The Tool Desk
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To download a Terraria server world, stop the server, open its file manager or SFTP connection, enter the server’s Worlds folder, and download the world file. A vanilla world is one .wld file. A tModLoader world requires the matching .wld and .twld files; keep both together. Hosting panels use different folder names, so follow the folder tree shown by your host rather than assuming one universal path.
What you need to download
Terraria stores a world as a file on the machine running the server. The file extension tells you which server type you are using:
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| Server type | Required files | What the extra file contains |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla Terraria | One matching .wld file |
The complete world in Terraria’s standard format. |
| tModLoader | The matching .wld and .twld files |
The .twld sidecar stores modded world data. A world may load without it but lose mod-specific content or behave incorrectly. |
Use the same base name for both tModLoader files. For example, download MyAdventure.wld and MyAdventure.twld, not a .twld file belonging to another world. Preserve the original capitalization and spelling when making a backup or moving the world.
Download a world from a hosting panel
This procedure applies to most game-hosting dashboards, even though the labels and folder names differ between providers.
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- Stop the server. Click Stop or Shutdown in the panel and wait until the status shows that the process has ended. Downloading while Terraria is writing the world can leave you with an incomplete or recently changed copy.
- Open the files. Select File Manager, Files, or a similar option. If your host does not provide a browser file manager, connect with the SFTP details supplied in the panel using an SFTP client.
- Find the world directory. Look for a folder named
Worldsorworlds. Common panel layouts includesaves/Worlds,saves/worlds, andtml/saves/worlds. The capitalization matters on Linux-based servers, so open the folder that actually contains your world files instead of creating a second folder with a similar name. - Identify the active world. Match the filename shown in the panel with the world selected in the server’s startup configuration. A folder can contain old backups or several worlds; do not assume the newest-looking name is the one currently in use.
- Download the files. For vanilla, download the required
.wldfile. For tModLoader, download that.wldfile and its same-name.twldsidecar. If the file manager offers a directory download, check that both files are inside the resulting archive before deleting or changing anything on the server. - Store a separate backup. Put the downloaded files in a clearly named local folder, such as
Terraria-world-backup-2026-10-14. Do not edit the only copy you have.
After the download finishes, start the server again from the panel if you want players to reconnect. Keep the backup outside the server directory so a panel reset, reinstall, or mistaken overwrite cannot remove every copy.
Where Terraria world files are stored on a computer
Windows client or dedicated server
On Windows, the default Terraria world folder is:
Documents ext{nobraces}/My Games/Terraria/WorldsIn File Explorer, open Documents, then My Games, Terraria, and Worlds. The folder contains files ending in .wld. If you run a dedicated server under a different Windows account, check that account’s Documents folder; each Windows user has a separate Terraria data location.
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Linux dedicated server
A dedicated Terraria server running under a dedicated account normally uses:
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/home/terraria/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/When the server runs as an ordinary Linux user, the equivalent path is:
~/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/The tilde (~) means that user’s home directory. If you are logged in as a different account, your shell may expand it to a different location, so verify the account that owns the server process before searching.
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From a terminal, you can inspect the directory with:
ls -la /home/terraria/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/Replace the path with ~/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/ when the server runs under your regular user account. Use an SFTP client with that account’s permissions to download the files, or copy them to a location your account can read. Stop the server before copying a live world.
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Docker tModLoader
Docker-based tModLoader installations use this world path inside the container:
/tModLoader/Worlds/your_world.wldThe actual filename replaces your_world.wld. Check the same directory for the matching .twld file. If you use a bind mount or named volume, download from the host-side directory mapped to /tModLoader/Worlds, or copy the files out of the container after stopping it. The host-side mount location is defined by your Docker configuration, so it is not necessarily a folder named tModLoader on the host.
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A community-reported macOS location is:
~/Library/Application Support/Terraria/WorldsThis path has not been independently confirmed here, so treat it as a starting point rather than a guarantee. If the folder is absent, use Finder’s search for .wld files while Terraria is closed, or inspect the save location configured by your particular installation.
Using File Manager versus SFTP
| Method | Best for | Important checks |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting-panel File Manager | A quick download without installing another application. | Confirm the panel downloads the selected file rather than opening it in an editor; verify both tModLoader files are included. |
| SFTP | Large files, repeat backups, or hosts without a usable browser file manager. | Use the host’s SFTP hostname, port, username, and key or password. Transfer in binary mode if the client offers a mode choice, and confirm the local file size after transfer. |
Neither method changes the world format. The difference is access: a panel hides the underlying server account, while SFTP exposes the directory tree permitted to that account.
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Verify the download before you rely on it
A successful browser download does not prove that the backup is usable. Perform these checks while the original remains untouched:
- Confirm the filename ends in
.wldfor vanilla, or that both.wldand.twldexist for tModLoader. - Confirm the two tModLoader files have exactly the same base name, including capitalization.
- Check that the file is not zero bytes and that its local size is plausible compared with the server copy shown by the panel.
- Keep the files in a folder whose name includes the date and, if relevant, the modpack or tModLoader version.
- Test the copy by placing it in a separate local Worlds folder and loading it only after you have preserved the original backup.
If a panel creates a ZIP archive, leave the archive as an additional backup and also extract it to confirm that the expected files are inside. Do not rename a .twld file to .wld; changing the extension does not convert the format.
How to upload the world to another Terraria server
Uploading is the reverse of downloading, but the stop-and-match rules are especially important because an overwrite can replace the only working copy on the destination server.
- Make a destination backup. Download the destination server’s current world first, even if you intend to replace it.
- Stop the destination server. Wait for the panel or container to report that it is fully stopped.
- Open the destination Worlds folder. Use the folder shown by that installation. Do not assume a vanilla path applies to a tModLoader server or that two hosts use the same capitalization.
- Upload the correct set. Upload one
.wldfor vanilla. Upload the matching.wldand.twldfor tModLoader. Keep the pair in the same directory. - Choose the filename deliberately. Either retain the filename expected by the server configuration or update that configuration to the new name. Avoid leaving two similarly named worlds and then starting the wrong one.
- Check permissions and ownership. On Linux or Docker, the account running Terraria must be able to read and write the files. A file owned by an unrelated account can prevent the server from loading or saving the world.
- Start the server and watch the log. Confirm that it loads the intended world and that players can see expected terrain and progress. Stop immediately if the log reports a missing file, incompatible mods, or a world-generation prompt.
For a tModLoader transfer, use the same mod set and compatible tModLoader release on the destination. The .twld file preserves modded data, but it cannot make a destination installation support mods that are not installed there.
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Common problems and fixes
The Worlds folder appears empty
- Check that the server is using the account and installation you inspected. Linux users often search their own home directory while the service runs under a dedicated account.
- Check the panel’s startup command or configuration for a custom world path.
- Look for spelling and capitalization differences such as
Worldsversusworlds. - If the server has never created a world, start it once with the intended configuration, stop it cleanly, and inspect the resulting directory.
You downloaded only a .wld from tModLoader
Return to the server and download the same-name .twld file. Keep both files in the backup and upload both to a tModLoader destination. If no sidecar exists, the world may not contain mod-specific data, but do not invent or rename one; verify the server’s actual file list first.
The world loads as a new or incorrect world
- Confirm that the server configuration points to the uploaded filename.
- Check for duplicate names with different capitalization, especially on Linux.
- Make sure the upload completed and that the file is not a partial transfer.
- For tModLoader, verify that the required mods and compatible versions are installed.
The panel will not let you overwrite the file
Stop the server, close any panel editor tab holding the file open, and retry. If the panel still blocks the operation, upload under a temporary name, remove the old file only after confirming your backup, then rename the new file to the name expected by the configuration.
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The server starts but changes are missing
For vanilla, you may have copied an older backup or the wrong world with a similar name. For tModLoader, the usual file-level cause is a missing or mismatched .twld. Restore the pair from the same backup date and verify that the destination has the mods that created the data.
A safe backup routine
For recurring backups, use a routine that always leaves a rollback copy:
- Stop the server at a quiet time.
- Download the complete file set for the active world.
- Label the local folder with the date, world name, and modded or vanilla status.
- Keep several dated copies rather than replacing yesterday’s backup immediately.
- Test one copy periodically on a separate local or test server.
- Start the production server only after the transfer and verification are complete.
This approach protects against both technical failure and human error: the most damaging mistake is overwriting the wrong world before you have a known-good copy.
Quick Recap
Quick reference
| Situation | Location or action |
|---|---|
| Windows world folder | DocumentsMy GamesTerrariaWorlds |
| Linux dedicated account | /home/terraria/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/ |
| Linux regular user | ~/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/ |
| Docker tModLoader container | /tModLoader/Worlds/ |
| Vanilla download | One .wld file |
| tModLoader download | Matching .wld and .twld files |
| Before downloading or uploading | Stop the server and preserve a backup |
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