To delete a Valheim character, start the game, open the character-selection screen, highlight the correct name, choose the delete control, and confirm. If the character is stored in Steam Cloud, delete its entry through Manage Saves on the character screen; deleting only a local file can allow Steam Cloud to restore it when Valheim starts again.
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What deleting a Valheim character actually does
Valheim stores character data separately from world data. A character save contains that character’s progression, skills, equipment and inventory. Deleting it removes that character save, but it does not delete the worlds you have created and does not remove other characters.
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Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe distinction matters when deciding what to back up. If your concern is a character carrying valuable equipment, back up the character save. If you are trying to remove a world, this is the wrong menu and the wrong save category. Valheim’s 2026 public-test save-system notes say the newer chunked format changes world saves while “character saves remain the same,” so character deletion remains a character-save operation rather than a world-file operation.
Before you delete: make a recoverable backup
Deletion is easy to confirm and easy to regret. Make a copy first if the character has important skills, hard-to-replace equipment or an inventory you may want later. Exit the world and return to the menu before copying files so Valheim is not writing to the save while you work.
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- Explore a bright Norse realm: discover dungeons, slay legendary beasts, and build anywhere as you explore formidable, procedurally-generated lands on your quest to take on Ragnarok.
- Face colossal game-changers: protect the speed of Yggdrasil from a nightly invasion of helthings, and work together with your tribe to withstand the ever-looming threat of the jotnar.
- Forge your Viking Legend: choose your class and take the battle into the wilds as you seek resources to craft epic armor and mighty weaponry. Then, unleash powerful abilities and prepare clever village defenses to give your enemies some nasty surprises.
- Rally the tribe: when the giants arrive, it takes a village to bring them down! Adventure through midgard solo, or form a tribe of up to 10 players in online pve co-op.
- Keep up the fight: throughout the year, limited time seasonal events bring bigger challenges and even mightier treasures to the endgame of midgard, including new ways to progress and unlockable rewards for use across every game.
Windows save locations
On Windows, the documented Valheim save root is:
%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowIronGateValheim
Character data is stored in the characters and characters_local folders under that root. In File Explorer, paste either of these complete paths into the address bar:
%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowIronGateValheimcharacters%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowIronGateValheimcharacters_local
Copy the relevant character file or the entire character folder to a separate location, such as an external drive. Give the copy a date-based name so you do not accidentally overwrite it while testing a restoration. Do not treat the backup as safe if it remains in the same folder that Valheim or Steam manages.
Why backing up is different from using Manage Saves
The game’s save manager can expose older backups for restoration, but a manually copied file gives you an additional recovery point. Keep that copy untouched until you are certain the deletion was intentional and the correct character disappeared.
Delete a character from the normal character-selection screen
- Launch Valheim and choose Start Game.
- At the character-selection screen, highlight the character you intend to remove. Read the displayed name carefully; do not rely only on the character’s position in the list.
- Choose the on-screen Delete control. The exact key or button prompt can differ with keyboard, controller and platform.
- Read the confirmation prompt and confirm only after checking the highlighted character again.
This deletes the selected character through Valheim’s own interface. It is the safest first method because the game knows which character entry is selected and can update its local save records consistently.
If the delete prompt is not obvious
Move the selection focus onto the character rather than the surrounding menu, then check the button legend shown on your screen. Controller and keyboard layouts can display different prompts. If you cannot tell which entry is active, cancel out of the prompt, select the character again and verify the name before proceeding.
Delete a Steam Cloud character so it does not return
Steam Cloud adds a second copy of a character save. Removing a local file while the cloud copy still exists can result in the file being downloaded again the next time the game starts. The in-game save manager is therefore the preferred route for a cloud character.
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- From Valheim’s menu, open the character area reached immediately after selecting Start Game.
- Open Manage Saves.
- Select the Characters tab.
- Identify the intended character entry. Steam’s guidance distinguishes cloud entries with a cloud icon and local entries with a disk icon.
- Select the cloud copy, choose its delete command and confirm the prompt.
- Exit and restart Valheim, then check the character list to verify that the entry is gone.
A Steam Community support answer describes the location this way: “Delete it from within the game under manage saves its right after you click start game.” The important part is deleting the entry in Manage Saves, not merely deleting a file from a local folder.
When you need file-level control
If you must inspect or preserve files manually, move the character to Local first using the save manager, then perform the deletion and restart Valheim so Steam Cloud can synchronize the new state. Keep your external backup separate. Avoid repeatedly switching between local and cloud copies while the game is open; that makes it harder to tell which version is current.
In-game deletion versus file deletion
| Approach | Storage mode | Reversibility | Scope | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delete from the character-selection screen | Local character managed by Valheim | Recoverable only if Manage Saves still offers a backup or you made a copy | One selected character | Routine deletion when the correct name is visible |
| Delete through Manage Saves > Characters | Steam Cloud or Local | Older backups may be restorable from the manager; an external copy is safer | One selected save entry | Cloud characters and cases where duplicate save entries are visible |
| Remove a copied file manually | Local files in characters or characters_local |
Potentially permanent without a separate backup | The file you select; a mistaken action can affect more than intended | Advanced file management after moving a save to Local |
| Delete a world save | World storage | Separate from character recovery | A world and its associated world data | Only when the goal is to remove a world, not a character |
The table’s reversibility column describes what is available, not a guarantee that every deleted entry will have a usable backup. Check the actual entries shown by your installation before assuming recovery is possible.
How to restore a character deleted by accident
Stop changing saves as soon as you notice the mistake. Do not create a replacement character with the same role and do not overwrite the external copy while experimenting; both actions can make it harder to identify the original data.
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Restore from Manage Saves
- Open Valheim and go to the character area after Start Game.
- Open Manage Saves, then select Characters.
- Expand the deleted character’s entry if it is still listed.
- Review the available dated or older backups and choose the most recent suitable version from before the deletion.
- Use the restore command, then return to the character list and verify the restored name before entering a world.
The manager may show more than one historical version. Choose by date and contents, not simply by the first item in the list. If the character was in Steam Cloud, make sure you are viewing the cloud entry rather than an unrelated local copy.
Rank #2
- Explore a bright Norse realm: discover dungeons, slay legendary beasts, and build anywhere as you explore formidable, procedurally-generated lands on your quest to take on Ragnarok.
- Face colossal game-changers: protect the speed of Yggdrasil from a nightly invasion of helthings, and work together with your tribe to withstand the ever-looming threat of the jotnar.
- Forge your Viking Legend: choose your class and take the battle into the wilds as you seek resources to craft epic armor and mighty weaponry. Then, unleash powerful abilities and prepare clever village defenses to give your enemies some nasty surprises.
- Rally the tribe: when the giants arrive, it takes a village to bring them down! Adventure through midgard solo, or form a tribe of up to 10 players in online pve co-op.
- Keep up the fight: throughout the year, limited time seasonal events bring bigger challenges and even mightier treasures to the endgame of midgard, including new ways to progress and unlockable rewards for use across every game.
Restore a manually copied Windows backup
Close Valheim completely. Preserve the current folders before replacing anything, then copy your backup back into the appropriate character-save location under %USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowIronGateValheim. Start Valheim and inspect the character list. If Steam Cloud offers a conflict choice, keep the version that contains the backed-up character rather than allowing an empty or newer local state to overwrite it.
If the game still does not show the character, stop and retain every copy. Mixing files from characters and characters_local without first understanding whether the save is cloud-managed can produce duplicate or missing entries. Use the save manager to move the save to Local, then restart before trying another replacement.
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Troubleshooting common deletion problems
The character comes back after I deleted it
This usually indicates that a Steam Cloud copy was not removed. Open Manage Saves, select Characters, look for the cloud-icon entry and delete that copy in-game. Restart Valheim and check again. Deleting only a file from a local folder does not remove a separate cloud copy.
I deleted the wrong character
Do not continue playing or create new saves until you check Manage Saves. Expand the relevant character entry and look for an older backup. If none is usable, close the game and use the external copy made before deletion. Keep the mistaken deletion’s current files in a separate folder rather than replacing them immediately.
There are local and cloud entries with similar names
Use the icons and the full displayed character name to distinguish them. A cloud icon identifies the Steam Cloud entry; a disk icon identifies a local entry. If you are unsure which is active, move the intended save to Local through the manager, restart Valheim, confirm the character list and then delete the unwanted copy.
The character is gone, but the world is still present
That is expected. Character and world saves are separate categories. Deleting a character does not delete the world, its builds or other characters. Select another existing character to continue using the world, subject to the normal game rules for that character’s access and equipment.
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Paste the complete path into File Explorer, including the percent signs:
%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowIronGateValheim
AppData is commonly hidden from casual browsing, but entering the path directly does not require you to navigate to it manually. The character subfolders are characters and characters_local.
Permanent deletion: what “permanent” means here
There is no separate “wipe every backup everywhere” button described by the available save-management guidance. A character can remain recoverable through an older Manage Saves backup or a copy you made before deletion. If you need the character to be unrecoverable on your own computer, first delete it in-game, then inspect the local character folders and remove remaining copies only after preserving anything you may still need. For a Steam Cloud character, remove the cloud entry through Manage Saves before cleaning local files.
File removal should be the final step, not the first. It is less forgiving than the in-game command, gives you fewer clues about which character is selected and can be undone only if a suitable backup exists.
A safe decision checklist
- Need to remove one ordinary character? Use the character-selection screen’s delete control.
- See a cloud icon or use Steam Cloud? Delete the character through Manage Saves > Characters.
- Valuable inventory or high-level skills? Copy the save from the Windows character folder before confirming.
- Trying to remove a world? Do not delete the character; world saves are a separate category.
- Deletion was accidental? Stop, open Manage Saves, expand the character entry and restore the newest suitable backup.
- Using a controller or another platform? Follow the on-screen button prompt, because the exact delete control can vary.
Key points to remember
Character deletion begins at character select and requires confirmation. Steam Cloud characters should be removed from the game’s Manage Saves screen so the cloud copy does not reappear. A backup protects progression, skills, equipment and inventory, while the world remains unaffected because it is stored separately. If you change your mind, Manage Saves may expose older character backups for restoration; a separate copied save is the most dependable additional safeguard.
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