the backup made before changing the Forge settings and try another repair method.

What to Do After the Crash Is Fixed

Once the server starts normally, make a fresh backup. Then watch the console and crash reports for repeat errors. If the same entity or mod appears again, the underlying mod may still be faulty.

For modded servers, review recent changes first. New mods, removed dependencies, version mismatches, and broken updates are common causes. If the problem continues, test by removing mods in small groups until the crashes stop, then isolate the exact mod from that group.

A ticking entity crash is usually fixable when the report gives coordinates or an entity name. If the crash only reports a ticking world and no location, restoring a clean backup is often the fastest and least destructive path.