How to Move a Valheim Game Pass World to a Dedicated Server

To move a Valheim world from Game Pass or the Xbox app on PC to a dedicated server, open Valheim, go to Manage saves, pick the world on the Worlds tab and click Move to local. The world then appears in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local as a folder (or a .db and .fwl pair on older saves). Upload that into the server's worlds_local folder and set the server's world name (-world) to the exact same name. Turn on crossplay so Game Pass players can join.

What you can and cannot move

The trap: the hidden Packages folder is a dead end

Search for "Game Pass save location" and you get sent to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\, where Microsoft Store and Xbox app games keep their cloud synced saves in a wgs folder. For Valheim that folder is a dead end. The files there are containers with long GUID names and no extensions, not a world you can upload, and the popular XGP save extractor tool does not list Valheim among its supported games.

You do not need any of it. Valheim has its own button for this: Move to local copies a cloud world into the normal worlds_local folder, in the same format a Steam player has. Hosting guides such as DatHost's Valheim upload steps describe the same route for Game Pass and Xbox worlds.

What goes where

Server side paths:

• Self hosted on Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local on the server machine, or inside your -savedir
• Self hosted on Linux: ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local
• GamezServers: .config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local

Before you start

• Sign in with the right Microsoft account on the PC, the one that owns the world.
• Let the cloud sync finish. Start the game once, wait at the main menu for a moment, then go to Manage saves.
• Match the version. The dedicated server should run the same Valheim version as your game.
• Stop the server before uploading, or it can save its own world over yours.

Step 1: Move the world to local storage

1. Start Valheim from the Xbox app or Game Pass.
2. On the character select screen, click Manage saves, then open the Worlds tab.
3. Cloud worlds show a cloud icon on the right, local ones a floppy disk. Select your world and click Move to local.
4. Quit the game so everything is written to disk.

Step 2: Find the world folder

Paste this into the File Explorer address bar:

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

You will see a folder named after your world if it last saved on 1.0 or later, or a .db and .fwl with the world's name if it is older. Copy the folder, or both files, somewhere safe as a backup before you go further.

Step 3: Upload to the server

Upload the world folder, or the .db and .fwl pair, into the server's worlds_local. Keep the name exactly as it is. A world folder is many small files, so use SFTP (FileZilla or WinSCP) or upload one zip and extract it on the server.

Step 4: Point the server at the world

The server loads the world whose name matches its -world launch option and creates a new one if nothing matches. A folder called Midgard, or files Midgard.db and Midgard.fwl, means -world "Midgard". Names are case sensitive on Linux servers.

Step 5: Turn on crossplay and start

Game Pass and Xbox app players use Microsoft's network, not Steam's, so they can only join a server started with -crossplay. With it on, the server prints a join code in its log, and players on Steam, Game Pass, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 can all get in. Crossplay servers must stay vanilla, because console players cannot install mods.

Start the server. An old .db and .fwl world converts to the 1.0 folder format on its first load, which takes a few minutes on big worlds, so do not stop it while it works.

For admins, add each person's ID to adminlist.txt in the format the in game F2 panel shows, since crossplay IDs carry a platform prefix.

Common problems

• No Move to local button, or the world is missing: you are signed in with a different Microsoft account, or the cloud has not synced. Restart the game and wait at the menu.
• Server makes a brand new world: the -world name does not match the folder or files, including capitals and spaces.
• Game Pass friends cannot find or join the server: crossplay is off. Steam only servers are invisible to Microsoft Store players.
• Half the world is missing: a browser upload of a world folder timed out. Upload a zip or use SFTP.
• Friends' maps are blank: the explored map is saved with each character. A character that never visited this world starts with an empty map, but the world is intact.

Moving it to GamezServers

A Valheim server from GamezServers has crossplay on in the Vanilla type, a file manager that extracts zips straight into worlds_local, the SFTP login in Settings, and a one click Backup before you replace anything. The world name is a launch setting, so email support@gamezservers.com with your world's name and we set it. Your world then stays online without anyone's PC. For the Steam version of these steps, see how to upload a Valheim world to a dedicated server.

FAQ

Where are Valheim Game Pass saves stored?

Cloud saves live in Microsoft's sync container under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages, which you cannot upload. After Move to local, worlds are in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local.

Can Game Pass players join a Steam dedicated server?

Yes, when the server runs with crossplay on. Without it, only Steam players can join.

Will I keep my Game Pass character?

Yes. Characters are not part of the world, so you join the server with the character you already have.

Can I move a world from my Xbox console to a server?

Only through the PC version with the same Microsoft account. If the world shows in Manage saves there, move it to local and upload it, otherwise it cannot be moved.