How to Transfer a Valheim World to a Dedicated Server (From Your PC or Another Host)
What a Valheim world actually is
A Valheim world is two files that share a name. WorldName.db holds everything in the world: terrain changes, buildings, chests, boss progress, and every item lying on the ground. WorldName.fwl is small and holds the world's name and seed. The server refuses to load a world if either file is missing, and it silently creates a fresh world instead, which is the number one way transfers appear to "fail".
Characters are separate. Each player's Viking is a .fch file on that player's own PC, and it goes wherever the player goes. Moving the world doesn't move anyone's inventory or skills, and it doesn't need to: players join the new server with the same character they already have.
Valheim also keeps automatic copies next to the live files: WorldName.db.old from the previous save, and dated WorldName_backup_auto-… pairs. Those are useful if something goes wrong, but you only transfer the two main files.
Where the world lives on your PC
| Where you played | World files location |
|---|---|
| Steam on Windows | %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local — paste that into the Windows Explorer address bar |
| Steam on Windows, Steam Cloud worlds | Same folder, but named worlds instead of worlds_local. Check both. |
| Steam on Linux | ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local |
| PC Game Pass / Microsoft Store | Under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\ in the CoffeeStain Valheim package's SystemAppData folder. Harder to find; searching that folder for .fwl files gets you there. |
| A friend hosted it in-game | On the friend's PC, in the same folder as above. They need to send you both files. |
| Another hosting company | Their file manager or FTP, in …/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local. Download both files before you cancel. |
| PS5, Xbox console, Switch 2 | Not exportable. Console worlds can't be moved to a dedicated server. |
Before you copy anything, open Valheim once more on that PC, load the world, and quit properly through the menu. That forces a clean save so you don't move a stale copy. Then close the game before copying.
Moving the world onto a HostSimple server
The server stores worlds in the same kind of folder Valheim uses on PC: /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/. A new server starts with a world called Dedicated, so the folder contains Dedicated.db and Dedicated.fwl. You'll replace those, or add yours alongside them and tell the server which one to load.
1. Stop the server. On your server page in the HostSimple dashboard, click Stop. Valheim autosaves every twenty minutes and on shutdown; uploading into a running server means the next autosave can overwrite your files.
2. Open the technical panel. Your order confirmation email has a panel login (the "Advanced access" section). Sign in, open your server, and go to the Files tab. Navigate to .config → unity3d → IronGate → Valheim → worlds_local. Dot-folders are hidden by default in some views; type the path into the folder bar if you don't see .config.
3. Upload both files. Drag YourWorld.db and YourWorld.fwl into the folder, or use the Upload button. Typical worlds are 10 to 60 MB and take under a minute. If yours is much bigger than the panel's upload limit, use SFTP instead: the panel's Settings tab shows the SFTP address and your login.
4. Point the server at your world. Two ways, pick one. Either rename your two files to Dedicated.db and Dedicated.fwl, replacing the originals, or keep your names and change the world name setting: panel → Startup tab → World Name → enter your world's name exactly as the files are named, without the extension. It's case-sensitive; Midgard and midgard are different worlds.
5. Start the server and check. Back in the HostSimple dashboard, click Start. When it's online, join and confirm your builds are there. If you see a fresh spawn island instead, go to the troubleshooting section below; nothing is lost, the server just didn't find your files.
Server-side mods such as Valheim Plus are not part of the world files. If the world was played with mods that change terrain or add items, install the same mods on the server before loading it, or those pieces may vanish. The dedicated server guide covers mod setup.
Moving a world off a server
The reverse works the same way: stop the server, download both files from worlds_local through the panel's Files tab, and drop them into the worlds_local folder on a PC. To move to a different hosting company, upload them there and set that host's world name to match.
On HostSimple you don't have to download anything to keep a world safe. Servers are backed up nightly, and a cancelled subscription suspends the server rather than deleting it, so a world you left behind can be restored onto a new server later. Reply "restore" to any HostSimple email after ordering and it gets loaded for you.
Troubleshooting a transfer
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh world, new seed, no builds | World name setting doesn't match the file names, or the .fwl is missing | Stop the server. Check both files exist and the name matches exactly, including capitals. Start again. Delete the fresh Name.db/.fwl the server created if it overwrote yours, and re-upload. |
| Old version of the world loads | Uploaded while running; autosave overwrote it, or you copied before the last save | Stop the server first. Re-copy from a PC where the world was saved and closed cleanly. Your upload may survive as Name.db.old; rename it back. |
| World loads but parts of buildings are gone | Pieces came from a mod the server doesn't have | Install the same mods on the server, then reload from your backup copy. |
| "Incompatible version" when joining | Server and client on different game builds | Restart the server; HostSimple servers pull the latest build on every start. Update the game on your PC. |
Can't find .config in the file manager | Hidden dot-folder | Type /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local into the path bar. |
Keep the original files on your PC until you've joined the transferred world and seen your base. There is no situation where uploading destroys your local copy, so a failed attempt just means trying again.
Related guides
How to set up a Valheim dedicated server covers requirements, configuration and mods. Crossplay dedicated servers explains how PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 friends join once the world is up. Plans and the $1 trial are on the Valheim server hosting page: Standard is $12.99/month, 4 GB RAM and 10 GB of NVMe storage, which is plenty for any world.
Frequently asked questions
- Which files do I need to move a Valheim world?
- Two files with the same name: WorldName.db (the world itself) and WorldName.fwl (its metadata and seed). Both are required. On a Steam PC they are in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local.
- Will my character move with the world?
- No, and it doesn't need to. Characters are stored separately as .fch files on each player's own machine and travel with the player, not the world. Your character keeps its inventory and skills when you join the transferred world.
- Why doesn't my uploaded world show up?
- Almost always one of three things: the server's world name setting doesn't exactly match the file names (it's case-sensitive), only the .db was uploaded without the .fwl, or the files were uploaded while the server was running and got overwritten by its autosave. Stop the server, check the names, upload both files, start it.
- Can I move a world from PS5, Xbox or Switch 2 to a dedicated server?
- Not directly. Console versions don't expose the world files. Xbox and PC Game Pass players on Windows can find their worlds in the Game Pass save folder, but PlayStation and Switch 2 saves can't be exported.
- Can I get my world back if I cancel?
- On HostSimple, yes. Servers are suspended rather than deleted when a subscription ends, and world files are backed up nightly. If you come back, reply "restore" to any HostSimple email after ordering and the old world is loaded onto the new server.