PalworldHow to Move a Palworld Dedicated Server to a New Host
Move a Palworld dedicated server to a new host: copy SaveGames/0/<id>, match DedicatedServerName in GameUserSettings.ini, and bring PalWorldSettings.ini across.
Updated Oct 3, 2026 · 5 min read
On this page
- What you can and cannot move
- Before you start
- What goes where
- Step 1: Download from the old host
- Step 2: Prepare the new server
- Step 3: Upload the world
- Step 4: Point DedicatedServerName at your folder
- Step 5: Bring the settings across and start
- The trap: DedicatedServerName, not the file
- Common problems
- Moving your Palworld server to GamezServers
- FAQ
To move a Palworld dedicated server to a new host, stop it and download the world folder Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world id>/ (with Level.sav, LevelMeta.sav and the Players folder) plus PalWorldSettings.ini from Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ or WindowsServer/. Upload the world folder into the new server's SaveGames/0/, then set DedicatedServerName in the new server's GameUserSettings.ini to the folder's exact name. Players keep their characters, Pals and bases, because a server to server move keeps everyone's IDs.
What you can and cannot move
| What | Can it move? |
|---|---|
| World, bases, guilds, Pals and every player's character | Yes, all in the world folder |
| World settings (rates, PvP, death penalty, passwords) | Yes, in PalWorldSettings.ini |
| Ban list | Yes, banlist.txt |
| A world from a Windows host to a Linux host, or back | Yes. Only the config folder name changes |
| Items and Pals added by mods, onto a server without those mods | No. Pocketpair warns saves that depend on mod content may not work once the mods are gone |
| A co-op world | Yes, but that is a different job with a host character problem. See our co-op transfer guide |
Before you start
- Update both servers to the same Palworld version. A save from a newer build will not load on an older one.
- Save and stop. Run
Savein RCON or/Savein game as admin, then stop the server. - Back up the whole
SaveGamesfolder on your PC before changing anything. - Write down the old
DedicatedServerName. It is the folder you need.
What goes where
| File or folder | What it holds | Where it goes on the new server |
|---|---|---|
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world id>/Level.sav |
The world: bases, Pals, items, guilds | Same path |
.../<world id>/LevelMeta.sav |
World name and details | Same folder |
.../<world id>/Players/*.sav |
One file per player character | Same folder |
.../<world id>/backup/ |
Palworld's own rolling backups | Optional, keep a copy locally |
Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini |
All world settings | The new server's config folder |
Pal/Saved/Config/<platform>Server/GameUserSettings.ini |
DedicatedServerName, which world to load |
Do not copy. Edit the new one |
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/banlist.txt |
Banned player IDs | Same path |
The <world id> is a 32 character folder name like 2E85FD38BAA792EB1D4C09386F3A3CDA. If there are several, the right one is the value of DedicatedServerName in the old server's GameUserSettings.ini, or the folder with the newest Level.sav.
Step 1: Download from the old host
Use the old host's file manager, a backup download or SFTP with FileZilla or WinSCP. Download the world folder, PalWorldSettings.ini and banlist.txt. Late game Level.sav files grow large, so zip the folder first if the host allows it.
Step 2: Prepare the new server
Start the new server once so it creates its folders and its own empty world, then stop it. It now has a SaveGames/0/<some id>/ folder and a GameUserSettings.ini.
Step 3: Upload the world
Upload your world folder into the new server's Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/, next to the empty one it made. Check the files sit directly inside: 0/<world id>/Level.sav, not 0/<world id>/<world id>/Level.sav.
Step 4: Point DedicatedServerName at your folder
Open the new server's GameUserSettings.ini (in Config/LinuxServer/ on Linux, Config/WindowsServer/ on Windows) and set:
[/Script/Pal.PalGameLocalSettings]
DedicatedServerName=2E85FD38BAA792EB1D4C09386F3A3CDA
Use your own folder name, copied exactly.
Step 5: Bring the settings across and start
Put your PalWorldSettings.ini into the new server's config folder, check the options in it against Pocketpair's configuration reference, and start the server. Join and check your base, your Pals and a guildmate's character.
The trap: DedicatedServerName, not the file
Palworld does not load "whatever world is in the folder". It loads the folder named in DedicatedServerName. If that value still points at the empty world the new server made on its first start, your world sits in SaveGames/0/ unused and everyone spawns into a fresh map. Many people then copy the old GameUserSettings.ini over the new one to fix it. Do not: edit the one key instead, because the rest of that file belongs to the new install.
The second half of the trap is the config folder. Windows servers read Config/WindowsServer/, Linux servers read Config/LinuxServer/. Moving from a Windows host to a Linux one and putting PalWorldSettings.ini in a WindowsServer folder means the server never reads it, and your rates and passwords silently fall back to defaults.
Common problems
- Fresh world after the move:
DedicatedServerNamedoes not match the folder name, or the folder is nested one level too deep. - Rates and password back to default:
PalWorldSettings.iniis in the wrong platform folder, or the file has its settings on more than one line. KeepOptionSettings=(...)on one line. - Settings ignored entirely: a
WorldOption.savin the world folder overrides the ini. Move it out. - Version mismatch on join: update the server and every player to the same Palworld version.
- Crash on load after leaving a modded host: the save depends on mod content. Load it with those mods, remove the modded items, then move.
Moving your Palworld server to GamezServers
On a Palworld server from GamezServers, press Stop, upload your world folder into Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/ from Files (or over the SFTP login in Settings) and set DedicatedServerName in Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini. XP, capture rate, PvP, death penalty and passwords are settings in the panel, written into PalWorldSettings.ini on every start, so set those there. Our servers run the vanilla Linux server, so mods like UE4SS and PalDefender are not supported. Press Backup first. Setup basics are in how to host a Palworld server.
FAQ
Will players keep their characters when I move a Palworld server?
Yes. On a server to server move, every player's file in Players already uses their own ID, so they log straight back in.
Where is the Palworld dedicated server save?
In Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/<world id>/, where the world id matches DedicatedServerName in GameUserSettings.ini.
Should I copy GameUserSettings.ini to the new server?
No. Copy only the DedicatedServerName value into the new server's own file.
Can I move from a Windows Palworld server to Linux?
Yes. The save files are the same. Put PalWorldSettings.ini in Config/LinuxServer/ instead of WindowsServer/.
Skip the setup. Your own Palworld server.
Then $29.99/mo. Just trying it? $7.50 for 3 days