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Upload, switch and start fresh worlds

Upload the world from your own game, switch between worlds, or start a fresh one without losing the old.

Last updated 2026-10-13
Worlds

A world is two files

Every Valheim world is two files sharing one name:

  • Serverk.db: everything built in the world, every chest and every tamed animal
  • Serverk.fwl: the world seed and its rules (the preset and the modifiers)

They belong together. Upload a .db without its .fwl and Valheim treats the world as new and rolls a different seed, and everything built disappears.

Upload the world from your own game

The world you played solo lives on your machine at:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local

On Linux:

~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local
  1. Close Valheim first so the world is written out completely
  2. Open the Worlds tab in the panel and press Upload a world
  3. Pick both files together: the .db and the .fwl
  4. Press Activate on the world once it appears in the table
  5. Restart your server, or start it if it's stopped

Switch between worlds

Every row in the table has an Activate button. Activating changes which world your server runs, and it applies after a restart. The old world stays exactly where it is, so switch back whenever you like.

You can't delete the selected world. Activate another one first, then delete it. Deleting takes a backup first, and if your server is running we stop it and start it again for you. A failed backup stops the delete.

Start a fresh world

From the same tab, Create a world: type a new name and Valheim generates a complete world under it the next time your server restarts. Your current world stays in the table.

Backups

You have two layers:

  • Valheim's own backups: kept by Valheim inside the world folder. The count and the timing are in the settings
  • Your Serverk backups: taken automatically, or by you on demand, and they're the ones that restore in one click

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