Minecraft Schematic File Formats: .litematic vs .schem vs .nbt
The differences between .litematic, .schem, .schematic and .nbt files, which mod reads which, and how to convert between them.
Schematic files store a region of a Minecraft world, blocks, block entities and sometimes entities, so you can paste it elsewhere. Multiple formats exist because different tools wrote their own. Here's what each one is and when you should care.
.litematic
The native format of the Litematica mod and the default on Donut Schematics. Supports multi-region builds, full block-entity NBT (chest contents, sign text, banners) and modern block states. Use it whenever you can.
.schem (Sponge schematic)
The modern standard used by WorldEdit, FastAsyncWorldEdit and most server-side plugins. Single region, full block-state support, smaller than legacy formats. If you paste with WorldEdit instead of Litematica, this is the file you want.
.schematic (legacy)
The original MCEdit format from pre-1.13. Uses numeric block IDs that broke with the Flattening, so anything past 1.12 needs a converter. Avoid for new builds.
.nbt (structure block)
Minecraft's vanilla format used by structure blocks. Hard cap of 48×48×48. Useful for datapacks and adventure maps, not for full bases or megabuilds.
Converting between formats
- Litematica can export to
.schemdirectly, File menu in the load screen. - WorldEdit reads both
.schemand.schematicwith//schem load. - Online converters exist but often break block entities, convert in-game when you can.
Which format does Donut Schematics use?
Every upload on the library is stored as .litematic by default because it preserves the most data. If a build also has a Sponge .schem export, both download links are shown on the schematic page.