The Isle world is the thing you cannot get back if it is lost, so back it up before you change settings, change files 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 the world is stored
Inside Files, each player's dinosaur growth and progress is kept in the TheIsle/Saved/PlayerData folder. The server's settings file, Game.ini, is in TheIsle/Saved/Config/LinuxServer. The Isle has no separate world file that you manage: the island itself is part of the game. The official guide says the whole TheIsle/Saved folder holds player data and world state, so back up the whole server folder rather than only PlayerData.
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 the world is 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 world out of the backup. See How to create, download and restore backups for scheduling, locking and limits.
What to make sure is included
A panel backup copies the whole server folder, so it includes TheIsle/Saved/PlayerData (progress and growth) and TheIsle/Saved/Config (Game.ini with your name, password and admins). Stop the server before the backup so the files are complete.
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.
To bring a world from another computer instead, see How to upload your own The Isle world.
