How to Fix Palworld Server Settings That Do Not Apply

This is the most common Palworld ticket. The server runs, but every setting is back to default. There are only a handful of causes.

1. You edited the wrong file

The file the server reads is:

Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini in the game folder is a template only. Once the file above exists, the default is never read again.

2. You edited while the server was running

Palworld writes its current settings back to the file when it shuts down, overwriting anything you changed underneath it. Always stop the server, edit, then start.

3. The OptionSettings line is malformed

Every setting lives on one line. Palworld parses it as a whole, and one mistake makes it discard the entire line and fall back to defaults. Check for:

• Line breaks inserted into the middle of the line, often by copying from a formatted web page.
• Spaces after commas.
• Missing quotes around a text value such as ServerName, or quotes around a number.
• A missing closing bracket.
• A missing [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings] section header on the line above.

The quickest test is the server name. If your custom name is gone, the line was rejected in full.

4. Difficulty is overriding your rates

Individual rate settings such as ExpRate and PalCaptureRate only take effect when:

Difficulty=None

A named difficulty preset overrides them.

Saving and backing up the world

Palworld autosaves on an interval and on a clean shutdown. Before any change:

1. Join and run /Save in chat as an admin, or send Save over RCON.
2. Stop the server from the panel and wait for it to report it is offline.
3. Download Pal/Saved/SaveGames/ from Files.

Killing a Palworld server without a clean stop is the usual way progress is lost, because the world is only written out on save.

Still not applying

Open a ticket with the contents of your PalWorldSettings.ini pasted as text, not a screenshot, and say which setting is being ignored. A malformed line is obvious to read and impossible to see in an image.