To back up a Valheim dedicated server safely, stop the server first, then copy the complete world data from its save directory. Older worlds require both the .fwl and .db files; worlds using the 1.0 folder format require the entire folder named for the world. To restore, stop the server, move the current world somewhere safe, place the backup in the same save directory, make -world match the uploaded name, and restart.
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Why a Valheim backup must include the whole world
A Valheim world is more than a single file. In the legacy format, the world consists of a metadata file ending in .fwl and a database file ending in .db. The pair belongs together: the .fwl file identifies the world, while the .db contains the world database and progress. Restoring only one of them can leave the server unable to load the world or remove the progress you meant to preserve.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesCurrent guides also describe a 1.0 format in which each world is represented by a folder under worlds_local. That folder contains the complete save, with data divided into smaller pieces and separate backup material. Because the server writes only changed chunks during a save, copying one apparently recent file is not a complete snapshot. Treat the folder as an indivisible unit and back it up while the server is stopped.
- Legacy world: copy both
WorldName.fwlandWorldName.db. - 1.0-format world: copy the complete folder named for the world, including every file and subfolder.
- Panel-managed server: a panel backup that snapshots the server volume can include the world directory, but check the backup contents rather than assuming it does.
Do not copy a live .db file. A running server can be writing to it, so the copy may be incomplete even if the transfer reports success.
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Find the Valheim world file location
The correct directory depends on the operating system and on whether the server was started with a custom -savedir argument. Verify the actual path in the server’s startup configuration before downloading or replacing anything.
| Server environment | Default save location | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | %USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowIronGateValheimworlds |
Legacy .fwl/.db files, or a 1.0 world folder where supported |
| Linux | ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds or ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local |
Use the directory that your installation actually creates; the two names are reported by different guides |
| Any system with a custom save directory | The path supplied to -savedir |
The custom directory takes precedence over the default location |
The -savedir launch option is intended to override the default location for worlds and permission files, according to a third-party guide quoting the official guide secondhand. Because that quotation was not independently verified here, treat the path in your own startup command as authoritative.
Check a Windows installation
- Stop the dedicated server from its console, service manager, or hosting panel.
- Open File Explorer and paste
%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowIronGateValheimworldsinto the address bar. - If the directory is absent or does not contain the active world, inspect the server shortcut, batch file, or service definition for
-savedir. - Identify the world by its matching
.fwl/.dbnames or by the folder name used by the 1.0 format.
Check a Linux installation
- Stop the server and confirm that its process has exited before copying files.
- Inspect
~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worldsand~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local. A guide may call the active directoryworlds, while another may call itworlds_local. - Check the service unit, launch script, or container configuration for
-savedir; that argument can point somewhere entirely different. - Use the directory that contains the world loaded by the server, not merely the first directory that exists.
How to back up a Valheim server safely
1. Stop the server completely
Use the hosting panel’s Stop control, the server console’s normal shutdown command if available, or the service manager used for your installation. Wait until the process has ended. A panel that says “stopped” while a child process remains active is not safe for copying; confirm that no server process is still writing to the save directory.
2. Locate the active save directory
Start with the Windows or Linux defaults above, then check for -savedir. If a panel exposes the startup command, read the argument there. Do not create a second backup from an empty default directory when the server is actually using a custom path.
3. Copy the complete world data
For a legacy world, copy the matching WorldName.fwl and WorldName.db together. Preserve their names and extensions. For a 1.0 world, copy the folder named for the world, including all nested files and any backup subfolders. Download through the host’s file manager or FTP/SFTP, or copy the directory to local storage.
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When a panel has a Backups tab, a full-volume snapshot can be convenient because it may include worlds_local and the rest of the server files. Open the resulting archive or snapshot details and confirm that the world data is present; a configuration-only backup is not a world backup.
4. Make the backup identifiable
Store each snapshot in a separate dated directory or archive so that an older, known-good copy remains available. Keep the original world format intact. Do not rename .fwl/.db files independently, and do not flatten a 1.0 world folder into loose files.
5. Verify before allowing players back in
- Legacy backup contains both files with the same world name.
- 1.0 backup opens to one top-level world folder, not a collection of files extracted directly into an unrelated directory.
- The copied data is non-empty and has the expected recent modification time.
- The backup can be read from its destination storage before the live server is restarted.
Only after the copy is complete should you start the server again. A backup made while the server is running may capture a partially written database and should not be your only recovery point.
Automate backups on a Linux dedicated server
Community hosting guides commonly use a scheduled compressed archive of worlds_local, often once per day. The exact cron entry, retention period, and archive command depend on your distribution, account permissions, and the actual save path, so adapt them to your installation rather than pasting an unverified schedule blindly.
What an automated job must do
- Request or perform a clean server stop.
- Wait for the process to exit.
- Archive the complete active world directory, including subfolders.
- Write the archive outside the live save directory so it cannot be included recursively.
- Apply a retention rule that leaves several earlier snapshots, not just the newest one.
- Record failures and notify the administrator when the archive cannot be created.
- Start the server again only after the archive has completed.
If your hosting panel can schedule a stop, backup, and start sequence, use that workflow instead of trying to kill the process from cron. If the panel’s backup feature snapshots the entire volume, confirm that it includes the active world path and that old snapshots are actually retained.
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Why retention matters
A backup taken immediately before corruption, an accidental deletion, or a bad conversion may faithfully preserve the problem. Keeping multiple dated copies lets you select an earlier state. No published backup frequency or data-loss statistic establishes a universal schedule for Valheim, so choose an interval based on how much building or exploration your players can afford to lose.
How to restore a Valheim world
1. Stop the server and preserve the current state
Stop the server before changing any save files. Move the existing world to a clearly named quarantine directory such as an “old” or “pre-restore” location instead of deleting it. This gives you a way back if the selected backup is the wrong world, uses a different format, or fails to load.
2. Confirm the destination directory
Restore into the directory the server actually uses: the Windows or Linux default, or the path supplied with -savedir. A correct backup in the wrong directory is indistinguishable from a missing world when the server starts.
3. Upload the backup without changing its structure
For legacy data, place both WorldName.fwl and WorldName.db directly in the save directory. For a 1.0 world, place the complete world folder there. One panel-oriented guide recommends zipping the world folder itself so that the folder is the archive’s top-level item, then using the panel’s Upload Save tool rather than dropping loose files through FTP. Follow your panel’s documented upload mechanism and inspect the extracted layout before starting.
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Set the server’s -world value to exactly match the uploaded folder name in the 1.0 format or the .fwl base name in the legacy format. On Linux, case sensitivity is unresolved in the available guides: one says capitalization does not matter, while another says Linux names are case-sensitive. Preserve the backup’s capitalization and punctuation to avoid that ambiguity.
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5. Start and observe the first load
Restart the server and watch its console or panel log. Confirm that it loads the intended world rather than generating a new one. Have a player connect and check recognizable landmarks, inventory, portals, and recent construction before allowing normal play.
If the server fails to load, stop it again. Do not overwrite the quarantined original. Recheck the save path, folder nesting, file names, permissions, and -world value, then try another preserved snapshot.
Legacy saves and the 1.0 folder format
Legacy .fwl/.db saves
The legacy arrangement is easy to recognize: two files share a base name, one ending in .fwl and one in .db. Both are required. If the database is missing, the world’s progress is missing even when the metadata file remains.
1.0 worlds
In the 1.0 format described by current third-party guides, a world is a folder rather than one .fwl/.db pair. Data is split into smaller pieces, and the server writes only changed chunks during a save. That design makes a partial copy unsafe: restore the entire folder as one unit.
First-load conversion of a legacy world
When a legacy world is loaded under the 1.0 format, the server converts it on the first load and writes a backup before conversion. The initial load can take several minutes without visible progress. Do not interrupt it merely because the console appears idle. Keep your own untouched copy of the original .fwl/.db pair before testing conversion; the server-created backup is not a substitute for an independently stored original.
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Common backup and restore failures
The restored world does not appear
- Check for
-savedir; the server may not be reading the directory you edited. - Confirm whether the installation expects
worldsorworlds_local. - Check that the 1.0 folder is not nested one level too deep after extraction.
- Make
-worldmatch the folder or legacy base name, including capitalization.
The server starts a fresh world
This usually indicates a name or path mismatch rather than a destroyed backup. Stop the server, move the newly generated world aside, and repeat the restore with the exact saved name and correct directory. Do not let the fresh world overwrite the quarantined copy.
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The world loads but recent progress is missing
Inspect which snapshot was restored and when it was taken. A backup made before the latest session cannot contain that session’s changes. If only one legacy file was copied, restore the matching .fwl and .db pair together. For a 1.0 save, replace the entire folder with a complete snapshot rather than mixing files from different dates.
A conversion appears frozen
The first legacy-to-1.0 load may take several minutes with no visible progress. Check that the process is still running and that the disk is active before interrupting it. If it genuinely fails, restore the untouched legacy copy and investigate from there.
An FTP upload produces an invalid save
Verify that every file and subfolder transferred successfully and that the world folder is at the expected top level. For panel hosting, use the panel’s save-upload function when the provider recommends it, particularly for a zipped 1.0 folder.
A practical recovery checklist
- Server stopped and no process is writing to the save directory.
- Active path confirmed, including any
-savediroverride. - Format identified as legacy pair or 1.0 folder.
- Legacy backup includes matching
.fwland.db. - 1.0 backup includes the complete world folder and its contents.
- Backup stored separately with a date or other clear identifier.
- Existing live world moved aside before restoration.
- Uploaded structure preserved without flattening or extra nesting.
-worldmatches the uploaded name exactly.- First restart observed before players resume normal activity.
What is still uncertain
The save paths, naming behavior, and format details above come from third-party hosting and community guides rather than a dedicated, directly verified Iron Gate server document. In particular, guides disagree about whether world-name capitalization matters, and they use both worlds and worlds_local for Linux saves. The safest practice is empirical: read the active launch configuration, identify the directory that the running installation actually uses, preserve the exact names and case already present, and test a backup before relying on it.
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The exact date of the 1.0 folder-format change and the behavior of Steam Cloud copies were not established by a retained source for this procedure. Do not assume a cloud copy is your newest local server backup; verify where the dedicated server writes its own files.
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