Valheim: Restoring a Backup
Valheim worlds can become corrupted due to crashes, bad mods, or version mismatches. Fortunately, the server keeps automatic backups.
1. The Save Format
Before 1.0, a save is the pair WorldName.db and WorldName.fwl. Valheim 1.0 uses a WorldName/ directory containing the matching _main.<n> files. Restore either format as one unit; never mix files from different saves.
2. Legacy .old Files
Valheim automatically creates .old copies of legacy files after successful saves. These are your first line of defense for pre-1.0 worlds; a 1.0 backup is a directory instead.
3. The Server's Own Backups
Before you touch the panel, the server has already kept copies. By default it saves every 1800 seconds and keeps 4 automatic backups: the first 7200 seconds after a save and the other three 43200 seconds apart, so one two-hour-old copy and three spaced twelve hours. Those are the defaults of -saveinterval, -backups, -backupshort and -backuplong, straight from Iron Gate's server manual, and they are the first thing to look for.
4. The Panel Backups
Supercraft keeps daily backups of your server, listed in the Backups section of the panel's Installation tab, where a Backup now button also takes one on demand. They hold the whole server, so either the legacy pair or the complete 1.0 world directory.
Method 1: Legacy ".old" Files (Immediate Rollback)
If your pre-1.0 server just crashed and the world won't load:
- Stop the Server.
- Open the File Manager, then the Game Data section and its
worlds_localfolder. - Locate your broken save files (e.g.,
Dedicated.dbandDedicated.fwl). - Delete or Rename them (e.g.,
Dedicated_broken.db). - Locate the backup files:
Dedicated.db.oldandDedicated.fwl.old. - Rename them to remove the
.oldextension.Dedicated.db.oldbecomesDedicated.dbDedicated.fwl.oldbecomesDedicated.fwl
- Start the Server. You lose what was played since that save: at most one save interval, 30 minutes by default.
Method 1b: Modern 1.0 Backup Directory
For a 1.0 world, do not rename individual files. Stop the server, rename the current WorldName/ directory to a safety copy such as WorldName_broken/, then rename the matching WorldName_backup_.../ directory to WorldName/. Restore the complete directory, including its matching _main.<n>.fwl2, .db2, .chunks and .ok files.
Method 2: Restoring from Panel Backup
If the local rollback files or backup directory are also corrupted:
- Open the Installation tab in your Supercraft panel and its Backups section.
- Find a backup from a date/time when the server was working.
- Click Restore.
- Confirm the action. The panel warns that your current server data will be overwritten, and that cannot be undone.
- Wait: the server restarts by itself once the restore is complete.
Warning: Never restore a legacy database (.db) without its matching metadata (.fwl), and never restore only part of a 1.0 world directory. Mixing files from different dates can cause permanent terrain glitches or reset your seed.
For legacy saves, the free Valheim World Recovery tool pairs every .db/.fwl copy by variant (current, .old, dated auto-backups), checks each file for truncation, flags an orphaned or damaged half, and rebuilds the newest intact pair into a ready-to-upload zip. For 1.0 saves, keep the complete world directory together. Nothing is uploaded and your originals are untouched.
Safety first. Host your Valheim server with Supercraft and get daily backups you can restore in a click, plus a Backup now button for before risky changes.