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
- 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.
- 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 with the xNul host-save-fix tool. A co-op host is always stored locally under the GUID
00000000000000000000000000000001; the tool rewrites that to the new server GUID from step 5. Run it on a copy of the save. Confirm the argument order against the tool's current README — some wrappers take new-before-old and reversing them silently produces a broken character. - 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.
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 | Run the host-save-fix (step 6) |
| Bases show "no owner" | Wrong old ID passed to the tool | Re-run with the correct GUID |
| 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 the author calls it experimental, so the honest answer is: it works reliably if you back up first and get the GUID step right, but it's fiddly enough that plenty of people botch it. If you'd rather not hand-edit save files at all, a managed host can do the upload and remap for you.
Our support team migrates co-op worlds onto Palworld hosting as part of setup — send us the save and we'll handle the GUID remap and the WorldOption.sav cleanup.
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.
Skip the save surgery: configure a Palworld server and we'll migrate your world for you — all 32 slots, 1.0 from day one.
