Your Left 4 Dead 2 server has no world to save. What you cannot easily get back is your settings and add-ons, so back them up before you change settings, install add-ons or update.
Before you start: stop the server so the backup holds complete files. See How to start, stop, restart and force-stop your server.
Where your files are stored
Left 4 Dead 2 has no persistent world: campaign progress is not stored on the server, and each campaign or round starts fresh. The only files worth keeping are your configuration and add-ons in the left4dead2 folder inside Files.
Make a backup
- Open your server in the panel and click Backups in the left menu.
- Click Start backup with Files selected. The backup copies the whole server folder, so your settings and add-ons are included.
- To keep a copy outside PlayNHost, open the ... menu of the backup and choose Download.
The server folder also holds the game's own files, which can be large, so check the size on the Backups page. If it does not fit your backup space, ask support what to leave out. Do not guess an ignore pattern, because a wrong one can leave your settings out of the backup. See How to create, download and restore backups for scheduling, locking and limits.
What to make sure is included
Your settings and add-ons are what you cannot get back, because there is no world to save. Back up left4dead2/cfg/server.cfg, plus left4dead2/addons if you installed custom content or SourceMod (including its configs).
Restore a backup
A restore replaces the current files with the backup, and anything changed since is lost. Take a fresh backup of the current state first if you may want it back.
Choose Restore to server from the backup's ... menu, confirm, and start the server when it finishes.
