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Managing Your Valheim World

Learn how to back up, restore, reset, and transfer your Valheim world saves on your dedicated server.

Noah
5 min read
Mar 15, 2024

Managing Your Valheim World

Your Valheim world is the most important data on your server. This guide covers everything you need to know about managing world saves, backups, and transfers.

World File Location

Valheim world saves are stored in the following directory on your server:

/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/

Each world consists of two files:

  • [WorldName].fwl — World metadata
  • [WorldName].db — World data (terrain, builds, etc.)

Important: Always back up both files together. One without the other will not work.

Creating a Manual Backup

  1. Stop your server to ensure a clean save
  2. Connect via SFTP to your server
  3. Navigate to the worlds directory
  4. Download both the .fwl and .db files for your world
  5. Store them in a safe location on your PC

Restoring a Backup

  1. Stop your server
  2. Connect via SFTP
  3. Navigate to the worlds directory
  4. Upload your backup .fwl and .db files, overwriting the existing ones
  5. Ensure the world name matches the one configured in your startup settings
  6. Start your server

Resetting Your World

To start fresh with a new world:

Option 1: New World Name

  1. Stop your server
  2. Go to the Startup tab in the control panel
  3. Change the World Name to something new
  4. Start the server — a new world will be generated

Option 2: Delete Existing World

  1. Stop your server
  2. Connect via SFTP
  3. Navigate to the worlds directory
  4. Delete the .fwl and .db files for the world you want to reset
  5. Start the server — it will regenerate the world with the same name

Warning: Deleting world files is permanent. Always create a backup first.

Transferring a World

From Single-Player to Server

  1. Find your local world saves at:
    • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local\
  2. Copy both the .fwl and .db files
  3. Stop your server
  4. Upload both files via SFTP to the server's worlds directory
  5. Update the World Name in the Startup tab to match the uploaded world name
  6. Start the server

From Server to Single-Player

  1. Stop the server
  2. Download both world files via SFTP
  3. Place them in your local Valheim worlds folder
  4. Launch Valheim — the world will appear in your world list

From Another Host

  1. Download the world files from your previous host
  2. Follow the same upload steps as above

Automatic Backups

Valheim creates automatic backups based on your server configuration:

  • Default save interval: 30 minutes
  • Default backup count: 4 backups
  • Backups are stored alongside the world files with timestamps

You can adjust these settings via launch parameters:

  • -saveinterval 1200 — Save every 20 minutes
  • -backups 6 — Keep 6 backups
  • -backupshort 3600 — First backup 1 hour after save
  • -backuplong 21600 — Subsequent backups every 6 hours

Best Practices

  • Back up regularly — Download your world files before major updates
  • Back up before modding — Mods can sometimes corrupt worlds
  • Keep multiple backups — Store at least 3 recent backups locally
  • Name worlds clearly — Use descriptive names to avoid confusion

Need help with your world files? Contact our support team for assistance.