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World desk9 min

How to Download Your Terraria Server World

Stop the server, find its Worlds folder, and download the right files: one .wld for vanilla Terraria, or the matching .wld and .twld pair for tModLoader. This guide covers hosting panels, SFTP, local paths, Docker, verification, upload, and troubleshooting.

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Stop the server, open its file manager or SFTP connection, and download the world from the server’s Worlds directory. A vanilla Terraria world is one .wld file. A tModLoader world requires that .wld file plus its matching .twld sidecar; keep both files together. Save the downloaded copy before replacing or uploading anything.

What you need to download

The correct files depend on the software that created the world:

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Server type Files to copy Why
Vanilla Terraria One .wld file The world data is stored in the world file.
tModLoader The matching .wld and .twld files The .twld sidecar stores modded world data. Omitting it can remove or break mod-related content.

Download the files while the server is stopped. A running server can still be writing changes when you copy the file, leaving you with an incomplete or inconsistent backup.

Download a world from a hosting panel

Panel names differ, but the process is the same whether your provider calls the tool File Manager, Files, or File Browser. Do not assume the world is in the panel’s top-level directory: hosted Terraria installations commonly use a nested Worlds folder.

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  1. Stop the server. Use the panel’s Stop button and wait until the status changes to stopped or offline. Do not use a forced kill unless the normal stop action fails.
  2. Open the files view. Choose File Manager, or note the SFTP host, port, username, and password/key shown by the panel if you will use an SFTP client.
  3. Find the world directory. Look for a folder named Worlds or worlds. Depending on the panel, it may be under saves/Worlds, saves/worlds, or tml/saves/worlds.
  4. Identify the right world. Match the filename shown in the server configuration or startup command. The extension must be .wld. For tModLoader, look for a .twld file with exactly the same base name.
  5. Download the file or files. Select the vanilla .wld, or select both matching files for tModLoader. If the panel offers an archive download, verify that the archive contains the files before deleting it.
  6. Store the backup safely. Put the files in a dated folder and keep the original names. A useful convention is MyWorld-2026-10-14.wld and, for tModLoader, MyWorld-2026-10-14.twld. Renaming the base name is safe only when both tModLoader files are renamed identically.

Some panels display several worlds, including old automatic backups. Check the modification time and filename before downloading. If the panel has a server console, stop it first rather than relying on a file manager that merely hides active files.

Download over SFTP

SFTP is useful when the panel’s browser cannot download large files or multiple files reliably. Use an SFTP-capable client, not an ordinary FTP connection, and use the credentials supplied by your host.

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  1. Stop the Terraria or tModLoader service in the hosting panel.
  2. Open your SFTP client and enter the host address, SFTP port, username, and password or private key from the panel. The default SSH port is often 22, but use the port your provider specifies.
  3. Browse the remote filesystem until you reach the server’s world folder. Common layouts include saves/Worlds, saves/worlds, and tml/saves/worlds.
  4. Download the vanilla .wld file, or both the matching .wld and .twld files for tModLoader, into a local backup folder.
  5. Check that the local transfer completed and that the filenames and extensions were not changed by the client. Leave the remote files untouched until you have opened or otherwise validated the backup.

Do not confuse SFTP with a web URL shown in a control panel. SFTP transfers files through the account’s secure file service; the correct connection details and remote root are provider-specific.

Where Terraria world files are stored on a local computer

If you are downloading from a server running on your own computer, use the operating-system path for the account that runs Terraria or the dedicated server.

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System or installation Default world location Notes
Windows Terraria Documents/My Games/Terraria/Worlds This is the normal per-user folder. “Documents” may be redirected by Windows, OneDrive, or an administrator.
Linux dedicated server account /home/terraria/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/ Use this when the dedicated server runs under a user named terraria.
Linux regular user ~/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds The tilde means that user’s home directory.
Docker tModLoader /tModLoader/Worlds/ The world filename follows the directory, for example /tModLoader/Worlds/your_world.wld.
macOS ~/Library/Application Support/Terraria/Worlds This path is reported by one community source and has not been independently confirmed here; verify it on the machine running the game.

Windows: copy a vanilla world

  1. Close the game and stop any dedicated server process that is using the world.
  2. Open File Explorer and paste %USERPROFILE%DocumentsMy GamesTerrariaWorlds into the address bar. If your Documents folder is redirected, browse to the actual My Games folder instead.
  3. Copy the required .wld file to a separate backup directory. Do not move it until you have confirmed the copy.

The file may appear as a generic document if Windows hides extensions. Enable View → Show → File name extensions so you can confirm that the name ends in .wld rather than accidentally copying a similarly named text or archive file.

Linux: copy from a dedicated server

Stop the process first, then run commands as the account that owns the server files. The following examples copy a world into a backup directory in the same user’s home folder:

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mkdir -p ~/terraria-world-backup
cp /home/terraria/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/MyWorld.wld ~/terraria-world-backup/

If the server runs as your normal account, use the home-directory path instead:

mkdir -p ~/terraria-world-backup
cp ~/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/MyWorld.wld ~/terraria-world-backup/

For a tModLoader world, copy the sidecar too:

cp /home/terraria/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/MyWorld.twld ~/terraria-world-backup/

Replace MyWorld with the actual base filename. If you receive “permission denied,” do not blindly change permissions; switch to the account that owns the server or use the host’s documented administrative method.

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Docker tModLoader: locate the mounted world

Inside a Docker-based tModLoader installation, the documented world path is /tModLoader/Worlds/. Stop the container or the server process before copying. In a container-management panel, download from the container’s file browser; with a command-line workflow, copy the files from the container to a host directory using the container name supplied by your deployment. The exact container name and volume mapping are installation-specific, so verify where /tModLoader/Worlds/ is persisted before removing or recreating a container.

tModLoader: why the .twld file matters

tModLoader stores the ordinary Terraria world in WorldName.wld and additional modded information in WorldName.twld. The two files must have the same base name and remain in the same Worlds directory. Downloading only the .wld gives you the vanilla portion, not a complete modded-world backup.

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  • Copy both files before changing the mod list or tModLoader version.
  • Keep a note of the mod collection and versions used to create the backup. A world may fail to load correctly when required mods are missing or incompatible, even when the files transferred correctly.
  • When archiving, place the pair in one folder or ZIP archive so the sidecar cannot be separated accidentally.
  • If you rename the world, apply the same new base name to both files. For example, rename Adventure.wld to Adventure-copy.wld and Adventure.twld to Adventure-copy.twld.

How to verify a downloaded backup

Verification is worthwhile before you overwrite the server or delete the remote copy.

  1. Confirm that a vanilla backup has a .wld extension and that a tModLoader backup has both extensions.
  2. Compare the file’s modified time with the last session you want to preserve. A very old timestamp may indicate that you found an automatic backup rather than the live world.
  3. Keep the files together and make a second copy on another disk or storage account.
  4. For a practical test, place a copy in the appropriate local Worlds folder and check whether the world appears in the game’s world list. Test tModLoader files with the same required mods enabled; do not open the only backup and then overwrite it.

A world that does not appear may have been copied to the wrong folder, may have an extra extension such as .wld.zip, or may require its .twld sidecar and matching mods.

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Upload the world to another Terraria server

The reverse operation uses the same file rules. Upload only while the destination server is stopped.

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  1. Stop the destination server and make a backup of any existing world with the same name.
  2. Open its File Manager or SFTP connection and locate the destination Worlds directory. Follow the folder layout shown by that installation rather than assuming another host uses the same path.
  3. Upload the .wld file. For tModLoader, upload the matching .twld beside it.
  4. Set the world filename in the server’s configuration or startup setting, if required by the panel. Use the exact base name and extension expected by that server.
  5. Start the server and inspect the console for file, permission, or missing-mod errors. If the world is not listed, stop the server and recheck the path, names, and tModLoader sidecar before trying again.

Never overwrite the only copy of an existing world. Keep the old files in a dated backup folder until the replacement has loaded and you have confirmed that players, builds, and inventories are present.

Troubleshooting common download problems

The Worlds folder is not where expected

Search one level above and below the server’s executable or data directory for a folder named Worlds or worlds. Hosted panels frequently place it under saves or a tModLoader-specific tml/saves path. The startup configuration may also show the world’s full path or filename. Do not create a second empty Worlds folder until you have checked the existing save structure.

The panel shows no downloadable files

Make sure the server is fully stopped and that you are viewing the server’s persistent files rather than a temporary console or log directory. Refresh the file manager, check hidden-file display, and try SFTP if the browser view is incomplete. Ask the provider for the persistent-data root when a containerized server has been recreated.

The world is missing in game

Check the extension, spelling, and destination folder. On tModLoader, confirm that the .twld file has the same base name and that the required mods are installed and enabled. A file named MyWorld.wld.wld is usually the result of manually adding an extension while Windows was hiding the original one.

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The downloaded file is suspiciously small or will not transfer

Repeat the download with the server stopped. Use SFTP or an archive if the panel times out on individual files, and compare the local file size with the remote listing. Do not replace the server copy with a partial transfer.

The server reports a permission error after upload

Use the account and ownership model expected by the host. On Linux, a file uploaded by the wrong user may be unreadable by the dedicated-server account. Correct ownership through the provider’s documented control panel or ask support; avoid broad permission changes that expose other server files.

A modded world loads but content is absent

Confirm that both files were downloaded and uploaded, that their base names match exactly, and that the same mod set is available. The .wld alone cannot supply data stored in the .twld sidecar.

Backup practices that prevent accidental loss

  • Stop the server before every manual copy, replacement, or rename.
  • Keep at least one untouched original and one working copy. Date folders instead of repeatedly overwriting a single backup.
  • For tModLoader, archive the .wld, .twld, and a text note listing the tModLoader and mod versions.
  • Store a copy away from the server machine or hosting account so a failed update or deleted instance cannot remove every copy.
  • Before uploading a replacement, download the destination world even if you believe it is obsolete.

Community-maintained Terraria documentation is useful for locating files, but hosting-panel layouts and tModLoader paths can change. Treat the path shown by your current installation as authoritative, and verify a backup by loading a copy rather than assuming a completed transfer is usable.

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Quick checklist

  • Server stopped completely.
  • Correct Worlds directory located.
  • Vanilla: the intended .wld downloaded.
  • tModLoader: matching .wld and .twld downloaded together.
  • Filename, extension, and modified time checked.
  • Backup stored separately before any overwrite.

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