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Godlike.Host offers hosted Palworld servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
The safest Palworld server backup is a complete copy of the active world folder, made only after you run /Save and stop PalServer cleanly. Copy the entire WorldID directory—including Level.sav, any LevelMeta.sav and WorldOption.sav files, and the complete Players/ directory—to storage outside the live save path. To restore, stop the server, preserve the damaged folder, put one matching backup back under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/, correct DedicatedServerName= if the world-folder name changed, and verify the map and player data before reopening the server.
Where a Palworld dedicated-server save is stored
A dedicated server normally stores each world in a folder named with its WorldID. The active folder is directly below PalServer/Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/. A valid world folder contains the world save files and a Players/ subdirectory. The folder that contains both is the one you must back up; copying a higher-level directory or an unrelated world can make the server start a fresh map.
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Windows installation
For a standard Steam or SteamCMD installation, look below:
steamapps\common\PalServer\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\0\
Open the subfolders until you find a WorldID directory containing Level.sav and Players. If several world folders exist, use the one named by the server’s current configuration and confirm its files have current modification times.
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Linux installation
Linux deployments commonly use:
steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/
SteamCMD, a service manager, or a custom installation can place steamapps elsewhere. Search from the PalServer installation directory rather than assuming a distribution-wide path.
Docker and hosting panels
A container or managed panel may map the save directory to a host path that is different from the paths above. Use the panel’s file browser or inspect its volume mapping, then verify that the selected directory contains both Level.sav and Players/. Backing up an empty container path or a temporary overlay will not preserve the world when the container is recreated.
Prepare the server for a consistent backup
Palworld writes world and player data while the process is running. A file copy taken during a save can combine files from different moments, so make a single coherent snapshot before copying anything.
- Save in game. Run
/Saveas an administrator or execute the equivalent command through RCON. Wait for the command to complete. - Stop PalServer normally. Use the server’s normal stop command, service control, or hosting-panel stop action. Do not kill the process unless it is unresponsive.
- Confirm that the process is stopped. The save files should no longer be changing. On a panel, wait until the status is fully stopped rather than merely restarting.
- Locate the active WorldID folder. Confirm that it contains the current
Level.savand the completePlayers/directory.
Do not make a manual copy while the server is still writing. If you need a live, no-downtime protection mechanism, enable the built-in rolling backups as an additional layer, but still make periodic stopped-server copies for independent recovery.
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Make a manual full-folder backup
A manual copy gives you control over retention and lets you keep a copy away from the machine that runs the server. The unit of backup is the complete WorldID folder, not an individual file.
- Create a destination outside
SaveGames/0. An external SSD or hard drive is suitable for a local copy; a separate remote location protects against loss of the server’s storage. - Copy the entire
WorldIDfolder, preserving its name and directory structure. - Check that the copy includes
Level.sav,Players/, and, when present,LevelMeta.savandWorldOption.sav. - Give the copy a date-and-time name, such as
palworld-world-2026-10-15-2200. Keep the originalWorldIDas a subfolder inside an archive if you compress the backup. - Open the copied folder and verify that
Players/contains the player save files, not just an empty directory. - Record which server and world the copy belongs to. This prevents restoring the wrong world when several servers share a storage volume.
Keep at least one dated copy on a separate physical or remote location. A backup stored only beside the live save can be lost with the same disk, host, or container. Retain enough dated snapshots to cover the period in which corruption might go unnoticed; the exact retention schedule is an operational choice, while the copy itself must remain a complete, internally consistent folder.
Use Palworld’s built-in rolling backups
Palworld can create local rolling copies when bIsUseBackupSaveData is enabled in the server configuration. Pocketpair’s Palworld Server Guide, version 0.6.8, describes the behavior as: “Create backup directory in save data directory when enabled this parameter.” The resulting backup directory is created within the save-data location, so it uses the same server storage as the live world.
| Configured interval | Documented rolling copies |
|---|---|
| Every 30 seconds | 5 save data |
| Every 10 minutes | 6 save data |
| Every 1 hour | 12 save data |
| Every 1 day | 7 save data |
These are rolling local copies, not an off-host archive. They are useful when a recent save is damaged or an unwanted change must be reversed, but they cannot protect against a failed disk, deleted container volume, or host-wide incident. Leave the feature enabled when its storage use is acceptable, and supplement it with stopped-server full-folder copies stored elsewhere.
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Restore a Palworld world safely
Restoration replaces the active world with one known snapshot. Treat the current files as evidence until the restored world has been checked; deleting them removes your best chance of diagnosing what went wrong.
- Stop PalServer. Do not overwrite files while the server is running.
- Preserve the current state. Rename or copy the suspect
WorldIDfolder to a separate location, adding a date and a label such ascorrupt-original. Keep it untouched while testing the backup. - Choose one complete snapshot. Select a dated manual folder or one built-in backup set. Confirm that the snapshot contains the world files and the entire
Players/directory. - Remove the active folder from the live path. Move it aside rather than deleting it, then place the selected
WorldIDfolder underPal/Saved/SaveGames/0/. - Keep files from the same moment together. Never combine a newer
Level.savwith older player files, or copy individual files from different backup dates. World and player data must represent one coherent snapshot. - Correct the configured world name when necessary. If the folder name changed during a migration, set
DedicatedServerName=inGameUserSettings.inito the exact restored world-folder name. The configured name and folder name must match for the server to load that world. - Start the server privately. Join with an administrator before allowing normal players to connect.
- Validate the restore. Check the expected map, bases, inventory, guilds, and player characters. If any major element is missing, stop immediately and repeat the process with the preserved original and another complete snapshot.
Only reopen the server to everyone after the map and player data are confirmed. A successful process launch is not proof that the correct world loaded; Palworld can start with a new world when the path, folder name, or files are wrong.
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A server move uses the same full-folder method as a restore. Stop the source server after running /Save, copy the complete WorldID folder, and transfer it without changing the internal files. On the destination, stop the new PalServer, place the folder under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/, and ensure the destination can read and write it.
If the destination assigns a different server name, edit GameUserSettings.ini so DedicatedServerName= exactly matches the transferred folder name. A mismatch can cause the destination to load a new world instead of the transferred one. Start the destination privately and check the map, bases, inventory, guilds, and characters before changing the public address or inviting players.
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For a Docker deployment or hosting panel, transfer the folder into the mapped persistent volume, not merely into the container’s temporary filesystem. Use the panel’s own file browser or volume settings to identify the path that survives a restart.
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Choose a backup approach
| Approach | Strength | Limitation | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual full-folder copies | Complete control over dates, retention, and off-host storage | Requires a clean shutdown and disciplined naming | Primary recovery archive and server migrations |
| Built-in rolling backups | Automatic recent snapshots through bIsUseBackupSaveData |
Copies remain on the server’s own storage and follow the documented rolling intervals | Fast recovery from a recent mistake or corruption |
| Managed hosting | A panel may simplify file access, scheduled backups, and restore operations | Retention and download policies vary by provider | Operators who want hosted administration, provided the backup policy is verified |
For an important world, combine the first two: leave rolling backups enabled for short-term recovery and create dated full-folder copies on separate storage. If you rely on a hosting panel, confirm how long snapshots are retained, whether you can download the raw WorldID folder, and what happens when the server or account is deleted.
Diagnose a failed restore
The server opens a new world
Stop it immediately. The usual causes are a wrong save path, a folder nested one level too deeply, or a mismatch between DedicatedServerName= and the restored folder name. Check that the directory directly under SaveGames/0/ is the intended WorldID folder and that it contains Level.sav and Players/.
Players are asked to create new characters
Do not let them create replacements. Stop the server and restore the complete matching snapshot again. This symptom commonly means the player files were omitted, came from another date, or are in a different WorldID folder than the level file.
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Bases, inventory, or guilds are missing
Stop the server before anyone makes further changes. Confirm that the backup includes the entire Players/ directory and any accompanying world files present in that snapshot, including LevelMeta.sav and WorldOption.sav when they existed. Restore the folder as one unit instead of trying to repair it with individual files.
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The expected backup is not visible
Check the panel’s volume mapping or the host path rather than assuming the standard Windows or Linux location. A container may expose a different directory, and a backup copied outside the persistent volume can disappear when the container is replaced. Locate the folder that demonstrably contains both the level file and Players/.
The server will not load after a move
Verify that the destination configuration points to the exact transferred folder name through DedicatedServerName=, that the folder is directly below SaveGames/0/, and that the server process has access to the files. Keep the original source copy intact while testing another transfer.
A practical maintenance routine
- Run
/Savebefore planned maintenance, updates, or migrations. - Stop the server cleanly before every manual copy.
- Keep dated full-folder archives outside the live save directory.
- Maintain at least one copy on separate physical or remote storage.
- Leave
bIsUseBackupSaveDataenabled when local rolling recovery is useful and storage capacity permits. - Periodically test a restore on a private instance. Verify the map, bases, inventory, guilds, and characters rather than assuming that a file copy is usable.
- When corruption is reported, preserve the current folder first; investigate only after a safe copy exists.
The critical rule is consistency: one saved moment, one complete WorldID folder, and a configuration that names that folder exactly. That approach protects both the world and the player data needed to continue it.
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