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To install a progressed custom world, copy its Factorio save .zip into the server’s saves directory and start the dedicated server with --start-server. That is different from installing a scenario or re-creating map-generation settings with a map exchange string. Choose the method that matches the file you received, then verify the Factorio version and mods before anyone joins.
Choose the correct custom-map format
“Custom map” can mean four different things in Factorio. Identifying the format first prevents the most common installation mistake: trying to use a map-generation code when what you actually need is the creator’s progressed save.
| Method | What it preserves | Best use | Main dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save ZIP | Explored terrain, factory buildings, research, inventories and current progression | A downloaded world or an existing multiplayer world | Matching Factorio version and mod set |
| Scenario | A scenario map and its runtime scripts | Missions, challenges and objective-driven servers | Correct scenario folder and compatible content |
| Map exchange string | Map-generation settings for a newly generated world | Reproducing a seed and settings combination | Creating a new map; it does not include progression |
| JSON settings | Explicit map-generation and simulation configuration | Repeatable, scripted world creation | --create and valid JSON files |
A progressed custom world is normally a .zip save. A map exchange string cannot restore its explored areas, train network or factory. It only describes how a fresh map should be generated.
Prepare the dedicated server
Install a headless package
For a Linux server, use Factorio’s headless package, which omits graphics and other desktop libraries. Install it under a dedicated non-root user, extract the package, and test the executable before uploading a world. A message that the save cannot be found generally means the binary is running and the next task is to provide the save at the path you specified.
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The examples below assume the executable is ./bin/x64/factorio and that the working directory contains a saves directory. Your installation may use an absolute path instead.
Check the files and permissions
- Use the same Factorio release that created the save, or a release known to support it.
- Give the server user read and write access to the installation and save directories.
- Make sure the uploaded file is the actual ZIP, not a browser download page or an archive nested inside another archive.
- Keep a separate backup of every save before changing mods, scenarios or server versions.
Method 1: Install an existing save ZIP
Use this method when the creator gave you a Factorio save file, normally ending in .zip. It is the only method that carries a progressed world exactly as it was saved.
Upload the save
- Stop the current server cleanly. Do not replace a ZIP while Factorio is writing to it.
- Copy the custom save into the server’s
savesdirectory. You can also use another readable relative or absolute path. - Preserve the original filename, or rename it to a simple name such as
my-save.zip. Avoid spaces and punctuation while troubleshooting. - Make a backup copy before the first launch, for example by duplicating the ZIP outside the live
savesdirectory.
Start the world explicitly
From the Factorio installation directory, run:
./bin/x64/factorio --start-server ./saves/my-save.zipAn explicit path removes ambiguity about which world is loaded. If the server is started by a service, use the same absolute path in that service’s command rather than relying on its working directory.
Load the newest save automatically
If your server maintains several saves and you intentionally want the newest one, use:
./bin/x64/factorio --start-server-load-latest --server-settings ./data/server-settings.jsonThis is convenient for routine restarts, but it can select a different world after several saves have been created. Use --start-server with an explicit filename when a particular custom map must be loaded.
Verify the first startup
- Watch the console for a successful save load rather than an error about a missing or unreadable file.
- Confirm that the expected map name, factory and researched technologies appear after connecting.
- Check that the server’s mod list matches the save before players begin building.
- Stop the server and retain the newly written save if the migration or version change was successful.
Method 2: Create a new map from JSON settings
Use JSON when you want a new world with repeatable settings rather than an already explored map. Map-generation settings control how the terrain and resources are generated. Map settings control simulation behavior, including systems such as pollution and enemy evolution.
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Prepare the two settings files
Create a valid map-generation JSON file and a valid map-settings JSON file. Keep them as separate files so the generation recipe and simulation rules can be changed independently. The files must contain the structures expected by the Factorio command-line reference; arbitrary keys or malformed JSON will prevent creation.
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Create the save
Run:
./bin/x64/factorio --create saves/custom-map.zip --map-gen-settings map-gen-settings.json --map-settings map-settings.jsonThis writes a new save ZIP at saves/custom-map.zip. It is then launched like any other save:
./bin/x64/factorio --start-server ./saves/custom-map.zipWhen JSON creation is the right choice
- Automated deployments need the same terrain and resource recipe every time.
- You want to keep map generation under version control as text files.
- You need to adjust simulation behavior separately from terrain generation.
- You are deliberately starting a fresh world and do not need another player’s exploration or factory.
Method 3: Install and launch a scenario
A scenario is a separate content format. It can include a map and a control.lua runtime script for objectives, events or custom rules. Scenarios do not add prototypes to the game and do not require every client to install the scenario separately. Mods are different: mods can change game data and are a separate dependency.
Place the scenario in user data
Install the scenario in Factorio’s user-data scenarios directory. The scenario’s top-level folder should contain its scenario files, including control.lua when scripting is used. Keep the folder name stable because it is the name used at launch.
Start it from the graphical interface
- Open Factorio.
- Select Play, then Scenarios.
- Choose the installed scenario.
- Create the multiplayer game and configure the server options.
- Save the game after the scenario is created.
After you choose a scenario and save it, Factorio creates a normal save containing the map and scenario scripting. That ZIP can subsequently be transferred to a headless server and launched with --start-server.
Start a scenario directly on a headless server
The documented headless form is:
./bin/x64/factorio --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAMEFactorio resolves the name from the top-level scenarios directory or, when specified, from a scenario supplied by a mod. Use the exact folder or scenario name. If the scenario is intended to become a long-running world, save it and keep the resulting ZIP as your operational backup.
Method 4: Re-create a world with a map exchange string
A map exchange string is a compact representation of map-generation settings. It is useful when someone wants you to generate a new map with the same terrain, ore, enemy and size settings. It does not contain the creator’s explored state or factory.
Use the graphical map generator
- Open the Load Game screen and select a map.
- Choose the map exchange-string button to retrieve the string.
- When creating a new game, paste the complete string into the map-exchange field.
- Generate the map and save it before launching the multiplayer server.
Keep the string intact, including its delimiters. Omitting characters can change the generated world or make the string invalid.
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Convert a string for scripted creation
Factorio documents an in-game console command that parses the exchange string and writes JSON:
/c helpers.write_file('map.txt', helpers.table_to_json(helpers.parse_map_exchange_string("<your exchange string here>")))Copy the resulting map_settings and map_gen_settings objects into the corresponding JSON files, then pass those files to --create:
./bin/x64/factorio --create saves/custom-map.zip --map-gen-settings map-gen-settings.json --map-settings map-settings.jsonIf the requirement is to preserve a progressed base, trains or research, request the save ZIP instead. Recreating the settings cannot reproduce that state.
Configure server settings and launch behavior
A save path is mandatory for a dedicated server. The multiplayer guide describes creating a save with --create and starting one with --start-server. Use server-settings.json to define server-wide options rather than embedding them in an ad-hoc startup command.
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Relevant settings include the public name and description, tags, player limit, visibility and server credentials. For a private test, keep visibility restricted and share the connection details only with intended players. For a public listing, fill in the identity and access fields deliberately; an empty or incorrect credential configuration can prevent the server from appearing or allow unintended access.
For example, combine a specific save with server settings like this:
./bin/x64/factorio --start-server ./saves/my-save.zip --server-settings ./data/server-settings.jsonKeep the server-settings file outside the save backup workflow: it configures the server, while the ZIP contains the world itself.
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Handle mods and compatibility before players connect
Most “the map loads but content is missing” incidents are compatibility problems rather than file-transfer problems.
Match the Factorio release
Check the release used to create the save and run a compatible server release. A version mismatch can prevent loading, alter behavior or trigger migration. Do not discard the original ZIP while testing a newer release.
Install the required mods
If the save was created with mods, install the same mods and versions before loading it. A scenario’s folder is not a replacement for those mods: scenarios and mods follow different installation rules.
Synchronize mods on a headless server
The command-line reference documents --sync-mods. When the server must download mods, synchronization requires configured service credentials in player-data.json. Configure those credentials securely and verify that the server user can write the downloaded mod files. If credentials are unavailable, transfer the required mod package through your normal deployment process instead of assuming synchronization will work anonymously.
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Removing scenario files, removing mods or changing deeply integrated content can break a save. Stop the server, copy the original ZIP, make one change at a time and test the result. Keep the last known-good combination of the save, Factorio release and mod list together.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Linux and hosted-server deployment notes
The headless package is suitable for a machine without a desktop environment and is also commonly used by third-party hosted servers. A practical deployment sequence is:
- Create a dedicated non-root service account.
- Extract the headless Factorio package into that account’s installation directory.
- Run the binary once to confirm that required libraries and permissions are available.
- Create or copy the
savesdirectory and upload the custom ZIP. - Install scenarios under the correct user-data
scenariosdirectory, if applicable. - Install or synchronize the required mods.
- Start with an explicit save path and, when needed,
--server-settings. - Record the exact command, Factorio release, scenario and mod versions for the next restart.
When a hosting control panel asks for a map, select an uploaded save ZIP for a progressed world. Select a scenario only when the panel explicitly supports scenario launch, and do not paste a map exchange string into a field that expects a save filename.
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Troubleshoot common installation failures
“Cannot open” or “save not found”
- Check the filename and capitalization.
- Confirm that the path is relative to the process’s working directory, or replace it with an absolute path.
- Verify that the server user can read the file and traverse every parent directory.
- Confirm the archive is a valid Factorio save ZIP and was not truncated during upload.
- Try the explicit
--start-server ./saves/name.zipform instead of latest-save loading.
The map opens but buildings, entities or objectives are missing
Compare the server’s Factorio version and required mod list with the environment that created the map. Determine whether the package is a scenario, a mod-dependent save or a plain save. Installing a scenario folder alone will not provide a mod’s prototypes, and installing a mod will not recreate a missing scenario script.
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The generated map is different
You likely used a map exchange string where a save ZIP was required, or copied an incomplete string. Use the full string with its delimiters for a fresh map, or transfer the actual save ZIP to preserve progression.
The latest-save option starts the wrong world
--start-server-load-latest chooses the newest save that Factorio sees. Rename, archive or move unrelated saves, or use an explicit path with --start-server when the target world matters.
Players cannot find a public server
Review server-settings.json. Check the server name, description, tags, player limit, visibility and credentials, then restart the server with that file explicitly selected. Also confirm that the server is actually running the intended save rather than an empty or older world.
A repeatable upgrade and backup routine
For an ongoing custom world, treat the save and its dependencies as one release. Before each Factorio update or mod change:
- Stop the server cleanly.
- Copy the current save ZIP to a dated backup location.
- Record the Factorio version, scenario name and complete mod list.
- Apply one version or mod change.
- Start the copied save in a test instance and inspect the map.
- Only replace the live deployment after the test succeeds.
This routine gives you a recovery path if a migration fails and makes it possible to identify whether the executable, save, scenario or mod set caused a problem.
Quick Recap
Which method should you use?
- You received a progressed factory: upload the save ZIP and launch it with
--start-server. - You received a mission or scripted challenge: install the scenario in user-data
scenarios, or create it once and transfer the resulting save. - You received only a map exchange string: generate a new map; no existing progression is included.
- You need reproducible automation: create JSON map-generation and map-settings files and use
--create. - The world uses mods: match the release and mod set first, using
--sync-modsonly with the required service credentials.
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