How to Change the World Save on an Enshrouded Dedicated Server

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To change the world loaded by an Enshrouded dedicated server, shut the server down, back up both enshrouded_server.json and the current save, then either replace the files in the configured save folder or point saveDirectory at a different folder. The default folder is ./savegame, relative to the server root.

The exact method for selecting a world by a friendly name depends on your server version and hosting panel. Do not assume that a setting called gameSettingsName selects a world; community reports instead identify gameSettingsPreset as a difficulty setting. Always compare your edits with the configuration file generated by your installed server build.

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What you are changing

Enshrouded stores server settings in enshrouded_server.json. Community documentation says the file is created on the first server launch in the folder containing the dedicated-server executable. The setting that determines where the world data is read is saveDirectory.

The filename and metadata layout can change between server versions. Treat the files already produced by your installation as authoritative rather than creating a new naming scheme from memory.

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Before you touch the files

Get the right access

You need access to the dedicated-server root and its save folders through SFTP, an operating-system file manager, or the file manager supplied by your host. The server root is the directory that contains the executable and, after the first launch, normally contains enshrouded_server.json.

If a control panel exposes only a simplified form, you may need its advanced-file or SFTP function to inspect the real JSON and save files. A panel can also generate or overwrite configuration, so record the panel values before making a manual edit.

Stop the server completely

Use the panel’s Stop button or the normal service-management method and wait until the process has exited. Do not copy, rename, or edit a live save. Community guidance warns that a running process can overwrite your change or continue writing the old world while you are copying it, leaving an incomplete or apparently ignored swap.

Create a rollback copy

Before changing anything, download or duplicate:

• the complete savegame/ directory, including any file beside the main world file;
• enshrouded_server.json;
• any panel export or server-startup settings that determine the save location.

Use a dated backup directory outside the active save path. For example, keep the old directory as savegame-before-swap-2026-10-14 rather than placing a second copy inside savegame/. Preserve the original filenames and extensions. A backup is useful only if you can identify which copy was active and restore it without guessing.

Find the active save directory

1. Open enshrouded_server.json in a plain-text editor that does not add rich-text formatting.
2. Locate the saveDirectory property. In a newly generated configuration it normally points to ./savegame.
3. Resolve a relative path from the server root. For example, ./savegame means a folder named savegame beside the executable, not a folder beside your SFTP client’s local downloads.
4. If the property points elsewhere, inspect that target and back up the files there. Copying files into a folder that is not the configured target will not change the loaded world.

Do not assume that a path syntax accepted by one host is accepted by another. Keep the format generated by your own server version. If you need to move the directory, make one change at a time and verify the result after a restart.

Method 1: Replace the active world with another existing world

This is the most predictable approach when you already have a world backup or a world copied from another server.

1. Stop the server. Confirm that its process is no longer running.
2. Back up the current configuration and save. Copy enshrouded_server.json and the entire directory named by saveDirectory to a separate location.
3. Inspect the incoming world. Keep the source files together. A community guide describes the common world file as 3ad85aea and the associated automatic backup as 3ad85aea.backup. If your source has additional metadata, retain it instead of discarding it.
4. Clear only the active save contents. Move the existing files to your dated backup rather than deleting them. This gives you a direct rollback path.
5. Copy the incoming files into the configured folder. The files must be directly inside the folder resolved from saveDirectory. Avoid an accidental nested path such as savegame/new-world/savegame/3ad85aea unless your configuration explicitly points there.
6. Preserve names and extensions. Do not change a file to 3ad85aea merely because another guide uses that name. Match the layout produced by the source server and your installed version.
7. Start the server. Watch the startup output and wait for the server to report that it is ready before connecting.
8. Verify in game. Check that the expected terrain, structures, characters, and progression are present. If the server loads a new or old world, stop it before making another change so it cannot write over the wrong files.

A world copied while the server was running can be internally inconsistent even when every filename appears correct. If the server starts but the world is unexpectedly empty, stop it, restore the backup, and repeat the copy with the service fully stopped.

Method 2: Point saveDirectory at a different folder

Changing the directory is useful when you want to keep several worlds without repeatedly moving files. It changes the location the server uses; it does not merge two worlds.

1. Stop the server and create a backup as described above.
2. Create or identify a separate folder outside the current save path, such as a sibling directory for the alternate world.
3. Place the complete alternate save in that folder. Do not edit its internal filenames unless the files were produced for a different layout and you have verified the required format.
4. Open enshrouded_server.json and change only the value of saveDirectory. A minimal example is:

{
  "saveDirectory": "./alternate-save"
}

The real configuration normally contains other properties. Keep them intact, use valid JSON string quoting, and do not leave a trailing comma after the last property. The example shows the key and path shape, not a complete replacement configuration.

5. Save the file, then run it through a JSON validator. Community notes warn that an unparsable file may cause the server to fall back to defaults; that behavior is not documented here as an official guarantee, so treat it as a failure mode to guard against.
6. Start the server and verify that the expected world loads.
7. Record which directory is active. A short text note or dated backup label prevents you from later mistaking an inactive copy for the live world.

If the alternate folder does not exist or contains no usable save, the server may create or load a new world according to the behavior of your installed version. Do not rely on that as a reset procedure until you have a confirmed backup and have tested the result.

Creating a fresh world without losing the old one

For a safe reset, preserve the old save and use a new, empty target only when your server build or host panel documents that workflow. The general sequence is:

1. Stop the server.
2. Back up the existing save and configuration.
3. Rename or move the old save directory so it is no longer the active target.
4. Set saveDirectory to the new target, if your version accepts that path, or use the panel’s documented new-world function.
5. Start the server and confirm that the result is a genuinely new world.
6. Stop the server again before restoring anything. To return to the old world, restore the original directory and configuration from the dated backup.

Never delete the old directory merely to make the server generate a world. A moved directory provides the same test while retaining an immediate recovery option.

Using a hosting control panel

Some hosting panels expose a field called Save Name. One panel guide describes behavior in which the server loads a world with that name when it exists and generates a new world when it does not. That is a panel feature, not a confirmed universal key in enshrouded_server.json.

If your panel has such a field:

1. Stop the server from the panel.
2. Use the panel’s file manager or SFTP to back up the current save and JSON file.
3. Read the panel’s exact naming rules. Determine whether the value is a folder name, a logical slot name, or a complete file name.
4. Upload the alternate world through the panel’s documented location and preserve its directory structure.
5. Set the panel field, save the configuration, and start the server.
6. Confirm the loaded world in game before deleting or overwriting anything.

If the panel keeps rewriting your manual JSON edit, treat the panel as the source of truth and use its documented field. If no panel documentation explains the field, leave it unchanged and use the generated JSON plus direct file operations instead.

Names and settings that are easy to confuse

gameSettingsPreset is a difficulty preset

A Steam community thread identifies gameSettingsPreset as the relevant setting for presets such as Default, Relaxed, Hard, Survival, and Custom. It controls gameplay settings, not which world file is loaded.

gameSettingsName is not established as a world selector

Another community summary reported that it could not find a gameSettingsName key. Do not add that property in the hope of selecting a save. Use saveDirectory or a documented host-panel feature, and inspect the configuration generated by your installed build for current key names.

A community naming convention is not an official rule

One guide describes renaming a save to 3ad85aea and 3ad85aea_info for the server’s first world slot. Present that as a guide-specific convention, not a guarantee that every current server requires those names. If your installation already contains different names or additional metadata, preserve its layout.

Troubleshooting after the swap

Keep unrelated server settings out of the change

World swapping normally requires only file operations and, when needed, a saveDirectory edit. Avoid changing ports, network addresses, slot limits, or gameplay presets in the same maintenance window; otherwise you will not know which change caused a failure.

For reference, community documentation lists default gamePort 15636 and queryPort 15637, with a maximum slotCount of 16. The query port must be reachable for the server to appear in the server list. These values affect connectivity and listing, not the identity of the world save. Results from manually setting ip are conflicting: some users report crashes, while others recommend a local IPv4 address, so do not alter it as part of a save swap unless your own version or host requires it.

Version 0.8.0.0 added enableTextChat, enableVoiceChat, and voiceChatMode (with Proximity or Global modes) according to community documentation. Those keys are unrelated to world selection and should remain unchanged during this procedure.

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Final verification checklist

• The server process was stopped before every file operation.
• A dated copy of enshrouded_server.json and the complete active save exists outside the live path.
• The edited saveDirectory is the path actually used by the running server.
• The alternate files are directly inside that target and retain their original names and extensions.
• The JSON parses successfully and contains no accidental rich-text characters or trailing comma.
• The panel is not replacing the manual edit at startup.
• You checked the loaded terrain and progression in game.
• The old world remains available for rollback until the new one has been tested.

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