Losing a Valheim world can mean losing hundreds of hours spent building bases, gathering resources, and defeating bosses. A corrupted save, failed update, or accidental world reset can quickly undo all that progress if you don't have a backup.

Fortunately, backing up a Valheim server is pretty straightforward. You can manually copy your world files when self-hosting on Windows or use Pine Hosting's built-in Backup Manager to create and restore backups directly through your game panel.

This guide covers both methods, including where Valheim stores your world saves and how to restore an older world without starting over.

Where Are Valheim Server World Saves Stored?

Before creating a backup, you need to know where Valheim stores your world data.

On Windows, the default location for self-hosted Valheim dedicated server worlds is:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local

You can quickly access this folder by pressing Windows + R, pasting the path above, and pressing Enter.

If you've configured a custom save location using the -savedir startup argument, your world files will be stored there instead.

Valheim 1.0 introduced a new world-saving system. Previously, worlds were stored using two files:

  • .db — Contains world data, including buildings, terrain, and structures.
  • .fwl — Contains world information, including its name and seed.

With Valheim 1.0, each world is stored inside its own folder containing .db2, .fwl2, and additional chunk files.

This means you need to back up the entire world folder rather than copying individual files. Older worlds that haven't been converted may still use the original .db and .fwl format.

How To Back Up A Self-Hosted Valheim Server

If you're running a Valheim dedicated server on your Windows PC, creating a manual backup only takes a few steps.

  1. Stop your server by pressing Ctrl + C in the server's command window. Allow it to shut down completely before continuing.
  2. Press Windows + R and enter %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local.
  3. Find the folder matching your server's world name. If you're using an older save format, locate the matching .db and .fwl files instead.
  4. Copy the entire world folder, or both files if you're using the older format.
  5. Paste your backup somewhere safe, preferably on another drive or cloud storage service.

It's a good idea to give your backup a recognizable name so you can easily identify it later.

You should also keep a copy of your customized start_headless_server.bat file, particularly if you've changed your world name or other startup settings.

Regular backups are especially important before updating your Valheim server or installing Valheim modpacks, as major changes can occasionally cause compatibility issues.

How To Restore A Self-Hosted Valheim Server Backup

Restoring an older Valheim world follows a similar process.

  1. Stop your Valheim dedicated server completely.
  2. Navigate to your worlds_local directory.
  3. Move your current world folder somewhere safe outside this directory. This preserves your latest progress in case you need it again.
  4. Copy your backed-up world folder into worlds_local.
  5. Make sure the restored folder name matches the world name configured using the -world startup argument.
  6. Start your server and connect to confirm your previous world has loaded.

For older saves containing .db and .fwl files, restore both files together. Move any existing world folder with the same name out of the save directory first to avoid conflicts.

Avoid mixing individual files from different backups, particularly with Valheim 1.0's newer world-saving system.

Remember that restoring an older backup means losing any world progress made after that backup was created.

Does Valheim Automatically Back Up Your World?

Yes! Valheim dedicated servers include an automatic backup system.

By default, the server saves your world every 30 minutes and keeps four automatic backups. You can customize this behavior using startup arguments:

  • -saveinterval 1800 — Saves the world every 30 minutes.
  • -backups 4 — Keeps four automatic backups.
  • -backupshort 7200 — Sets the short backup interval to two hours.
  • -backuplong 43200 — Sets the longer backup interval to 12 hours.

These options are configured through your server's startup arguments, not through in-game console commands.

Automatic backups are useful for recovering from recent problems, but they're still stored on the same machine. If your drive fails or the entire save directory is deleted, those backups could disappear too.

That's why keeping a separate manual backup is always recommended.

How To Back Up A Valheim Server With Pine Hosting

With our Valheim hosting, you don't need to manually locate world files or copy folders between directories.

Our game panel includes a Backup Manager that lets you create a full backup of your server in just a few clicks.

Here's how:

  1. Log into your Pine Hosting game panel and select your Valheim server.
  2. Stop your server to ensure your world files aren't being modified.
  3. Open the Backups tab.
  4. Click Create Backup in the top-right corner.
  5. Enter a name for your backup.
  6. Leave the file inclusion and exclusion fields empty to back up everything.
  7. Click Start Backup.

Once the process finishes, your backup will appear in the Backups tab.

You can also lock important backups to prevent accidental deletion, which is particularly useful if you're planning on starting a new Valheim world but want to preserve your previous progress.

How To Restore A Valheim Server Backup With Pine Hosting

If something goes wrong with your world, you can restore a previous backup directly through the game panel.

  1. Log into your Pine Hosting game panel and stop your Valheim server.
  2. Open the Backups tab.
  3. Find the backup you want to restore or upload your own from your computer.
  4. Click the three dots next to it and select Restore.
  5. Review the restoration options and click Restore to confirm.
  6. Once the restoration finishes, return to the Console tab and start your server.

You'll also notice an option called Delete all files before restoring backup.

Be careful with this setting. Enabling it removes the server's existing files before restoring the backup. Only use it when you have a complete backup and intentionally want to replace the entire server's files.

If your backup only contains certain files, leave this option disabled to avoid accidentally deleting anything important.

Once your server starts, join your world and check that everything has been restored correctly.

Why Is My Valheim World Missing After Restoring A Backup?

If your server starts with a completely new world, it doesn't necessarily mean your backup is broken.

A few common problems can prevent Valheim from loading the correct save:

  • Incorrect world name: Make sure the restored world matches the name specified by your server's -world startup argument.
  • Missing save files: Modern Valheim worlds require the complete folder, while older saves need both .db and .fwl files.
  • Wrong save directory: Check whether your server uses a custom -savedir location.
  • Incomplete restoration: Some files may have been missed during copying, or newer world files may still be present.

Also remember that Valheim stores player characters separately from server worlds. Restoring a server backup restores the world, but it doesn't roll back players' personal character inventories or skills.

If your world still isn't loading, try restoring an earlier backup while keeping your current files safely stored elsewhere.

Protect Your Valheim World With Pine Hosting

Regular backups are one of the easiest ways to protect your Valheim world, especially when your group has invested hundreds of hours into building and progressing together.

With Pine Hosting, you can create, manage, and restore server backups directly through our game panel without manually dealing with save directories or transferring files.

Our Valheim server hosting also includes file management, scheduled tasks, and simple server configuration, making it easier to maintain your world and keep it available for your friends.