Valheim World Doctor
World gone, reset or not loading? Pick your worlds_local folder: the doctor checks every world in it, tells you which save Valheim will load and what it will delete when it starts, and gives you a clean copy or a backup to restore. Everything runs on your device; nothing is uploaded.
Your saves: the worlds_local folder, one world’s folder, or a .zip of either
Read on this device, never uploaded. Your browser may say “upload”: nothing leaves this computer.
Before you start the game: if a world has problems, copy its folder somewhere safe first. Valheim cleans up save files when it starts.
Your worlds
What Valheim does to your saves when it starts
- It keeps one save per world. Each save writes a numbered set of files (
_main.17.fwl2,.db2,.chunks,.ok). The game keeps the newest complete set and deletes the other_mainfiles. - A set is complete with all four files. The
.okis written last, so a crash mid-save leaves a set without it; the game falls back to the previous complete set. (A lone_main.0.fwl2is a new world that was never saved.) - No complete set means no world. With none, it deletes every
_mainfile of that world. - A world that fails to load is replaced. Valheim silently makes a new random world with the same name, and the next save writes it.
So when something looks wrong: close the game, copy the world folder somewhere safe, then check it here.
Quick answers
Where are Valheim worlds saved?
On Windows, local worlds are in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local, one folder per world. On Linux they are in ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local. A dedicated server keeps them in worlds_local inside the folder its -savedir option names (the same place as above when -savedir isn’t set). Steam Cloud worlds are kept by Steam; in the game, Manage saves can move a world between cloud and local.
Why did my Valheim world reset or turn into a new world?
When Valheim can’t load a world (a damaged file, a missing part, a save cut off by a crash), it makes a new random world with the same name instead, without asking. And on startup it keeps only the newest complete save of each world and deletes the other _main files. So when a world looks wrong, close the game, copy the world folder somewhere safe, then check it here before starting the game again.
How do I restore a Valheim world backup?
Valheim keeps automatic backups in worlds_local, in folders named like MyWorld_backup_auto-20261011-080000. Pick worlds_local above, then press “Restore this backup” on the one you want: you get a .zip with the backup renamed to the world’s name. With the game closed, move the current world folder out of worlds_local and put the restored folder in its place.
What are the _main.17.fwl2, .db2, .chunks and .ok files?
Valheim 1.0 saves each world as a folder. Every save writes a numbered set of four files: .fwl2 (name, seed and settings), .db2 (the world’s objects), .chunks (the list of zone files) and .ok (written last, when the save finished). The .chunk files hold each zone’s terrain and buildings. A set without its .ok was interrupted, and the game falls back to the previous complete set.
How do I move my Valheim world to a dedicated server?
Download a clean copy here: it’s a folder with the world’s name holding exactly the files the server needs. Stop the server, put that folder in worlds_local inside the server’s save folder, and set the server’s -world option to the folder’s name. Older worlds (.fwl and .db) go straight into worlds_local and are converted on the first save.
Is my world uploaded?
No. The World Doctor runs in your browser: it reads the file list and only the small world and index files on your device, and builds downloads there. Your browser may say “upload” when you pick a folder; nothing leaves your computer.
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