Import Your World to a Valheim Server | WinterNode Help Center

Import a Valheim world by uploading its .fwl and .db files to the /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local directory on your server, then pointing the World Name option at that world. The source can be your own client or another host’s server.

Quick answer

The files you need: <WorldName>.fwl and <WorldName>.db. Skip anything with backup or old in the name.
On a Windows client: %AppData%/../LocalLow/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local. Cloud saves have to be moved to local first.
On another server: /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local on Linux, the client path above on Windows. The default world name is Dedicated.
Where they go: /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local on your WinterNode server, uploaded over SFTP.
The step people miss: set the World Name option to match the file name, or the server will generate a fresh world and ignore yours.

Locating the save files

Importing from your client

Windows clients, on Steam or Xbox, store worlds at %AppData%/../LocalLow/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local. That folder holds a .fwl and a .db file for each world, plus any automatic backups Valheim made while you were playing. If your save lives on the cloud instead, move it to local first.

Select the .fwl and .db files bearing your world’s name, excluding any that contain backup or old, and compress them for upload. Upload the archive to .config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local on your server, then extract it in the File Manager. Finish by configuring your server to use the imported world.

Downloading a cloud world

Steam and Xbox clients on Windows can keep saves on the cloud, and a cloud save has to be moved to local storage before you can import it.

Click Manage saves on the Select character screen, then switch to the Worlds tab.

The Valheim select character screen with the Manage saves button highlighted on the middle left of the bottom navigation bar

Cloud saves show a cloud icon on the far right of the list, local saves show a floppy disk. Select the save you want and click Move to local. The same button reads Move to cloud when a local save is selected.

The Valheim manage saves screen with the Worlds tab highlighted at the top of the screen, the local/cloud icons highlighted on the right of the saves table, and the a button currently labeled "Move to local" highlighted on the left side of the upper bottom half of the window

Once the world is in %AppData%/../LocalLow/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local, follow the steps in Importing from your client.

Importing from another server

Linux servers store worlds in /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local, Windows servers use the client path above. Both default to a world named Dedicated, which the host can override with the -world "<worldName>" command line argument, so check the host’s panel or startup command if you are unsure of the name.

In that folder, each world is a .fwl and a .db file sharing the world’s name. The rest are Valheim’s automatic backups, marked by backup or old in the file name, and you can leave them behind.

Compress the two files, download them, then upload the archive using SFTP to /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local on your WinterNode server and extract it in the File Manager. Finish by configuring your server to use the imported world.

Configuring your server

You should now see your .fwl and .db files in .config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local, named after the world on your old server or client. Any other worlds in that folder, including the server’s default Dedicated world, can be deleted if you don’t want to keep them.

Then set the World Name server option to your world’s name, which is the file name of the .fwl and .db files. You’ll find it under your server’s Management → server options tab, or you can pass -world "<worldName>" on the startup command if you’re not using our Game Panel.