The Tool Desk
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What transfers, and what does not
The world folder contains the shared environment: buildings, containers, corpses, vehicles, construction, farming, loot state, electricity and water changes, and other persistent map information. A multiplayer server will read that world only when the folder is placed in its multiplayer save path and its name matches the server configuration.
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Player characters are different. Inventory, skills, statistics, health state and location are held in players.db, a SQLite database. Copying only the world folder normally creates the map without your single-player survivor. If you want to keep that character, plan a separate database migration. If you delete the multiplayer database instead, the server will reset player records rather than import them.
- World state: transferred by copying and correctly naming the save folder.
- Character state: transferred by selectively moving records between SQLite databases.
- Mods: must be configured for the server; a mod that works in single-player is not automatically usable online.
Find the save and server folders
Use the path for the machine that actually owns the save or runs the server. A managed host may expose only a file manager or FTP/SFTP view, while a self-hosted server uses the operating system’s local directories.
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| Use | Windows | Linux or macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Single-player world | %UserProfile%ZomboidSaves<mode><world name> |
~/Zomboid/Saves/<mode>/<world name> |
| Multiplayer worlds | %UserProfile%ZomboidSavesMultiplayer |
~/Zomboid/Saves/Multiplayer |
| Server configuration | %UserProfile%ZomboidServer |
~/Zomboid/Server |
The <mode> directory is the mode used when you created the world, such as Sandbox, Survival or Builder. Do not move only a file from inside that directory: copy the entire world folder, including its subfolders and database files.
A typical dedicated Linux installation documented by the community uses /home/Zomboid/Server/servertest.ini for the configuration and /home/Zomboid/Server/Saves/Multiplayer for multiplayer saves. Your installation can use a different account or root directory, so confirm the path shown by your server launcher or hosting panel.
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Back up before touching the server
Stop the server completely before copying or replacing any save. A running server can write files while you are transferring them, leaving a partial or inconsistent world.
- Close the game and stop the dedicated server process.
- Copy the complete
Zomboidfolder to a separate dated location. Include bothSavesandServer; retaining the original lets you undo an unsuccessful conversion. - If the server already contains a world you want to preserve, download its entire multiplayer save directory with FTP, SFTP or the host’s file manager before replacing anything.
- Keep the backup offline until you have entered the converted world, checked important locations and confirmed that players can join.
Save conversion is destructive when an existing multiplayer folder is overwritten. A backup is also the safest response to a build mismatch or an accidental database edit.
Choose the right transfer method
| Server type | Where you work | What you need | Typical risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed hosting | The provider’s file manager or an FTP/SFTP account | Downloaded single-player folder, server name, upload permission and a stopped server | Uploading into a similarly named but incorrect directory, or leaving an old world in place |
| Self-hosted dedicated server | The server machine’s Zomboid/Server/Saves/Multiplayer directory |
Local filesystem access and permission to stop/start the service | Editing the wrong user’s home directory or changing files while the service is running |
| Local test server | Your own Zomboid profile and server configuration |
A copy of the world and a unique test server name | Confusing a test save with the production save |
The file operation is the same in all three cases: preserve the folder, place it under the multiplayer save directory, and make its name agree with the server configuration. Only the access tool changes.
Convert the world folder
1. Identify the single-player world
Open the appropriate Saves/<mode> directory and identify the folder for the world you intend to host. If you have several worlds, use the folder’s modification date and the in-game world name to distinguish them. Copy the folder rather than moving it so the original remains available for rollback.
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Find the server’s configuration file in the Server directory. A configuration such as servertest.ini is associated with a server/save name such as servertest. Hosting panels may display the same value as “Server name,” “Save name” or an equivalent setting. Record the exact spelling, capitalization and punctuation used by the server.
3. Rename the copied world folder
Rename the copy so the folder name is exactly the server name selected by the configuration. Do not add a second extension, spaces that are not present in the configured name, or a suffix such as -converted unless that suffix is also the server name. A mismatch commonly causes the server to generate or load a fresh empty world instead of the imported one.
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4. Upload or copy it to the multiplayer directory
Place the renamed folder directly inside the server’s Saves/Multiplayer directory. The final layout should look like this, with the same name in both places:
Zomboid/
├── Server/
│ └── servertest.ini
└── Saves/
└── Multiplayer/
└── servertest/
├── ...world files...
└── ...subfolders...For a managed server, upload the folder contents through FTP/SFTP or the provider’s file manager, then verify that the folder itself—not an extra nested copy such as servertest/servertest/—is immediately under Multiplayer.
5. Start the server and watch the first load
Start the server only after the transfer is complete. The first launch can take longer while files are indexed. Check the console or server log for errors, then join and inspect a location that you know well: a base, a marked vehicle, a built structure or a previously looted building. If the map is empty or unfamiliar, stop the server rather than playing on it; an empty launch can create new files that make diagnosis harder.
Move your character with players.db
The world conversion does not automatically bring over a survivor. Character records live in players.db, which is a SQLite database. Community procedures recommend using a SQLite editor such as DB Browser for SQLite, but database editing is an advanced operation: make copies of both databases and never work on the only backup.
Prepare the two databases
- Keep a copy of the single-player
players.dbfrom the original world. - Start the converted server once with the imported world, join briefly and create a multiplayer character. This causes the server to generate its own multiplayer
players.dbwith the expected schema and player record. - Leave the game, stop the server and make another copy of the newly generated multiplayer database.
- Open copies of the old and new databases in your SQLite tool. Do not edit either live file while the server is stopped only temporarily; keep the process fully shut down for the actual replacement.
Copy the appropriate player row
Guides describe copying the old character’s player row into the new multiplayer database, then preserving the multiplayer database’s table structure and identifiers. The exact columns and keys can differ between game builds, so do not blindly paste an entire database or overwrite unrelated server rows. Match the old character to the newly created multiplayer account using the identifying fields shown by the database editor, and retain a backup before saving.
After saving the edited database, place it in the converted server’s multiplayer save folder, replacing the generated copy only when the server is stopped. Start the server and join with the same account or player identity used when the row was created. Verify inventory, skills, health and position before allowing other players to continue. If the server refuses to start or the character is missing, restore the generated database and the original backup, then retry with a build-compatible procedure.
Deleting players.db is not a conversion method. It deliberately resets character data and is useful only when you want everyone to begin again.
Reconfigure mods and workshop content
A single-player mod can depend on local-only behavior, a different load order or files that are not available to a dedicated server. Treat the imported world as a mod migration, not just a file copy.
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- List every mod enabled in the single-player save, including map and vehicle additions.
- Install server-compatible versions on the server and ensure clients can obtain the same workshop content.
- Open the server’s
.inifile and review theMods=line. This lists mod identifiers used by the server. - Review
WorkshopItems=as well. Workshop IDs belong there when the server must download the corresponding workshop items. - Start with the complete set disabled or reduced if the server crashes, then add items back in small groups while checking the log.
Do not assume that a missing mod merely removes an item. It can prevent a map from loading, produce Lua errors or leave references in the save that are difficult to remove. Keep the original unmodified backup until the server has run successfully with the chosen mod set.
Troubleshoot a world that will not load
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| A completely fresh map appears | The folder is in the wrong directory, nested one level too deep, or its name does not match the configured server name. | Stop the server, compare the final directory layout with the example above, and check the server configuration spelling before restarting. |
| The server starts but your survivor is absent | Only the world folder was copied; character records remain in the old database. | Use the two-database players.db workflow, or keep the newly generated database if a reset is intended. |
| The server crashes while loading | A mod is unavailable or incompatible, or the save was created on a different build. | Restore the backup, compare the server and client builds, inspect the log, and test with the server’s compatible mod set. |
| Buildings or loot look different | The server loaded a different world, or a map/content mod is missing. | Stop immediately, confirm the imported folder and mod configuration, then restart from the backup if necessary. |
| FTP upload appears complete but files are missing | The transfer stopped early, permissions blocked files, or the client uploaded into the wrong remote directory. | Compare folder sizes and representative subfolders locally and remotely; re-upload with the server stopped. |
| A database edit prevents startup | The SQLite file was malformed, locked, or copied from an incompatible schema. | Replace it with the generated multiplayer database, confirm that the server launches, and redo the migration only on copies. |
Build and version limitations
Procedural details published by community wikis, hosting guides and Steam discussions are not official developer documentation, and several commonly quoted instructions predate the current build line. In particular, one older guide describes a map_visited_server folder replacing map_visited.bin; the exact file arrangement for Build 42 has not been independently verified. Do not delete or rename map files solely to match an older tutorial.
Opening an old save on a newer game build can also introduce bugs. The safest sequence is to make the server and clients run the same build, test the conversion on a duplicate world, and keep the untouched original. If the save was created on an older build and the server is newer, expect that some files or mods may require build-specific handling rather than assuming a universal copy procedure.
One community report says a plain copy-and-paste failed even though the folders appeared correct. That is why the name, nesting level, server shutdown state, database and mod configuration all need to be checked independently.
Validate the converted server before inviting players
- Join with the server’s intended password and confirm that the imported map contains a known landmark.
- Check a previously built structure, vehicle or storage container rather than relying only on the spawn screen.
- Confirm that the server log contains no missing-mod or database errors.
- Test a fresh character before importing an existing character row; this separates world problems from player-database problems.
- After the character migration, verify skills, inventory, health, location and safehouse access.
- Make a new dated backup after the first successful session.
Only after these checks should you remove the temporary test character or replace the working backup. Keeping a known-good copy gives you a recovery point if a later mod update or build change damages the save.
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- Stop the server and prevent automatic restarts while you work.
- Move the failed multiplayer folder and edited
players.dbout of the active save directory instead of deleting them. - Restore the original world folder and the last known-good multiplayer database from your dated backup.
- Start the server with the same configuration and mod set used when that backup was made.
- Test the restored world with one character before reattempting any migration.
If the restored copy also fails, the likely issue is a game-build or mod mismatch rather than the file transfer itself. Keep the backup untouched and test a duplicate with a matching build.
Conversion checklist
- Server is stopped and the entire
Zomboiddirectory is backed up. - Single-player world was copied from the correct mode directory.
- Copied folder name exactly matches the server’s configured name.
- Folder is directly under
Saves/Multiplayer, with no extra nesting. - Server and clients use a compatible game build.
Mods=andWorkshopItems=contain only server-compatible content.- World loads correctly before any player-database editing.
- Both original and generated
players.dbfiles are backed up before rows are copied. - A fresh test character works before an existing character is imported.
- A new backup is made after the first successful multiplayer session.
Bottom line
Moving the map is a folder-and-name operation; moving the survivor is a separate SQLite operation. Copy the complete world into Saves/Multiplayer, use the exact server name, restart only after the upload finishes, and test the world before touching players.db. Backups, matching builds and a deliberate mod configuration are what make the conversion recoverable when a simple copy does not work.
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