How to Back Up a Conan Exiles Server (Windows, Linux, and Hosted Servers)

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Back up a Conan Exiles server by stopping it cleanly, copying the ConanSandbox/Saved data (especially game.db and any game_backup_##.db files), and storing a dated copy away from the live server. For a rebuild or host migration, also preserve the server configuration and ConanSandbox/Mods directory. Restore only while the server is stopped, and confirm whether the installation is Legacy or Enhanced before replacing files.

What a complete Conan Exiles backup contains

The playable world is stored in the server’s ConanSandbox/Saved area. A minimal rollback copy is the current database, game.db, plus any numbered database backups such as game_backup_01.db. Those files contain the world state that you normally need to recover from corruption or an unwanted change.

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A reproducible disaster-recovery backup is broader than one database file. Include the following items when you may need to rebuild the server, move it to another host, or reproduce its exact settings:

A MySQL backup offered by a hosting panel is not a substitute for these files. Nitrado’s Conan Exiles guidance specifically says its separately backed-up MySQL database does not contain Conan Exiles game progress.

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Prepare the server before copying files

Database files can change while the game server is running. A copy taken during a write may be incomplete or internally inconsistent, so treat backup as a maintenance operation.

1. Announce a short maintenance window to players.
2. Save or pause activity in the game, then stop the Conan Exiles server through its control panel, service manager, or launch script.
3. Wait until the process has exited and the panel reports that the server is stopped. Do not copy a database while the process still has the file open.
4. Record the game version, map, Legacy or Enhanced branch, active mods in load order, and important configuration values.
5. Copy the files to a destination that is not the live server disk. A second computer, external hard drive, or external SSD protects the backup from a failed server disk or an accidental overwrite.

Use a filename that identifies the server, map or branch, and UTC date and time, for example exiles-exiledlands-enhanced-2026-10-15T2300Z.tar.gz. Keep the original archive unchanged; perform any inspection or testing on a working copy.

Back up a self-hosted Windows server

1. Find the ConanSandbox data

The exact parent directory depends on how SteamCMD, a game-server manager, or a manual installation was set up. Search the server installation for the ConanSandbox directory, then open its Saved subdirectory. You should see game.db and, if retained by the installation, files matching game_backup_##.db.

Do not assume the client game’s save location is the dedicated server’s location. The server’s own ConanSandbox/Saved directory is the authoritative source for a hosted world.

2. Make a cold copy

With the service stopped, copy the entire Saved directory to a dated folder. Include the Mods directory and configuration files if the archive is intended to rebuild the server. Preserve file names and directory structure; do not open and resave the databases in a desktop database application.

3. Create an archive

Windows Explorer can copy the folders to another disk and use Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. PowerShell can create a zip after you substitute your installation path and backup destination:

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$stamp = Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd-HHmmssZ'
$root = 'D:ConanServer'
$destination = "E:ServerBackupsconan-$stamp.zip"
Compress-Archive -Path "$rootConanSandboxSaved", "$rootConanSandboxMods" -DestinationPath $destination

If your configuration files live outside those folders, copy them into a staging directory first and archive that directory as well. The command is an example of an archive operation, not a universal installation path; use the paths shown by your own server layout.

4. Automate recurring copies

Use Windows Task Scheduler to run a PowerShell backup script after the server has been stopped or during a scheduled maintenance window. Configure a retention action that removes only archives older than your chosen policy, and test that the task can write to the second disk or network share. A scheduled task that silently fails because a drive is disconnected is not a backup plan, so review its history and periodically open a recent archive.

Back up a self-hosted Linux server

1. Stop the service and identify the server root

Stop the systemd unit, container, or launch script that runs Conan Exiles. Change to the directory containing ConanSandbox; the path differs between SteamCMD layouts and hosting scripts.

2. Archive Saved and Mods together

The commonly used Linux pattern is a timestamped tar.gz containing both ConanSandbox/Saved and ConanSandbox/Mods. From the server root, an example is:

stamp=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H%M%SZ)
tar -czf "/backup/conan-$stamp.tar.gz" ConanSandbox/Saved ConanSandbox/Mods

Copy configuration files into a staging directory or add their paths to the tar command. Keep the archive on a mounted backup disk or another machine rather than only under the server’s game directory.

3. Schedule the archive with cron

A shell script can stop the service, create the archive, record the version and mod list, and start the service again. If you prefer not to stop automatically, schedule the script during a published maintenance window and have it exit when the server is still running. A cron entry might run the script nightly, but the interval is your policy: frequent saves reduce the amount of progress lost, while longer retention consumes less storage.

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Test the script manually before adding it to cron. Check the archive exit code, verify that the destination has free space, and send failures to a log or alert channel. Never let a failed archive overwrite the last known-good copy.

Verify and retain your backups

Check that the archive is usable

• List the archive contents and confirm that ConanSandbox/Saved/game.db is present.
• Confirm that expected game_backup_##.db files, the mod directory, and configuration files are included.
• Compare the archive timestamp with the maintenance window; a zero-byte or unexpectedly small archive indicates failure.
• Extract a copy to a temporary directory to prove that the archive can be read.
• Keep a short text file beside the archive containing the server version, map, branch, mod order, and the reason for the backup.

Use more than one storage location

Maintain the live copy only long enough to perform the backup, then retain dated archives on a separate disk or machine. A practical rotation keeps several recent daily copies and additional copies before major updates, mod changes, or migrations. The exact number is a risk decision; what matters is that deleting or corrupting the live server cannot delete every backup at the same time.

Restore an older world file safely

A file-level rollback changes the world database, so stop the server first and preserve the current state in case the selected save is not the one you wanted.

1. Stop Conan Exiles and verify that the process has exited.
2. Open ConanSandbox/Saved and rename the current game.db to a unique name such as game-before-rollback-2026-10-15.db. Do not delete it.
3. Make a working copy of the chosen game_backup_##.db file. Leave the original numbered file untouched.
4. Rename the working copy to exactly game.db in the same Saved directory.
5. Confirm that the permissions and ownership match the other server files, then start the server.
6. Join with an administrator account and check the map, player progress, structures, and mod-dependent content before allowing normal play.

Renaming a backup directly to game.db can overwrite the existing database. Preserving the original under a different name gives you a second recovery route if the rollback is wrong or the replacement is damaged.

Hosted-server backup and restore workflows

GPORTAL

GPORTAL documents manual backups rather than automatic creation. Its control-panel path is My Servers > select the server > Administration > Backup > Create Backup. The service stops while the backup is made and restarts automatically afterward. Allow for that interruption before beginning the operation.

For an older save, GPORTAL’s documented workflow is to stop the server, open the savegame setting, choose the desired prior save, save the selection, and start the server. Its guide describes numbered saves at five-minute intervals and says the smallest number is the newest. That numbering is a provider workflow detail, not a universal Conan Exiles rule, so inspect the timestamps and contents before relying on it.

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Nitrado

Nitrado states that its system creates a server backup every 24 hours and exposes those copies through Tools > Restore backup. A daily provider copy is useful for a recent mistake, but it may not cover a change made since the last run; keep your own downloadable archive for major updates and migrations.

Control-panel labels and retention can change. Before a destructive action, verify what date each restore point represents, whether restoring stops and restarts the server, and whether the panel permits downloading the underlying files.

Questions to ask any host

• Is backup creation automatic, manual, or both, and at what interval?
• How long are restore points retained, and are they stored outside the physical server?
• Does a restore stop the server and restart it automatically?
• Can you use a file manager or FTP/SFTP to download Saved, Mods, and configuration files?
• Does the panel distinguish Legacy and Enhanced servers?
• Can the host restore a modded configuration, or only the world database?

Move a Conan Exiles world to another host

1. Stop the old server and create a complete archive of ConanSandbox/Saved, ConanSandbox/Mods, and configuration files.
2. Record the exact game version, map, Legacy or Enhanced branch, and mod load order. Remove obsolete or incompatible mods only after making the original archive.
3. Install the same branch and version on the destination host. Do not upload a Legacy database into an Enhanced installation, or the reverse, without following the host’s import instructions.
4. Upload the archive contents while the destination server is stopped. Preserve the Saved directory structure and file names.
5. Install the same mods and apply configuration values. Confirm that the destination account owns the files and that the panel is pointing at the intended map.
6. Start the destination once for validation. Check player inventories, structures, thralls, map progress, and mod content before changing DNS, sharing the new address, or deleting the old server.
7. Keep the original archive and old server untouched until the new instance has passed a play-test.

Provider file managers differ, so a host may require an upload through FTP/SFTP, a panel file manager, or a support-assisted import. The portable unit is the saved data plus the matching environment, not only game.db.

Legacy and Enhanced migration precautions

Back up before the update

Funcom’s Enhanced migration notice recommends saving the Exiled Lands game.db and Isle of Siptah dlc_siptah.db before applying the update. Make those copies while the server is stopped, and label them as pre-migration files so they cannot be confused with post-conversion saves.

The Funcom Help Center says UE4 save files should remain in place during the update and will be converted into separate Conan Exiles Enhanced save files when the updated server is run. That conversion is version-sensitive; keep the original UE4 archive even after the Enhanced server starts successfully.

Confirm the branch and filename

Nitrado documents separate Legacy and Enhanced server branches. Its import guidance identifies an Enhanced local-world file as game_0.db under Steam/steamapps/common/Conan Exiles/ConanSandbox/Saved. A Legacy installation may use different filenames and paths. Confirm the branch and exact destination path in the current host instructions before uploading or replacing anything.

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Validate after conversion

• Start the Enhanced server with the original converted files still available for recovery.
• Check both Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah data if the server used both maps or DLC databases.
• Verify that every required mod has an Enhanced-compatible version and that its load order is unchanged.
• Take a new Enhanced-format backup after the first successful start and label it separately from the pre-migration archive.

Troubleshoot common backup and restore failures

The backup is missing game.db

You may have copied the client save directory, the wrong server instance, or a provider snapshot that does not expose raw files. Stop the server, search the installation for ConanSandbox/Saved, and compare its modification time with the last known play session. On a managed host, ask where the panel stores downloadable Conan Exiles world data.

The server starts but the world is old

Check that the restored file was renamed exactly game.db, that it is in the active server’s Saved directory, and that the panel is launching the intended branch and map. If several installations exist, record the full path in your maintenance notes and repeat the test with a copy of the archive.

The server will not start after a restore

Stop it again and restore the preserved pre-rollback database. Then inspect the server log, verify file ownership and permissions, and confirm that the database belongs to the same game branch and version. Reinstall or restore the matching mod set before trying the selected save again.

Players report missing mod content

A world database without its corresponding Mods directory and load order can appear damaged even when the database is valid. Restore the mod files and configuration from the same dated archive, then restart and test with an administrator account.

The archive job reports success but no file exists

Check the destination path, free space, account permissions, mounted disks, and scheduler history. Run the command interactively, inspect its exit code, and write logs to a location that is not inside the folder being archived. Keep the previous good archive until a new one has been opened and verified.

Bottom line

For dependable Conan Exiles recovery, make a cold, dated copy of ConanSandbox/Saved, retain game.db and numbered backups, and add Mods plus configuration files when portability matters. Store at least one copy off the live server, test that it can be extracted, and preserve the current database before any rollback. Treat Legacy-to-Enhanced conversion as a separate migration: back up game.db and dlc_siptah.db first, confirm the branch-specific path and filename, and create a new Enhanced backup after validation.

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