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Arma 3 saves are normally tied to the active profile, not the Steam installation folder. On Windows, check the profile’s Saved directory; a mission can also keep progress in a profile-level missionName.vars file. To move a hosted game to a dedicated server, stop the server, identify the profile selected by -name/-profiles, copy the required save data into that profile, upload the exact mission .pbo to the server’s active MPMissions directory, and restart with the same mission and mods.
Where Arma 3 stores saves
The location depends on the profile that is running the game or server. A profile contains settings and player-specific data, while the Arma 3 installation contains the program and mission files. If you search only inside the Steam library, you can miss the save completely.
Windows default profile
For the default Windows profile, the documented location is:
C:Users<UserName>DocumentsArma 3
Scenario and campaign savegames are in:
C:Users<UserName>DocumentsArma 3Saved
Replace <UserName> with the Windows account name that actually ran the game. A different Windows account, service account, or administrator account can have a different profile tree.
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Windows named profiles
When Arma 3 is started with a profile name, the profile is normally under:
C:Users<UserName>DocumentsArma 3 - Other Profiles<profile>
Its scenario saves are then under:
C:Users<UserName>DocumentsArma 3 - Other Profiles<profile>Saved
The value supplied to -name selects the profile name. The -profiles startup parameter can move the profile location, so the path above is a default rather than a guarantee. Always check the launch parameters for the copy of Arma 3 that produced the save.
Linux dedicated-server profile
The documented Linux dedicated-server setup creates the server profile at:
~/.local/share/Arma 3 - Other Profiles/server/server.Arma3Profile
The same setup documents that the Linux -profiles parameter is broken there. In practice, use the profile created by the server’s documented setup and confirm the profile selected by -name; do not assume a Windows-style Documents path exists on Linux.
Save files, mission files and profile data are different
A working transfer usually involves two independent things:
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- Mission content: the mission’s program, terrain reference and packaged assets, normally a multiplayer
.pboinMPMissions. - Persistent state: savegames or variables stored in the active profile. This is the part that contains campaign progress, objectives, units or other state when the mission supports persistence.
Uploading only the PBO can make a mission appear in the server’s mission list, but it does not automatically bring across progress stored in profile data. Conversely, copying a save without the exact mission build and world can leave the server unable to interpret or load that state.
The official Saved directory
The Profile documentation describes Saved as the folder for “savegames of scenarios and campaigns.” For a profile located at <active profile>, inspect:
<active profile>Saved
Do not copy the entire Steam installation as a substitute. Preserve the existing directory structure when copying the relevant save data.
Mission-profile persistence: missionName.vars
A mission can save variables through saveMissionProfileNamespace. When that command saves a namespace, Arma 3 writes the variables to a file named after the mission:
<active profile><missionName>.vars
The file is created only when the mission actually runs the save command. Therefore, its absence does not prove that no persistence exists; the mission may use Saved, another namespace, or a mod-specific system.
Namespace behavior and why filenames vary
The official namespace model separates mission-profile persistence from ordinary save/load serialization. Variables in missionNamespace are serialized by saveGame and restored by loadGame, while saveMissionProfileNamespace writes mission-profile variables to the mission-named .vars file. A framework can choose either mechanism or add its own files, so there is no universal Arma 3 save filename that works for every Antistasi-, Liberation- or other persistent mission variant.
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Find the save that the running game actually uses
Use the active profile as the starting point, then identify the mission’s persistence method. This avoids copying a plausible-looking file from an inactive profile.
- Close the game or hosted session that created the progress, so no process is still writing the save.
- Record the profile name used by that session. If its shortcut or launcher includes
-name, use that value. If no name is supplied, check the default profile location. - Check the profile’s
Saveddirectory for the scenario or campaign save. - Look in the profile root for a file matching the mission name and ending in
.vars. Such a file exists only if the mission has calledsaveMissionProfileNamespace. - Note the exact mission name and world. The multiplayer mission filename uses the form
<mission name>.<world name>.pbo; those components help distinguish versions and terrain variants. - If neither location contains usable state, consult the mission or mod’s documented save method. Persistent frameworks may store data in a different namespace or file, and copying unrelated files can overwrite another profile’s progress.
Identify the exact mission PBO
The server needs the mission content that matches the save. The Mission Export documentation defines the multiplayer filename format as:
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For example, a mission named ExampleCampaign on a world named ExampleWorld would use a filename following that pattern. Treat the filename as an identifier, not as a file to rename casually: changing the mission name can prevent a mission-profile file such as ExampleCampaign.vars from being found.
If the mission exists as an unpacked folder, an external PBO-packing tool can package that folder into a PBO. Use the same mission build that created the save, including its world reference and required content. A different revision may start successfully but interpret saved variables differently.
Prepare the dedicated server before copying anything
Stop the dedicated server first. Replacing profile files while the server is running risks having the process overwrite your copy on shutdown or leaving an incomplete file. Make a backup of the destination profile and mission directory before replacing files.
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Read the server’s launch command or startup script and find:
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-name, which selects the profile name.-profiles, which selects the profile path on supported platforms.- The documented Linux default, if you are using the official Linux setup that creates the
serverprofile.
The profile you found on your desktop may not be the profile the service account uses. A server launched by a service, container, or separate Linux user reads that account’s profile tree, not the interactive administrator’s files.
Determine the active MPMissions directory
By default, multiplayer mission PBOs are placed in:
<server install>MPMissions
The -mpmissions parameter selects an alternate MPMissions path relative to the Arma 3 directory. If it is present, upload to that configured directory instead of assuming the installation’s default MPMissions folder.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsHow to upload a hosted save to a dedicated server
The following procedure covers the common case in which you have file access to both the computer that created the save and the dedicated server.
1. Stop and back up the server
- Stop the Arma 3 server cleanly.
- Copy the destination profile folder and current
MPMissionsdirectory to a backup location. - Keep the original hosted-game files untouched until the dedicated server has loaded the transfer successfully.
2. Match the profile name
Choose the server profile that should own the progress. If the save came from a named profile, use the same profile identity on the server where possible. Copying a .vars file into a different profile can make it invisible to the mission because mission-profile files are read from the current player’s profile folder.
3. Copy the persistent state
- Copy the relevant files from the source profile’s
Saveddirectory into the correspondingSaveddirectory under the server’s active profile. - If the mission created
<missionName>.vars, copy that file into the root of the active profile, preserving its exact name and extension. - Do not replace unrelated profile files unless the mission’s documentation explicitly requires them.
- Preserve timestamps and names where your transfer method allows it; most importantly, do not rename the mission or
.varsfile during upload.
4. Upload the matching mission PBO
Copy the exact multiplayer PBO to the server’s active MPMissions directory:
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<server install>MPMissions<mission>.<world>.pbo
Use the directory selected by -mpmissions if that parameter is configured. The PBO and the saved state solve different problems: the PBO supplies the mission content, while the profile files supply whatever persistent data the mission saved.
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Start the server with the same required mod set and select the same mission/world combination. A save made with a mission version or dependency that is not present on the server may fail to load even when the files are in the correct folders.
6. Join as the profile that owns the data
Connect using the profile associated with the copied state and use the mission’s own load, resume or continue function. Some missions expose loading through a lobby option; others load when the session initializes. Follow the mission’s documented behavior rather than expecting the server browser to restore progress automatically.
7. Verify and preserve the result
- Check that the expected objectives, map state or campaign position appears.
- Make a small in-game change, save through the mission’s normal method, leave, and rejoin to verify that the server can write and read the destination profile.
- Back up the now-working server profile before attempting another migration.
Windows and Linux destination reference
| Situation | Path or destination | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Windows default profile | C:Users<username>DocumentsArma 3 |
Default user or server profile location. |
| Windows alternate profile | C:Users<username>DocumentsArma 3 - Other Profiles<profile> |
Named profile selected with -name, unless -profiles changes the location. |
| Linux dedicated-server profile in the documented setup | ~/.local/share/Arma 3 - Other Profiles/server/server.Arma3Profile |
Profile file created by the official Linux setup; that setup documents a broken Linux -profiles parameter. |
| Scenario or campaign saves | <active profile>Saved |
Officially documented savegame directory. |
| Mission-profile persistence | <active profile><missionName>.vars |
Created by saveMissionProfileNamespace when the mission runs that save command. |
| Dedicated-server mission files | <server install>MPMissions<mission>.<world>.pbo |
Upload destination unless -mpmissions selects another relative path. |
Troubleshooting a missing or reset save
The mission starts, but progress is gone
- Confirm that the server is using the profile where you copied the files, not a profile created by another account or service.
- Check both
Savedand the profile-root.varsfile. - Confirm that the mission name, world and PBO build match the source session.
- Use the mission’s load/resume control; simply joining the lobby may start a new state.
The PBO is not listed
- Verify that the file is in the directory the server actually uses. Inspect
-mpmissionsbefore checking the default path. - Confirm the filename follows
<mission name>.<world name>.pboand that the extension is really.pbo, not a second extension added by a file manager. - Restart after uploading. The server must rescan its mission files.
The .vars file is missing
The file is not created merely because a mission exists. It appears only after the mission executes saveMissionProfileNamespace. If the mission uses saveGame/loadGame, inspect Saved instead. If it uses a framework-specific persistence layer, follow that framework’s documented filename and namespace.
Files appear correct, but loading fails
- Compare the mission revision and required mods between the hosted session and the server.
- Check that you joined with the profile that owns the saved data.
- Restore the backup and repeat the transfer one file group at a time, starting with the PBO and then the documented persistence files.
- Review server logs for the mission and profile paths actually used; a launch script can point somewhere different from the directory you inspected.
HTTP mission downloading is being confused with save transfer
Arma 3 can deliver mission files over HTTP and fall back to direct game-server downloading if the HTTP transfer fails or its hash does not match. That mechanism distributes mission content to clients; it does not relocate the server’s persistent profile save. You still need to copy the save or variables into the server profile and the PBO into the active MPMissions directory.
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Hosted game versus dedicated server: what determines a reliable transfer?
| Transfer factor | Why it matters | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Profile path control | The save is read from the profile selected by the running process. | -name, -profiles, operating-system account and documented Linux default. |
| MPMissions path control | The mission list comes from the server’s active mission directory. | Default installation path or the relative path selected by -mpmissions. |
| File-transfer access | You must be able to place both profile data and the PBO on the server. | Local file access, SFTP/FTP supplied by the host, or another administrator-controlled transfer method. |
| Safe stop and restart | Files should not be replaced while the server is writing them. | Ability to stop the process, back up files, upload, and restart. |
| Logs and launch command | Logs reveal the paths and mission the server actually uses. | Access to the startup script and server logs. |
If a hosted service does not expose the active profile path, mission directory or a safe file-transfer method, a save migration may not be possible through its control panel alone. Obtain those paths from the service documentation or administrator before overwriting anything.
Migration checklist
- Stop the source session and dedicated server before copying.
- Identify the source and destination profiles, including
-nameand any-profilessetting. - Copy the relevant
Saveddata. - Copy any mission-root
<missionName>.varsfile created bysaveMissionProfileNamespace. - Upload the exact matching
<mission>.<world>.pbo. - Use the directory selected by
-mpmissionswhen present. - Start with the same mission and mods.
- Join with the owning profile and use the mission’s load or resume function.
- Make a test save, reconnect, and keep a backup of the working profile.
The key rule
Start with the active profile, not the game installation. Use Saved for documented scenario and campaign savegames, check for the mission-specific .vars file, and upload the matching mission PBO separately. Correctly matching -name, -profiles and -mpmissions is what makes the server read the files you transferred.
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