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Manage Worlds on a Valheim Server

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Valheim 1.0 Update With this update World files are now saved in folders, rather than individual .fwl files.

A Valheim server can store several worlds at once, but it only loads the one selected under World Name. That makes it easy to test a fresh map without sending your favorite longhouse to Valhalla.

Use the steps below to view, switch, create, download, upload, or remove worlds from your Nodecraft server.

Find Your Current World

  1. Navigate to your Nodecraft dashboard.

  2. Locate your Valheim server and click Manage.

  3. Click Game Settings in the menu on the left.

  4. Click the World tab at the top.

  5. Select a World Name or add a new one. This will auto-detect installed worlds.

The value shown here is the world your server will load when it starts. For example, if World Name is set to world, the server will look for folders in the /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local folder.

View Your Saved Worlds

  1. Stop the server.

  2. Click Server Files in the menu on the left, then click Files.

  3. Open /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local. Each active world is a folder and has matching .db and .fwl files; .old and backup files are copies, as shown below.

    List of files for a Valheim game server

Switch to Another World or Create World

  1. Stop the server.

  2. Open Game Settings & navigate to the World tab.

  3. Change the World Name to a pre-selected world that was automatically detected OR type a new name to create a new world.

  4. Save the changes and start the server.

Download a Valheim World

  1. Stop the server.

  2. Open /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local.

  3. Select the world name by folder

  4. Click Compress. This will generate an archive file of all the files for your world.

  5. Download the archive created in the previous step.

    File manager for VAlhiem, showing how to download the server world

Upload an Existing World

  1. Stop the server.

  2. Open /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local.

  3. Upload a ZIP containing the matching .db and .fwl files. Make sure these files are in a folder named the same as the files.

  4. Select the uploaded ZIP and click Unzip.

  5. Set World Name in Game Settings; it should automatically detect the uploaded world files.

  6. Confirm that the uploaded .db and .fwl files appear in worlds_local, as shown below. Save the changes and start the server.

    List of files for a Valheim game server

Delete a World

Only delete a world after you're certain you no longer need it. Downloading a backup first is strongly recommended.

  1. Stop the server and open worlds_local.

  2. Select the matching .db and .fwl files for the world you want to remove.

  3. Click Delete.

    Delete the selected world from a Valheim server

If the deleted world is still entered under World Name, change that setting before starting the server again. Otherwise, Valheim may generate a new world using the same name. You can also remove the matching backup files if you no longer want to keep copies of that world.

Final Thoughts

Once the file pairs are organized, switching between Valheim worlds is pleasantly uneventful. World Name selects the active save while the others wait in worlds_local, usually until everyone admits the old base had better storage.

Need Help?

If you have questions or run into any issues, our support team is here to help! Reach out using the support widget on our website or visit our support center for further assistance.