Move a Palworld Co-op World to a Dedicated Server (1.0)

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Upload your existing Palworld co-op world to a dedicated server: which files to copy, DedicatedServerName, WorldOption.sav and the host character fix.

Palworld key art: Pals on a grassy field below floating islands, with the Palworld logo

Your group has played for weeks on one friend's co-op world, and now you want it online while the host's PC is off. Copying the files is quick. The surprise comes when the host joins: Palworld opens the character creator, as if the host had never played. Below: where the co-op save lives, which files go where on a Linux dedicated server, why the host's character stays behind, and the two documented fixes. Checked on 3 November 2026 against v1.0.5, the latest Palworld patch on Steam.

Quick answer: To move a Palworld co-op world to a dedicated server, copy the world folder from %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\<Steam ID>\<World ID> on the host's PC (you need Level.sav, LevelMeta.sav and the Players folder), upload it into Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/ on the stopped server and set DedicatedServerName=<World ID> in Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini. Guests normally keep their characters. The host does not: in co-op the host's character is saved under the fixed ID 00000000000000000000000000000001, and nobody gets that ID on a dedicated server. Pocketpair has no official migration tool, so the documented fix is a placeholder character plus a UID swap in a save editor such as PalStudio. Without an editor, the host starts a new character and brings Pals over through the Global Palbox.

Before You Copy Anything

Do these three things while the world still runs as co-op on the host's PC:

  1. Run the same version on both sides. Update the host's game and the server. v1.0.5 (15 September 2026) was the newest patch on Steam on 3 November 2026, and it only fixed textures and map icon filters.
  2. Move guild master to a guest if the host leads the guild. The oldest migration guide, xNul's host save fix, lists guild problems after a character fix as its main known bug, and its workaround starts by moving guild ownership off the host. If the host ends up starting fresh, a guest who leads the guild can invite the new character. Palworld 1.0 has a guild master transfer; Pocketpair fixed the text of its dialog in v1.0.4.
  3. Copy the whole world folder somewhere outside SaveGames, such as your desktop. Every step below works on copies, so the original stays playable in co-op.

Find the Co-op Save on the Host's PC

On the Steam version for Windows, a co-op world sits here:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\<Steam ID>\<World ID>\

Paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames into the File Explorer address bar. Inside is a folder named after the host's Steam ID, and in that one a folder per world with a 32 character name such as C144C9F06BF64BB4978913EC33508A65. That name is the World ID. If there are several, the world you played last has the newest Level.sav.

Item in the world folderWhat it isUpload?
Level.savThe world itself: Pals, structures, guildsYes
LevelMeta.savSmall companion file to Level.savYes
Players/One .sav per character, named after the player's UID, sometimes with a matching _dps.sav for Dimensional Pal StorageYes
WorldOption.savThe co-op world settings, if presentRead the WorldOption section first
LocalData.savPer-machine data such as the map fog; a dedicated server save has noneNo
backup/The game's own local backupsNo

How to Upload Your Existing World to a Palworld Server

These steps are for the Linux dedicated server. On a Windows server the config folder is WindowsServer instead of LinuxServer.

  1. Start the server once, then stop it. The first start creates Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/ with a fresh world and writes GameUserSettings.ini.
  2. Upload the world folder. With the server stopped, connect with an SFTP or FTP client such as FileZilla, or use your host's web file manager, and upload the folder under its World ID name:
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/
├── 7D3F0E...              (the empty world the server made)
└── C144C9F06BF64BB4978913EC33508A65/
    ├── Level.sav
    ├── LevelMeta.sav
    └── Players/
        ├── 00000000000000000000000000000001.sav   (the co-op host)
        └── ...                                     (one file per guest)
  1. Point the server at it. Open Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini, find the DedicatedServerName line and set it to the folder name:
DedicatedServerName=C144C9F06BF64BB4978913EC33508A65
  1. Decide what to do with WorldOption.sav (next section).
  2. Start the server and let a guest join first. The guest's character should load in the old world. That confirms the server reads the right folder before anyone touches the host's character.

Some hosts skip step 3: they copy Level.sav, LevelMeta.sav and Players into the world folder the server already made, replacing its files. That works too.

Our Palworld servers run the Linux dedicated server, with full file access and a live web console, so the Linux paths above are the ones that apply there.

WorldOption.sav: Co-op Settings or PalWorldSettings.ini

In co-op, the world settings you picked in the game, such as difficulty and rates, are stored in WorldOption.sav inside the world folder. A dedicated server is normally configured through Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini. xNul's guide says to delete WorldOption.sav "to allow modification of PalWorldSettings.ini": while the file is there, the server keeps the co-op settings.

  • Keep it if you want the world to run exactly as it did in co-op, and accept that edits to PalWorldSettings.ini may not take effect.
  • Move it out of the folder if you want to manage settings in PalWorldSettings.ini. Per xNul, players then pick their respawn point again. Write the co-op values down first. PalStudio, the save editor used below, can open a save's world options if you no longer remember them.

While you are in PalWorldSettings.ini, check bAutoResetGuildNoOnlinePlayers, especially if you copied the file from another server. With it on, Pocketpair's configuration page says the server will "automatically delete structures and base Pals" of a guild that nobody logs into. Our guild reset guide shows how to keep it off.

Why the Host's Character Does Not Carry Over

A Palworld save identifies every character by a player UID, and each file in Players carries that UID as its name. On a dedicated server, a Steam player's UID is calculated from their Steam ID; PalStudio's Steam ID converter reproduces the calculation. In co-op, the host's game uses the fixed ID 00000000000000000000000000000001 instead. When the host joins the server, the server works out a normal UID, finds no character with it and opens the character creator. The old character is still in the save. It belongs to an ID that nobody has on a dedicated server.

Guests already have normal UIDs in co-op, which is why they usually keep their characters. The co-op to dedicated guide in the Palworld Save Tools README treats the host as the only player to fix. xNul's guide from early 2024 reported that a move to a Linux server could reset guests as well. If that happens to one of your players, the fix below works for any player, one pair of UIDs at a time.

Pocketpair does not document a migration. Its server guide (version 1.0.4) has no page on moving saves, and the patch notes up to v1.0.5 add no tool for it. "Server Transfers and Migrations" was on the studio's list of planned updates in January 2024. What shipped for moving things between worlds is the Global Palbox in v0.5.0, and it moves Pals only.

Fix 1: Swap the Host's Old Character Into a New Slot

xNul's and Palworld Save Tools' guides describe the same method: give the host a new, empty character on the server, then swap UIDs so the old character takes the new ID. Use PalStudio, formerly Palworld Save Pal, a standalone app and not an in-game mod. It describes its UID Swap as "useful for co-op to dedicated server migration", and the swap moves "ownership of pals, structures, and guild membership" along with the ID. Palworld Save Tools, linked in many older guides, is discontinued: its README calls 2.4.5 the final release and points to PalStudio. xNul's script was last updated in May 2024, more than two years before 1.0.

Use PalStudio v1.4.3 or newer. That release of 14 September 2026 fixed the UID swap "wiping every pal in a co-op save" and fixed loading saves after a 1.0 patch changed the save format. Save editors break when the format changes, so check the editor's release notes after every Palworld patch before you run it.

  1. Create a placeholder. The host joins the server and creates a character with any name. Walk a few steps, then save the world: an admin types /Save in chat after logging in with /AdminPassword (see our admin commands guide), or you wait for the autosave. A new .sav file appears in Players. Its name is the host's server UID.
  2. Stop the server and back it up. Every Space-Node Palworld plan has 2 backup slots, so take a backup by hand in the panel now; if the swap goes wrong, you restore it.
  3. Download the world folder (Level.sav, LevelMeta.sav and Players) to your PC.
  4. Open it in the PalStudio desktop app. Choose Steam and open the Level.sav in the downloaded folder. Use the desktop app rather than the web version: the swap also renames the player files on disk, and the desktop app saves into the folder you opened, with a copy in its own backups folder.
  5. Swap the UIDs. Open Tools, then UID Swap. Each player shows as name, level and the first 8 characters of the UID. Pick the old host character (UID starting with 00000000, at the old level) as Player A and the level 1 placeholder as Player B. Click Swap UIDs, then Confirm Swap.
  6. Save. PalStudio reports "UIDs swapped successfully. Save your changes to apply." Go to the Files tab and click Save.
  7. Upload and start. Upload Level.sav and the whole Players folder back into the World ID folder on the server, replacing what is there, and start the server. The host joins and finds the old character, Pals and inventory.

The placeholder now sits under 00000000000000000000000000000001, the co-op host ID that nobody gets on a dedicated server, so it stays out of the way.

Fix 2: No Save Editor, Keep the Pals

If you would rather not edit saves, the host can start over on the server and bring the Pals that matter through the Global Palbox, Pocketpair's own way to move Pals between worlds.

  1. Store the Pals in co-op. Before the move, the host builds a Global Palbox in the co-op world and stores the Pals they want to keep. The wiki describes it as uploading "a copy of a Pal's genetic data", which can then be rebuilt in another world.
  2. Allow imports on the server. Set bAllowGlobalPalboxImport=True in PalWorldSettings.ini (Pocketpair: "Allow loading from the Global Palbox") and restart. If you kept WorldOption.sav, this edit may not apply.
  3. Rebuild them. The host creates a new character on the server, builds a Global Palbox and rebuilds the Pals. Per the Palworld wiki, a rebuilt Pal keeps its level, skills, condensation rank, trust and the work levels from Applied Technique books. Only one rebuilt copy of a Pal can exist per save, and it cannot be used as a Pal Condensation sacrifice.
  4. Rejoin the guild. A guildmate invites the host's new character, and the guild's bases are shared again.

What the host loses this way: their level, items, technology and any of their Pals they did not store.

FAQ

Why did my player data reset after I uploaded the world? If only the host got the character creator, that is the co-op host ID explained above: swap the UIDs or start fresh. If everyone lands in a brand new world, the server did not load your folder; check that DedicatedServerName matches the folder name exactly and that Level.sav sits directly inside the World ID folder. If everyone sees the old world but has to create a new character, swap each player's old and new UID.

Do my friends keep their characters when the world moves? Usually yes. Guests already have normal UIDs in co-op, so the server finds their files. Only the host's fixed ID has no match.

Can I upload a Game Pass or Xbox app world? Not as it is. The Xbox app version on PC stores saves in a container format under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\PocketpairInc.Palworld_ad4psfrxyesvt\SystemAppData\wgs. PalStudio converts it into Steam's folder format; after that the steps above apply.

Will my PalWorldSettings.ini changes apply to the uploaded world? Not while the co-op WorldOption.sav is in the world folder, according to xNul's guide. Note the co-op settings, move the file out, then set them in PalWorldSettings.ini and restart.

Can I move the world back to co-op later? Yes, with the same swap in reverse. Palworld Save Tools' guide describes it: copy the server's world into the co-op save folder, host it and create a temporary character, which gets the host ID, then swap your server character into that slot.

Is there an official Pocketpair tool for moving a co-op world? No. Pocketpair's server guide (version 1.0.4) has no migration page. The only official cross-world feature is the Global Palbox, and it carries Pals, not characters.

Sources

All opened on 3 November 2026: