Direct answer

First check whether the percentage/log is still progressing and give first-time generation time on slower storage/CPUs. If it remains stuck, read the first exception or repeated warning, then test the same server build with a fresh world on a copy. A fresh world working points to the existing world/datapack/modded worldgen state; a fresh world also stalling points to server software, Java, storage, or host performance.

What it means

Preparing the spawn area performs initial chunk/world generation. A long pause can be normal on slow hardware or heavy worldgen, but a true stall should be diagnosed from the log rather than by deleting the world immediately.

If you are a player

  • Note the exact world/dimension, coordinates if known, and action that triggers the problem.
  • If other players can reproduce it in the same place, tell the owner; location-specific evidence is valuable for world/chunk problems.
  • Do not repeatedly force-load a crashing area if the server is unstable. Let the owner make a backup before repair attempts.

If you run the server

  1. Back up before changing or regenerating the existing world.
  2. Check free disk space and storage errors.
  3. On modded/datapack servers, verify world-generation dependencies and pack versions.
  4. Do not downgrade a world to an older Minecraft version as a troubleshooting shortcut.
Watch progress rather than resetting the world
  1. Note whether progress is still advancing and how long the same stage repeats. Initial generation on a slow host can be very different from a permanent deadlock.
  2. Inspect CPU, storage and logs for datapack errors or chunk-generation plugins; test on a copy with recent add-ons removed when the issue started after an update.
  3. Do not delete the spawn region files unless you have identified corruption and possess a complete backup; that permanently changes built terrain.

References

Use the documentation for the exact software and release you run. These sources support the settings or diagnostic behavior used in this fix.

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