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Set the server’s AutoSavePeriodMinutes value in GameUserSettings.ini, inside the [ServerSettings] section. Enter the interval in minutes, save the file, and restart the server so ARK loads the change. On a Nitrado server, you can use the panel’s setting editor or its file browser; on a self-hosted server, edit the active installation’s saved configuration directory.
The setting controls recurring world saves, not an independent off-site backup or retention system. Choose the interval by balancing the progress players could lose against the amount of save activity your particular map, mods, hardware and host can handle.
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What controls ARK’s scheduled auto saves?
The controlling key is AutoSavePeriodMinutes. ARK reads it from GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]. The number is measured in minutes, so a value of 15.0 requests an automatic world save every 15 minutes.
The ARK Official Community Wiki server-configuration reference lists 15.0 as its reference default. A Nitrado official-save template contains AutoSavePeriodMinutes=30.000000 instead (Nitrado template). These are provider or template differences, not proof that every server uses the same default. Inspect the value in the configuration that your running instance actually loads.
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Correct file and section
Your entry should look like this:
[ServerSettings]
AutoSavePeriodMinutes=15.0If [ServerSettings] already exists, add the line anywhere within that section. Do not put the key in [SessionSettings], and do not place it in Game.ini; ARK will not use those locations for this setting.
Prepare the server before changing the interval
Changing an INI file while the server is writing settings or saving the world can create confusing results. Follow the normal administration workflow for your host:
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- Warn connected players and allow them to log out safely.
- Stop the server from the host panel, service manager or launch tooling, or take it offline using the host’s documented safe procedure.
- Identify the active map, profile and server instance. A machine can contain several ARK installations, and editing an unused copy has no effect.
- Make a copy of the current
GameUserSettings.inibefore editing. The copy gives you a known-good version if a panel or script later overwrites the file. - Use a plain-text editor that does not add rich-text formatting. Preserve the section headers and existing line endings.
For self-hosting, the exact directory depends on the operating system, installation method and launch tooling. The official dedicated-server setup documentation describes INI-based configuration and notes that server-management tools can provide scheduled save backups in addition to ARK’s own saves.
Set the interval on a self-hosted server
Self-hosting gives you direct access to the files, but it also makes you responsible for selecting the active installation and restarting the correct service.
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- Stop the correct server instance. Use the service, script, container or control utility that starts the map your players use. If several instances run on one machine, record the instance name or profile before stopping it.
- Open the saved configuration directory. Find that instance’s
GameUserSettings.iniunder its ARK saved configuration tree. Windows and Linux layouts differ, and launch parameters or management tools can redirect the saved directory, so use the path associated with the active instance rather than assuming a universal location. - Find or create
[ServerSettings]. Search for the exact section header. If it is absent, add a section header on its own line, then place the setting below it. - Add or edit the key. Use the exact spelling and capitalization:
AutoSavePeriodMinutes=15.0- Save the file. Confirm that the editor did not append a second extension such as
.txtand that the file remains namedGameUserSettings.ini. - Start or restart the server. ARK reads the setting during startup. A running process generally continues with the value it loaded previously.
- Confirm persistence. After startup, reopen the file and verify that the line remains under
[ServerSettings]. Then watch the server’s normal save notification, log entry or save timestamp through at least one expected interval before treating the change as active.
Example: changing from 30 to 10 minutes
If the existing line is AutoSavePeriodMinutes=30.000000, replace only the numeric value:
[ServerSettings]
AutoSavePeriodMinutes=10.0Do not add multiple copies of the key in the same section. Duplicate entries can make it unclear which value a parser or management tool retains; leave one deliberate entry and restart.
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Nitrado documents two ways to change ARK: Survival Evolved settings: an exclusive custom setting editor in the server panel, and a file-browser route. The panel labels can change, but the documented file path and restart requirement are as follows.
Option 1: use the custom setting editor
- Open the ARK: Survival Evolved server in the Nitrado web panel.
- Open the server’s custom setting editor.
- Locate the auto-save interval field, or switch to the INI view if the editor exposes raw keys.
- Set
AutoSavePeriodMinutesto the desired number of minutes. - Choose the panel’s save action, then restart the server from the panel.
- After startup, revisit the editor and confirm that the value is still present. Observe a normal save event before players rely on the new cadence.
Option 2: edit the file through the panel’s browser
Nitrado’s documented route is arkse → ShooterGame → Saved → Config → WindowsServer → GameUserSettings.ini (Nitrado configuration guide).
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- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game. Run too far and not only will you be exhausted, but you will also quickly get hungry and thirsty. Weather effects are based on real-world climates, and so you'll need to hide out from rain and snow, while making the most of sunny days
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
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- Stop the server or use the panel’s normal offline workflow.
- Open the file browser and follow the path above.
- Edit
GameUserSettings.iniand place the key beneath[ServerSettings]:
AutoSavePeriodMinutes=15.0- Press Save changes in the editor.
- Restart the server. Nitrado explicitly documents the restart as the step that loads configuration changes.
- Reopen the file or editor after startup. If the number has reverted, investigate templates, startup scripts or panel overrides before changing it again.
How to choose an auto-save interval
A shorter interval narrows the time between the latest world save and a crash, so less recent progress is exposed to rollback. It also causes saves more often. A longer interval reduces save frequency but leaves a larger possible rollback window. No primary source establishes one universally safe minimum or a performance benchmark that applies to every ARK build, map, mod set and host.
| Interval approach | Potential rollback exposure | Save activity | When it may fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shorter interval | Smaller window of unsaved progress | More frequent world writes | Servers where minimizing recent-progress loss is the priority and monitoring shows stable operation |
| Longer interval | Larger window of unsaved progress | Less frequent world writes | Servers where operators prefer fewer saves and have verified acceptable recovery exposure |
| Existing configured value | Reflects the current server or provider setup | Already observed by that installation | A sensible baseline before a deliberate, measured change |
Start with the value already present in the server’s own configuration. If you change it, make one controlled adjustment, restart, and monitor logs, save timestamps and player experience. Compare observations before making another change rather than assuming that a number used by another host will behave identically on yours.
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The interval is a schedule, not a promise that every save completes within a particular number of seconds or has the same impact on every server. Map size, active players, mods, storage performance and other workload details can affect what you observe. The available documentation does not publish a universal benchmark, so describe your chosen value as an operational decision for your installation, not as a guaranteed optimum.
Verify that the new schedule is actually active
Configuration files can look correct while the running service uses another profile. Use a verification sequence rather than relying on the edit alone:
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- Capture and Tame Dinosaurs: Discover over 100 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures on the island, finding ways to tame them into useful additions for your tribe's dino herd
- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety, and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
- Customize Everything: An extensive crafting system invites you to mix and match materials scavenged from the island, while also modifying the colors, textures, shapes, and styles
- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout
- After restart, open the same file or panel editor and confirm the key, number and section.
- Check the startup log or management interface for the instance and map you intended to restart.
- Note the time of a normal ARK save notification or log entry.
- Wait through at least one complete interval and look for the next expected save event.
- Compare the observed event with the configured number, allowing for startup timing and normal scheduling behavior.
- Record the active value and profile in your server notes so a future administrator does not edit a different copy.
Seeing the line in an editor is necessary but not sufficient: persistence after restart and a subsequent save event show that the active process accepted the change.
Troubleshoot an auto-save change that did not stick
The value reverts after restarting
- Check spelling and capitalization. The key must be exactly
AutoSavePeriodMinutes. - Confirm that the line is inside
[ServerSettings], not another section. - Verify that you edited
GameUserSettings.ini, notGame.ini. - Look for a provider template, startup script, configuration-management tool or panel override that rewrites the file during boot.
- On a multi-instance machine, compare the file path with the service’s launch parameters and active profile.
- On a managed host, save through the panel’s own control and restart from that same panel so the provider records the change.
The line is present, but saves still follow the old cadence
- Make sure the server was actually restarted after the edit. Nitrado’s documented workflow requires a restart to load the change.
- Confirm that the restart targeted the intended map and instance rather than a similarly named service.
- Recheck the post-startup file. If another process changed the value, identify that process before attempting repeated edits.
- Observe several save events. A single late or early event can reflect startup timing; use the running service’s logs and timestamps to establish the pattern.
The setting appears in the panel but has no effect
Some panels present a friendly editor while writing a different underlying profile. Use the panel’s file browser or configuration preview to confirm that the generated entry is in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]. Then restart and verify the resulting file. If the panel exposes separate settings for different maps or profiles, select the one attached to the active server.
Players report lost progress despite frequent auto saves
An auto save records the world on the server, but a crash, failed disk, corrupted save or operational mistake can still affect recovery. Check that save events are occurring and that the server can write to its save directory. Then review your separate backup plan; increasing the auto-save frequency does not create an independent historical copy.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Auto saves are not the same as backups
AutoSavePeriodMinutes schedules recurring saves for the live ARK world. It does not define off-site storage, retention, rotation, version history or a restore procedure. The official dedicated-server documentation discusses server-management tools that can provide scheduled save backups (ARK dedicated-server setup), but those backups are a separate recovery layer.
A practical recovery plan answers questions the interval cannot:
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- Where are backup copies stored if the server’s disk fails?
- How many historical versions are retained?
- How do you restore a map and its related configuration?
- Who can initiate a restore, and how is player downtime communicated?
Keep the backup schedule and retention policy documented independently from the auto-save setting. A server can save every few minutes and still have no usable recovery point if all copies remain on the same failing disk.
Self-hosted and managed workflows compared
| Area | Self-hosted server | Nitrado-managed server |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration access | Edit the active installation’s GameUserSettings.ini directly. |
Use the custom setting editor or the provider’s file browser. |
| Typical edit location | The saved configuration directory selected by the installation and launch tooling; the exact Windows/Linux path varies. | arkse/ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/GameUserSettings.ini. |
| Applying the change | Save the file and restart the correct service, script, container or instance. | Press Save changes in the panel and restart the server. |
| Override risks | Startup scripts, profiles and configuration-management tools can rewrite values. | Provider templates or panel settings can rewrite values. |
| Backup tooling | Choose and operate your own server-management or backup tooling. | Use the provider’s available tools, while treating backups as separate from auto saves. |
| Documented template value | Use the value in the active installation. | A Nitrado official-save template shows 30.000000; the wiki reference lists 15.0. |
The file format and key are the same conceptually in both models. The operational difference is who controls the path, restart and systems that may regenerate the file.
Change-management checklist
Use this short checklist whenever you adjust the schedule:
- Announce the maintenance window and stop the intended instance safely.
- Back up the current configuration file before editing.
- Confirm
GameUserSettings.iniand the[ServerSettings]section. - Enter one correctly spelled
AutoSavePeriodMinutesline with a deliberate value in minutes. - Save through the editor or provider panel, preserving the filename and format.
- Restart the same instance whose file you edited.
- Reopen the configuration after startup and check that the value persisted.
- Observe save notifications or timestamps before relying on the new schedule.
- Keep a separate, tested backup and restore process.
Key points to remember
The setting you need is AutoSavePeriodMinutes in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]. Its value is expressed in minutes, and a restart is required in the documented Nitrado workflow. Defaults vary: the ARK Official Community Wiki references 15.0, while a Nitrado template uses 30.000000. Treat those as configuration examples, inspect your own active file, and validate the result with real save events. Finally, maintain a separate backup strategy because recurring auto saves alone do not provide off-site recovery or retention.
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