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To reset one Palworld player without affecting anyone else, shut down the dedicated server, back up the complete active world folder, and delete only that player’s file in Players/<PlayerID>.sav. The shared world, bases, Pals and other players’ saves remain. A full wipe is different: replacing or deleting the entire WorldID folder removes the world and every player save, so it should be treated as an irreversible operation until a tested backup is available.

What a Palworld player reset actually changes

Palworld dedicated-server data is split between a world save and individual player saves. The world folder contains Level.sav plus a Players directory. Each player’s data is stored as a separate .sav file in that directory. Removing one matching player file resets that player’s character and personal progress while leaving the shared world and other player files in place.

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This is a file operation, not an in-game command. Pocketpair’s official command documentation provides administrative commands for saving and identifying players, but it does not publish a dedicated “reset player” command. The targeted method described here therefore requires both administrator access in the game and access to the server’s files.

Before touching any save files

Confirm you have the required access

  • Server administrator credentials and the ability to edit the dedicated server’s files.
  • The configured AdminPassword. Pocketpair requires this value to be set in the server configuration before administrative commands can run.
  • A maintenance window long enough to stop the server, copy the save, make the change and restart it.
  • A backup destination outside the active save directory, such as a separate disk or provider snapshot.

Know which world is live

A server can contain more than one folder under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/. Do not choose a folder by name alone. Confirm the active WorldID in the hosting panel, or compare modification times after a clean shutdown. Loading the wrong folder can make a healthy world appear to have disappeared.

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Plan for automatic restarts

Many hosts run a watchdog, scheduled task or container policy that starts PalServer again after it exits. Disable that automatic restart temporarily, or verify that the process remains stopped before copying or deleting anything. Editing a save while PalServer is running can produce a partial or overwritten save.

Where Palworld keeps dedicated-server saves

The active save is inside the world-specific directory shown below. Replace <PalServer installation>, <WorldID> and <PlayerID> with the values on your server.

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Item Windows dedicated server Linux dedicated server
World folder PalSavedSaveGames<WorldID> <PalServer installation>/Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<WorldID>/
World save Level.sav inside the active WorldID folder Level.sav inside the active WorldID folder
Player saves Players<PlayerID>.sav Players/<PlayerID>.sav
Live settings file PalSavedConfigWindowsServerPalWorldSettings.ini Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

The configuration directories are created after the server has started. Editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini does not change the live server; use the platform-specific PalWorldSettings.ini path instead. Pocketpair’s configuration page identifies its documentation as version 1.0.4, so labels and locations should be checked against the current server build if your installation differs.

How to reset one player, step by step

1. Save the world and identify the player

Join the server with an account that has administrator privileges. If admin access has not been activated in the current session, run the command with the password configured in the server settings:

/AdminPassword <password>

Then write the current world data and list connected players:

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/Save
/ShowPlayers

Copy the exact PlayerID for the account being reset. Match the ID carefully; a display name is not a safe substitute when several players have similar names. /Save writes the current world state before you take the offline copy.

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2. Stop PalServer completely

Use a graceful shutdown first:

/Shutdown

If the server does not stop cleanly, use:

/DoExit

After either command, check the hosting panel, process list or container status. Also check the automatic-restart service described earlier. The next steps must not begin until PalServer is no longer running.

3. Back up the complete active world folder

Copy the entire directory Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<WorldID>/ to a separate location. The copy must include Level.sav, the complete Players directory and all other files in that world folder. Keep the world and player files from the same shutdown point; backing up only Level.sav cannot restore individual player data reliably.

Give the backup a timestamp and do not leave it inside the live save path. Keep it until the reset player has joined successfully and you have confirmed that the shared world is intact.

4. Open the active Players directory

Navigate to the WorldID folder you verified in step 2, then open:

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Players/

You should see one .sav file per player represented in that world. The filename is the PlayerID followed by .sav. If the folder is empty, the IDs do not match /ShowPlayers, or the modification times point to another world, stop and resolve the path before deleting anything.

5. Delete only the matching player file

Remove the file whose name exactly matches the target ID:

Players/<PlayerID>.sav

Do not delete Level.sav, the entire Players directory, another player’s file or the whole WorldID directory. Leave every other player save untouched. This is the smallest change that performs a player-only reset.

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6. Preserve ownership and permissions

On Linux or Docker installations, check that the remaining files and the directory still belong to the user or container identity that runs PalServer. An upload or extraction performed as root can leave files unreadable by the service account. Correct ownership and permissions using your host’s documented procedure before starting the server; do not broadly loosen permissions as a shortcut.

7. Restart and verify the result

Start PalServer normally and have the affected player connect. A successful targeted reset presents that player with character creation or new personal progression, while the shared map, bases, world settings and other players’ progress remain available.

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Verify the result with at least one unaffected player. Confirm that their character and base are present, the expected world loads and no unrelated player is asked to create a new character. If the wrong world loads or existing players appear reset, stop the server immediately and restore the complete WorldID backup before attempting another start.

What is preserved by a one-player reset?

Data One-player reset Complete world wipe
Target player’s character and personal progress Removed; the player starts again Removed
Other players’ .sav files Preserved Removed with the world
Shared map and world state Preserved in Level.sav Removed or replaced
Bases and shared world objects Preserved Removed
Administrative file access Required, in addition to the in-game admin command Required
Rollback potential High if the complete world backup is retained Depends entirely on a complete, tested backup

How to wipe a Palworld server and start fresh

A full reset has a different scope from deleting one player file. Replacing or deleting the complete active WorldID save removes the shared world and all player data in it. Pocketpair’s official documentation does not provide a single command that performs a complete wipe.

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Full-wipe procedure

  1. Notify every player and stop new connections.
  2. Run /Save, then stop the server with /Shutdown or, if necessary, /DoExit.
  3. Disable or pause automatic restarts and verify that PalServer is stopped.
  4. Copy the entire active Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<WorldID>/ directory to an external backup location. This is your only rollback path.
  5. Confirm the folder is the intended active WorldID by using the hosting panel or its modification time.
  6. Delete the world folder or move it out of the live SaveGames/0 location, depending on your host’s recovery procedure. Do not destroy the backup.
  7. Start PalServer. A new world save should be generated according to the server’s current configuration.
  8. Connect with a test account before announcing the reset. Confirm that a new character can be created and that the expected settings are active.

If the old world returns, the host may have restored a snapshot, started a different installation, or loaded another WorldID. Stop the service and inspect the active path rather than deleting additional folders at random.

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Does changing DedicatedServerName reset progress?

A 2024 Steam discussion describes changing DedicatedServerName in GameUserSettings.ini to make the server appear as a fresh identity. That is community advice, not an official targeted-reset procedure. It can change which identity the server uses without giving you precise control over one player’s file, and it may make it harder to determine which save is active.

Do not use this trick as a substitute for the player-file method. If you experiment with it, stop the server first, preserve the complete WorldID backup and test the result on a copy or disposable instance. Restore the original settings and save if the server loads the wrong progress.

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Optional offline save editing

An offline editor such as Palworld Save Studio can provide more granular edits for an authorized operator, but it is not required for deleting one player file. Its guide labels version 0.4.3-beta.1 as a prerelease and says that live PalServer startup, player identity and progress handling, in-game resaving and acceptance after a second restart had not yet been validated.

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If you use such a tool, follow an offline-only workflow:

  1. Disconnect players and stop PalServer.
  2. Copy the complete WorldID folder, including Level.sav and Players.
  3. Open the copy in the editor and change only the intended player data.
  4. Save the edited files, retain the untouched original as a rollback.
  5. Replace the live files only while the server remains stopped.
  6. Restore the service account’s ownership and permissions on Linux or Docker.
  7. Start the server and test with the affected and an unaffected account.

Never copy, edit or replace save files while PalServer is running. Tool compatibility can change with the game and server version, so an editor should be treated as version-sensitive tooling rather than an official requirement.

Troubleshooting a failed reset

The player still has the old character

  • Confirm the server was fully stopped before the file was removed.
  • Check that the deleted filename exactly matched the ID returned by /ShowPlayers.
  • Verify that you edited the active WorldID, not an older backup or another instance.
  • Check whether a host snapshot or automatic restart restored the old file.

Everyone appears reset

Stop the server immediately. This usually indicates that the wrong world folder was loaded, the entire Players directory was replaced, or a mismatched Level.sav and Players set was used. Restore the complete backup made before the operation, keeping the world and player files from that same backup point.

The server will not start after the edit

  • Restore the original complete world folder to test whether the edit or the file transfer caused the failure.
  • Check Linux or Docker ownership and permissions.
  • Confirm that the save path still contains the expected Level.sav and Players directory.
  • Review the host’s startup log for a different installation path or world ID.

The reset player cannot join

First verify that unaffected players can join and that the intended world loaded. If only the reset account fails, stop the server, restore the backup and repeat the operation with the exact ID from a fresh /ShowPlayers result. Do not create or copy a replacement player file manually while the server is online.

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Operational checklist

  • Identify: Use /ShowPlayers and copy the exact target ID.
  • Save: Run /Save before shutdown.
  • Stop: Use /Shutdown or /DoExit, then verify the process and restart service are stopped.
  • Back up: Copy the complete active WorldID folder, not just Level.sav.
  • Edit: Delete only Players/<PlayerID>.sav for a targeted reset.
  • Protect: Preserve Linux or Docker ownership and permissions.
  • Verify: Test the reset player and at least one unaffected player before discarding the backup.

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