Don’t reinstall yet: it’s usually a folder-layout problem

If the world import hangs forever after you tap it, or just does nothing at all, the vast majority of the time it’s not your device freezing, and not a “broken” file — it’s that the .mcworld has the wrong folder layout inside the archive. The two most common cases: an extra wrapper folder around everything, or level.dat not sitting at the root of the archive. The game can’t find the world’s entry point, so it shows up as an endless spinner or no response at all.

Instead of repeatedly reinstalling the game and re-importing the file, it’s far easier to first figure out exactly where it’s getting stuck. Open the file with TopoBlocks and it will diagnose the file type, version, and folder structure for free, on-device by default, telling you directly whether it’s a structure problem. This step doesn’t upload anything and doesn’t cost anything.

Diagnose with TopoBlocks, repair, then re-import

Once you’ve confirmed it’s a structure problem, fixing it is easy:

  1. Free on-device diagnosis — open the stuck .mcworld or .zip and check the file type, version, and structure.
  2. Simple structure repair (free) — remove the extra wrapper folder and move level.dat back to the root, generating a brand-new .mcworld that imports normally.
  3. Re-import — import once more using the repaired file. With the structure corrected, it usually shows up in your world list.

There’s a product red line here: we never overwrite your source file. Every repair generates a new version and keeps the original intact and traceable, so you can try it without worry — you can’t damage the original save. For a more systematic explanation of structure problems, see What to do when a world says “import failed” and the in-depth tutorial Importing and repairing worlds. If it won’t even extract, see .mcworld or zip won’t extract.

An honest note: not every “won’t import” is a file problem

Let’s be upfront: a structure repair only fixes file/packaging issues. If the diagnosis shows the structure was fine all along but it still won’t import, the cause is most likely outside the file and needs separate troubleshooting. Common ones:

  • Low device storage — importing a large world needs free space, so clear some out and try again.
  • Game version mismatch — an older Bedrock build may not read a newer world, so update the game before importing.
  • You got a Java Edition world — a Java Edition world can’t be imported straight into Bedrock; you need to do a one-way Java Edition → Bedrock conversion first (Bedrock can’t convert back to Java Edition).

Complex corruption (not a simple layout issue) can go to advanced repair (¥9 per fix). Before you pay, you’ll see the problem, success likelihood, risks, and refund terms; prices shown in the app are authoritative, and again it never overwrites your original file. If your world crashes the moment you open it rather than getting stuck on import, the cause and troubleshooting are different — see What to do when a world won’t open.