How to Move a Terraria tModLoader World to a Server

To move a tModLoader world to a server, copy two files from Documents\My Games\Terraria\tModLoader\Worlds: <world>.wld and <world>.twld, with the same name. Upload both to the server's worlds folder, then upload every .tmod file the world used plus enabled.json to the server's mods folder. Set the server's world name to the file name without .wld, and run the same tModLoader version as your game. Boss progress, houses, chests and modded items all come along.

What you are working with

Characters are not in the world. Each player keeps their own character in tModLoader\Players on their PC and brings it when they join.

What you can and cannot move

Before you start

• Close tModLoader so the world is fully saved.
• Back up the whole tModLoader folder.
• Check the version. On Steam, tModLoader's Properties, Betas should be None (stable). The server must run the same release. As of October 2026 the 1.4.5 port is still a test branch, per the tModLoader Steam news, so stay on stable for both.
• Write down your mod list. Every content mod the world used must be on the server.

Step 1: Find the world files

This is not the vanilla Terraria\Worlds folder. tModLoader keeps its own copy of everything under tModLoader.

No file there? The world is in Steam Cloud. In tModLoader's world select menu, click the cloud icon on that world to turn cloud saving off, which writes it into the folder above.

Step 2: Export the mods as a mod pack

1. In tModLoader, open Workshop, then Mod Packs.
2. Click Save Enabled as New Mod Pack and name it.
3. Click Open Mod Pack Folder.

You get a Mods folder with every enabled .tmod file and enabled.json, plus an install.txt with the Workshop IDs. This is the exact set your world was played with, which is what the server needs.

Step 3: Stop the server and back it up

Stop the server, because it saves the world on shutdown and would overwrite your upload. If it already made its own world, back it up first.

Step 4: Upload the world pair

Upload <world>.wld and <world>.twld together into the server's worlds folder. On a GamezServers tModLoader server that is saves/Worlds.

The trap: the two files are a pair, matched by name. tModLoader finds the modded data by looking for a .twld with exactly the same name as the .wld. If you rename Pirate Cove.wld to world.wld to match the server and forget the .twld, the world loads with every modded tile, item and boss flag missing. Rename both, or neither. Linux servers are case sensitive, so World.twld and world.twld are different files.

Step 5: Upload the mods

Upload the .tmod files and enabled.json into the server's mods folder (mods on our servers). Only mods named in enabled.json load, even if more .tmod files sit in the folder.

[
  "CalamityMod",
  "CalamityModMusic",
  "MagicStorage",
  "BossChecklist"
]

If you changed server side settings for a mod (difficulty toggles, spawn rates), copy those files from tModLoader\ModConfigs on your PC into the ModConfigs folder in the server's save directory too. Otherwise the server runs the mod's defaults.

Step 6: Point the server at the world and start

Set the world name on the server to the file name without the extension. A world saved as Pirate Cove.wld and Pirate Cove.twld uses the world name Pirate Cove. Start the server and watch the console: it lists each mod as it loads, then loads the world. If it starts generating a new world instead, the name does not match a file in the worlds folder.

Friends join through tModLoader, not Terraria: Multiplayer, Join via IP. tModLoader offers to download the server's mods for them.

Common problems

• Modded items and tiles are gone: the .twld is missing or has a different name from the .wld. tModLoader keeps data from mods it cannot find as unloaded placeholders, so restore your backup, upload the matching .twld and the missing mod, and check again before anyone plays.
• Server makes a new world: the world name setting does not match the file name exactly, capitals and spaces included.
• Crash while loading mods: a dependency is missing or a mod is the wrong version. The console names the mod. See how to add mods to a Terraria server.
• World will not load at all: it was last saved by a newer version, such as vanilla 1.4.5. Use the .wld.bak from before, or keep that world on a vanilla server.
• Players cannot connect: they are on regular Terraria or a different tModLoader release. See Terraria server version mismatch.

Moving it to GamezServers

On a Terraria server from GamezServers, choose tModLoader as the server type, click Backup, and upload over the SFTP login in Settings or in the file manager, which also extracts a zipped mod pack and can download a file from a link straight to the server. Set World name, start it, and the world stays online for boss nights without anyone's PC on. Calamity and big mod lists run best on 4 to 6 GB. For a vanilla world, see how to upload a Terraria world to a server.

FAQ

Where are tModLoader worlds saved?

On Windows in Documents\My Games\Terraria\tModLoader\Worlds, separate from vanilla worlds. Each world is a .wld file plus a .twld file with the modded data.

Do I need the .twld file?

Yes. Without it the world loads as vanilla and the modded content is missing. Always upload it with the .wld, under the same name.

Will my friends keep their characters?

Yes. Characters are stored on each player's PC, not in the world, so everyone joins with their own tModLoader character.

Can I put a tModLoader world on a vanilla server?

Vanilla Terraria only reads the .wld, so none of the modded content would be there. Keep modded worlds on a tModLoader server.