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This protects the whole world, including every .sav file, instead of relying on autosaves, the local SaveGames_backup folder, or cloud synchronization. Those features can help with limited mistakes, but none is an independent disaster-recovery copy.
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What you need to back up
The backup unit is the dedicated server’s entire server directory. Copy the directory itself and everything inside it, including all .sav files. Do not copy only the newest-looking file, the game installation directory, or a server-settings file by itself.
The account that launches the dedicated server determines where this directory lives. A server started interactively under your account can use a different profile from a service started under systemprofile or NetworkService. Backing up the wrong profile can produce a perfectly valid copy of the wrong, empty, or outdated world.
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Coffee Stain Games’ support guidance gives the general Windows save root as %LOCALAPPDATA%FactoryGameSavedSaveGames and recommends copying saves to another location regularly, especially when cloud saves are involved. The dedicated-server documentation identifies the server subdirectory as the location used by the server.
Find the dedicated-server save directory
Linux
For a Linux installation running under a normal user account, the documented location is:
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Windows user installation
For a server run by a normal Windows user, use:
%LocalAppData%FactoryGameSavedSaveGamesserverIn File Explorer, enter that path in the address bar. In PowerShell, the equivalent is:
Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'FactoryGameSavedSaveGamesserver'Windows services and NSSM
A Windows service can run under a built-in account rather than your logged-in account. The official server guide documents corresponding paths under the service account’s profile, including systemprofile and NetworkService. Identify the account configured for the service, then use that account’s profile path and its FactoryGameSavedSaveGamesserver subdirectory. Checking only your own %LOCALAPPDATA% is a common reason a backup appears to contain no saves.
Confirm that you found the live world
- Stop the server and note the time of its last successful shutdown.
- Check that the directory contains one or more
.savfiles and that their modified times match recent play. - If several profiles contain a
serverdirectory, compare file dates and sizes while the server is stopped; do not guess based on the installation directory. - Keep the path and service account in your backup notes so a future restore does not target the wrong profile.
Prepare a consistent backup
Files can change while players are connected or while the server is flushing a save. Copying during that activity can capture an inconsistent set of files. A clean shutdown is therefore part of the backup, not an optional convenience.
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- Tell connected players that maintenance is starting and stop new connections.
- Use the server’s normal administrative shutdown method or stop its service cleanly. Wait until the process has exited rather than terminating it forcibly.
- Verify that no dedicated-server process is still writing to the save directory.
- Record the server name, platform, game branch, and date in your backup log. These labels make it easier to select a compatible generation later.
If you cannot stop the server immediately, schedule a maintenance window. Do not treat a live recursive copy as equivalent to a quiesced backup.
Make a manual backup
Linux: archive the complete directory
After stopping the server, run the command as the account that owns the save directory. The example creates a compressed, dated archive outside the live save path:
mkdir -p /srv/satisfactory-backups
stamp=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H-%M-%SZ)
tar -C "$HOME/.config/Epic/FactoryGame/Saved/SaveGames"
-czf "/srv/satisfactory-backups/satisfactory-server-$stamp.tar.gz" serverThe archive contains the directory named server, not just its contents. Store /srv/satisfactory-backups on a different disk, mounted backup volume, external drive, or separate backup host; placing it beside the live files does not protect against loss of that disk.
Windows: copy the directory with PowerShell
With the server stopped, create a dated destination and copy recursively:
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match$source = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'FactoryGameSavedSaveGamesserver'
$stamp = Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm-ss'
$destination = "D:SatisfactoryBackupsserver-$stamp"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $destination | Out-Null
Copy-Item -Path $source -Destination $destination -Recurse -ForceReplace D:SatisfactoryBackups with an external drive, a backup volume, or a path on another host. If the service uses systemprofile or NetworkService, run the copy with permission to read that account’s directory and set $source to the service account’s documented path.
File Explorer method
- Open the correct
...SavedSaveGamesprofile and select theserverfolder. - Copy the entire folder, not individual saves.
- Open a destination that is not inside the live
SaveGamestree. - Paste the folder and rename the copy with a UTC date, server name, and optional maintenance note.
- Open the copied folder and confirm that its contents are present before restarting the server.
Choose where to store copies
The destination should remain usable if the live server disk fails or the server directory is accidentally overwritten. Keep at least one copy physically or logically separate from the machine running the game. An external hard drive or SSD is a straightforward destination; a separate backup host provides additional isolation.
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Use several dated generations rather than continually replacing one file. The official material does not prescribe a retention interval or number of generations, so choose a policy that matches how much progress your community can afford to lose. For example, you might retain recent daily copies, older weekly copies, and a monthly milestone copy; that is an operational policy, not a game requirement.
Periodically perform a restore rehearsal on a disposable directory or maintenance instance. A copy that has never been opened during recovery has not demonstrated that the destination, permissions, and labeling are usable.
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Backup approaches compared
| Approach | Accidental-overwrite recovery | Protection from disk loss | Automation | Recovery speed | Isolation from live server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SaveGames_backup created by an overwrite |
Good for the specific overwritten save | Poor; it is on the same storage | Automatic when the documented overwrite condition occurs | Fast if the file is intact | None |
| External drive copy | Good when multiple dated copies are kept | Good while the drive is disconnected or otherwise separate | Manual or scriptable | Usually fast for a local copy | High when offline |
| Separate backup host | Good with generation history | Good if the host and live server fail independently | Highly scriptable | Depends on the network and storage | High |
| Cloud synchronization | Convenient, but conflicts can complicate selection | Potentially good, subject to the provider’s versioning and outage behavior | Automatic | Depends on download availability | Varies; synchronized errors can propagate |
Cloud synchronization is useful as an additional copy, not as your only plan. Conflicts can appear when changing stable or experimental versions, moving saves between platforms, or continuing on another machine. Keep a separately controlled copy even when synchronization is enabled.
Understand autosaves and the local overwrite backup
SaveGames_backup
The save-file documentation says that when one save overwrites another, the previous file is placed in SaveGames_backup. This is a local safety net for an overwrite. It is not an independent backup: it normally resides on the same disk and can be lost with the live directory.
Autosave interval
The dedicated-server settings include an autosave interval. A shorter interval can reduce the amount of recent progress at risk if the process stops unexpectedly, but every autosave still writes to the server’s own storage. It does not create an off-machine copy.
Auto-Save on Player Disconnect
The “Auto-Save on Player Disconnect” setting can capture progress when a player leaves. Like interval-based autosaves, it limits the gap between writes but does not protect against disk failure, deletion, corruption, or a mistaken restore.
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- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
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An autosave does not create the overwrite backup unless it manually overwrites a save, so the presence of autosaves should not be interpreted as proof that a recoverable generation exists.
Automate without copying a live directory
Automation is useful only if it preserves the clean-shutdown requirement or uses a server-supported quiesce operation before copying. A scheduler that blindly reads files while the server is writing can produce an unreliable backup.
Safe automation sequence
- Announce a short maintenance window or use the server’s supported administrative stop procedure.
- Wait for the process to exit and verify that the save directory is no longer changing.
- Copy the complete
serverdirectory to a destination outside the live path. - Add a timestamp and retain the generation according to your chosen policy.
- Check that the copy contains the expected files and record any errors.
- Start the server again and confirm that players can connect to the intended world.
If your service manager can stop and start the service, place those actions around the copy job and ensure that a failed copy does not silently delete the previous good generation.
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File-copy restore
- Tell players to leave and stop the dedicated-server process cleanly.
- Make a safety copy of the current live
serverdirectory. Do not discard it until the restored world has been checked. - Choose a dated, known-good generation and verify that it belongs to the same server and compatible game context.
- Move the current directory aside or rename it, then copy the saved
serverdirectory into the exact liveSaveGameslocation. - Preserve the expected directory name and permissions; the server should see
...SaveGamesserver(Windows) or.../SaveGames/server(Linux). - Start the server and inspect the world before allowing normal play. Confirm the expected buildings, player inventories, and recent progress.
- Keep the pre-restore directory until verification is complete, because it is your fallback if the selected generation is wrong or damaged.
Never overwrite the only remaining copy during a restore. Renaming the current directory first gives you a rollback path.
Administrative API download
When the server API is configured, the documentation describes enumerating saves and downloading a named save with SaveName. This can be useful for obtaining a specific generation before a file-copy restore. The downloaded file should still be stored outside the live save path and subjected to the same stop, preserve, replace, and verify sequence.
Troubleshoot common backup failures
The backup folder is empty
You probably inspected the wrong Windows profile. Check which account runs the service, including systemprofile or NetworkService, and inspect that account’s documented save path. On Linux, confirm the service user and its home directory.
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The copy contains no recent progress
Check the modified times and compare them with the last shutdown. If the server was still running, the copy may have started before the latest save completed. Stop the server, wait for the process to exit, and create a new generation.
A restore starts an unexpected world
Stop the server and re-check the directory nesting. The live path must end in the server directory under SaveGames; an extra folder level can leave the intended files invisible. Also verify that the backup label and file dates match the desired server.
Cloud sync reports a conflict
Do not accept a conflict choice blindly. Stop the server, preserve every conflicting copy, and select the file set that matches the intended version and platform. Keep the separately stored backup so a synchronization decision can be reversed.
The server cannot read the restored files
Check file and directory permissions for the service account, confirm that the copy completed without errors, and make sure the service is running under the account whose profile contains the restored directory. If necessary, restore the pre-restore directory and investigate on a disposable instance.
A practical maintenance checklist
- Identify the account that runs the server.
- Record the correct Linux or Windows
SaveGames/serverpath. - Schedule a clean stop before each backup.
- Copy the complete directory, including every
.savfile. - Store the copy outside the live save path.
- Use dated names with a server or session label.
- Keep multiple generations and at least one isolated copy.
- Do not count
SaveGames_backup, autosaves, or cloud sync as your only disaster-recovery copy. - Test a restore on a disposable copy or maintenance instance.
- During recovery, preserve the current directory before replacing it.
Bottom line
Back up the account-specific SaveGames/server directory after a clean shutdown, place dated generations on storage the server does not use, and retain the current directory whenever you restore. Autosaves and overwrite backups reduce the impact of small mistakes, while an isolated copy is what protects a shared world from a failed disk, a bad synchronization decision, or an accidental replacement.
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