How to bring a Valheim world from another host

Stop the server at your old host, download its worlds_local/<name> folder as a zip, and upload that zip with Upload a world on the Worlds page of your PlayNHost server. Then add your admins, bans and allowed players under Access, and set the name and password in Game Settings.

Before you start

• Keep your old server, or at least its files, until the world runs on PlayNHost.
• Order your PlayNHost server and wait until it is installed. See What happens the first time you start your Valheim server.
• If your old server ran mods, switch to the Valheim BepInEx or Valheim Plus Mod server type first: How to switch your Valheim server to BepInEx or Valheim Plus.

Step 1: get the world from the old host

1. At the old host, stop the server so it writes its last save. Valheim saves when it stops.
2. Open the old host's file manager, or connect with an SFTP program.
3. Go to the Valheim save folder. By default it is .config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/ and the worlds are in worlds_local/. Some hosts start Valheim with another save folder (Iron Gate's guide describes a -savedir option): look for the folder that holds files called _main.N.db2 and _main.N.fwl2.
4. Download the world's folder as a zip, with every file in it. If the old file manager only downloads single files, zip the folder there first, or use SFTP and zip it on your PC.

Step 2: upload it to PlayNHost

1. Open your server in the panel and click Worlds in the left menu.
2. Click Upload a world, choose the zip, check World name on this server, and leave Make it the active world ticked.
3. Click Upload and check.

The panel checks the world before it puts it in place. Full steps: How to upload your own Valheim world.

Step 3: admins, bans and settings

1. Your old host kept the lists in adminlist.txt, bannedlist.txt and permittedlist.txt. Open them there and add each ID again under Access on the Active players card: How to become admin on your Valheim server and How to ban players or allow only some players on your Valheim server.
2. Set Server Name, Server Password and the other options in Settings, Game Settings. The world keeps the difficulty and rules it was made with: How to set Valheim world modifiers and difficulty.
3. If you used mods, add the same ones on the Mods page. If you had an r2modman profile, import its code: How to import an r2modman profile to your Valheim server.
4. Tell your players the new address, password and join code: How to invite friends to your Valheim server.

Step 4: check it loaded

Open the Console and look for ZNet.LoadWorld:. See How to check which world your Valheim server loaded.

Need help?

Our general guide covers moving any game: How to move your existing server to PlayNHost. If the upload is refused, see Valheim world upload was refused, or open a ticket with the message you saw.