ARK: Survival Evolved WinterNode takes automatic backups of your entire server every 12 hours, and you can request a restore through a support ticket. ARK also keeps its own rolling backups next to your live save, which you can restore yourself.
Quick answer
- Everything lives in
/ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks, live saves and ARK’s backups alike. Open File Manager from your server’s sidebar. - Manual backup: tick the files you want, then click Archive in the toolbar. You get an
archive-{date}.tar.gz. - Restore an ARK backup: stop the server, rename the live file out of the way, rename the backup to the live file’s name, start the server.
What is in the save folder
Your three live files are the world, named after your map (TheIsland.ark), one .arkprofile per player, and one .arktribe per tribe. Player files are named after the player’s Steam account ID, which ARK also calls their UE4 ID, and tribe files after the tribe ID.
ARK backs each of those up on its own schedule, into the same folder:
| Backup file | Backs up | Written when | Restore it when |
|---|---|---|---|
TheIsland_AntiCorruptionBackup.bak | The world | Every server start. Only one is kept | The world is corrupt or will not load, and you can accept losing progress since the last start |
TheIsland plus a date and time stamp, ending .ark | The world | Every 3 hours while the server runs. Several are kept, the exact limit is unclear | You want to roll the world back to a specific point in time |
76561198000000000.profilebak | One player | Every time that player logs in. Only the most recent is kept | A player lost levels, engrams, or their character |
1234567890.tribebak | One tribe | On server start and when a tribe member joins. Only the most recent is kept | Tribe ownership, ranks, or membership are wrong |
Taking a manual backup
A manual backup is worth having before anything destructive, on top of ARK’s own backups and ours.
In File Manager, navigate to /ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks, tick the check boxes next to the files you want, then click Archive in the toolbar. You’ll end up with a new file named archive-{date}.tar.gz. Our manual backup guide covers archiving in full, including how to get the archive off the server and store it somewhere safe.
Automatic backups
ARK’s own backups sit in the same folder as the live data, so restoring one is a matter of renaming a file. The table above covers what each backup holds and when ARK writes it. To restore one, rename it to the name of the live file it replaces:
- Stop the server.
- Rename the live file out of the way, for example
TheIsland.arktoTheIsland.ark.old. Keep it until you’re sure the restore worked. - Rename the backup to the live file’s name, for example
TheIsland_AntiCorruptionBackup.baktoTheIsland.ark. - Start the server.
Frequently Asked Questions
Live saves and ARK's own backups are both in /ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks. The world is named after your map, for example TheIsland.ark, player data uses the .arkprofile extension, and tribe data uses the .arktribe extension.
Stop the server, rename the live file out of the way (for example TheIsland.ark to TheIsland.ark.old), rename the backup file to the live file's name, then start the server again.
ARK writes a _AntiCorruptionBackup.bak file every time the server starts and keeps only one, and it writes a timestamped .ark snapshot every 3 hours while the server runs and keeps several. WinterNode separately backs up your entire server every 12 hours.