Moving a co-op world to a dedicated server takes three things: copy the world folder into the server's SaveGames/0 directory, point the server at it, and remap the host player's save GUID. That last step is the whole game — skip it and the host loads in as a brand-new level-1 character while their real save sits there untouched. Here's the full procedure, tested on 1.0, plus the save file that quietly breaks your settings afterwards.
This covers Steam saves. Xbox Game Pass stores saves in a different, obfuscated container, and this method doesn't apply to it.
Where is my Palworld world save?
On Windows, paste this into Explorer's address bar:
%localappdata%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\
Inside you'll find a folder named after your Steam ID, and inside that, one folder per world with a long hex name (e.g. 9FD8E3B040655006851A3C9AAE16E4C4). That world folder is what you're moving:
| File / folder | What it holds |
|---|---|
Level.sav | The world itself — bases, Pals, map state. If this is missing or corrupted on upload, nothing loads |
LevelMeta.sav | World metadata (name, last-played) |
WorldOption.sav | A snapshot of the in-game world settings — this one causes the "my settings won't apply" problem later |
Players\ | One .sav per player, named by their GUID |
These are compressed Unreal save files — binary, not hand-editable, which is why the community tool exists.
How to move your co-op world to a dedicated server, step by step
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Stop the dedicated server and back up everything. Copy files, never move them — keep your untouched originals. Close Palworld on the source PC first, or the save files stay locked.
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Copy your world folder (the long-hex-named one) into the server at
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<WorldID>/. Note the literal0folder — a dedicated server uses0where your PC used your Steam ID. Use SFTP for the upload so a largeLevel.savdoesn't corrupt on a flaky connection. -
Point the server at the world. In
Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini, setDedicatedServerName=<WorldID>to that folder name. Do not upload your localGameUserSettings.ini— it carries machine-specific values that break things. -
Delete
WorldOption.savfrom the uploaded world folder. While it's present it overridesPalWorldSettings.inientirely, so any rates you set will be ignored. -
Start the server and log in once as the former host. This generates a new save file in
...0/<WorldID>/Players/— its filename is the host's new GUID on this server. Copy that filename. -
Remap the host GUID — and check the tool does the whole job. A co-op host is always stored locally under the GUID
00000000000000000000000000000001, and it has to be rewritten to the new server GUID from step 5. That rewrite has to reach further than the character record. Your Pals, bases and guild each carry their own ownership references, and they don't all follow the same rule — a Pal has to end up keyed to the zero GUID, not to your new one. A dedicated server deletes any Pal keyed to a GUID that isn't zero, so an incomplete remap doesn't merely leave things unowned; it can wipe your Pals the next time the world loads.Two things to know before you pick a tool. Most guides still point at xNul host-save-fix or
palworld-save-tools— both have been unmaintained since 2024 and now fail outright on current saves with an error likenot a compressed Palworld save, found b'PlM' instead of b'PlZ'. Palworld changed how it compresses saves and those tools never caught up. Separately, the browser-based Palworld Save Converter is genuinely convenient and never uploads your save anywhere, but it rewrites the character and guild records rather than Pal and base ownership — so on its own it isn't a complete migration.The actively maintained options that understand the current save format are PalworldSaveTools and palworld-save-pal. Work on a copy whichever you use, and if a run goes wrong restore your originals rather than re-running on top of a half-converted save.
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Re-upload the patched save, restart, and rejoin. The host now loads their real character. Repeat steps 5–6 once per additional player, mapping each person's old ID to their new server GUID.
Check your Pals the moment you first log in. If any are missing, stop the server straight away — it autosaves roughly every 30 seconds and will write the broken state over your good file. Palworld also drops a timestamped copy into <world>/backup/world/ every time it loads, and that's what you restore from.
Why does my character reset to level 1 after moving the save?
Because a dedicated server assigns each player a new GUID, and if the host's save isn't remapped from the local ...0001 GUID, the server treats them as a stranger and hands them a fresh level-1 character. The world, bases and everyone else are fine — it's purely an identity mismatch, and step 6 fixes it.
Other things that go wrong, and the fix:
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Host is invisible / level 1 | GUID not remapped, or Players\ folder not copied | Remap the host GUID (step 6) |
| Bases show "no owner" | The remap only moved the character and guild records | Re-run with a tool that also rewrites Pal and base ownership |
| Pals missing after migrating | Pals left keyed to a non-zero GUID — the server deletes them on load | Stop the server now, restore from <world>/backup/world/, redo the remap |
| Settings/rates don't apply | WorldOption.sav still present | Delete it (step 4) |
| World won't load at all | Level.sav missing/corrupted, or DedicatedServerName mismatch | Re-upload via SFTP; check the folder name matches |
| Pals stop working ~5 min after migrating | Known post-migration re-registration bug | Drop each Pal from your party and re-retrieve it |
Remove any Viewing Cage from your bases before migrating — it isn't supported on dedicated servers and can stop a world loading.
Is moving a Palworld save safe?
The tooling is community-made and experimental, and the tools most guides link to have been abandoned since 2024 — so the honest answer is: it works if you back up first, use something still maintained, and check your Pals before you settle in. It's fiddly enough that plenty of people botch it, and the expensive mistake is a partial remap that looks fine until your Pals vanish.
Bringing a co-op world to Palworld hosting? Open a ticket before you start and we'll walk you through the remap and the WorldOption.sav cleanup — and if a run goes wrong, we can get you back to a working backup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Palworld host GUID?
Every co-op host's character is stored locally under the fixed GUID 00000000000000000000000000000001. On a dedicated server they get a different, randomly-generated GUID, so the host's save has to be remapped from the ...0001 name to the new one — otherwise the game doesn't recognise them.
Do I need to delete WorldOption.sav?
Yes, if you want your PalWorldSettings.ini to take effect. While WorldOption.sav is in the world folder it overrides the ini, which is the single most common reason migrated worlds ignore new settings. See why Palworld settings won't save.
Can I move a Game Pass / Xbox save to a dedicated server?
Not with this method. The Game Pass build stores saves in an obfuscated container in a different location, so the clean file-copy approach doesn't apply. This guide is for Steam saves.
Where do dedicated-server saves live?
On the server, under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<WorldID>/ — the 0 folder is standard for dedicated servers, where a Steam client would use your numeric Steam ID.
Will my friends keep their characters too?
Yes, if you remap each of their GUIDs as well (step 6, once per player). Only the host uses the ...0001 old GUID; everyone else maps their own old ID to their new server GUID.
Configure a Palworld server — all 32 slots, 1.0 from day one. Bringing a co-op world across? Talk to us first and we'll help you get the remap right.
