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To restore an ARK: Survival Evolved server, stop the server, preserve the current ShooterGame/Saved directory, replace it with a complete backup set, then restart and verify player, tribe, structure, creature, and inventory data. A dedicated server’s map files normally live in ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks, but the map file is only one part of a working world. Restoring only a .ark file can leave ownership and character data out of sync.
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The safest method is reversible: force a final save, shut down cleanly, make a dated copy on separate storage, restore the selected backup while the server is offline, and keep the safety copy until players have confirmed that the world is stable.
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The live dedicated-server data is under ShooterGame/Saved. The world map itself is normally in ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks, alongside files that record player profiles, tribes, structures, creatures, settings, and other state. A provider backup may present this same structure in a timestamped folder or a ZIP archive.
A rollback changes every item recorded at the selected time. If the map is restored without its companion files, the terrain may appear correct while characters lose progress, tribes no longer own structures, or tamed creatures and inventories are missing. Treat a backup as a set: keep the map and related files from the same timestamp.
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What you need before starting
- Administrative access to the machine or hosting panel.
- A backup containing the desired world state.
- Enough free storage for a complete copy of the current
ShooterGame/Saveddirectory. - A maintenance window long enough to stop, copy, restore, start, and inspect the server.
- The correct server build and, for official-server snapshots, the required launch arguments described below.
Choose the restore route
Your access determines the workflow. Direct filesystem access gives precise control over every file. A managed host may offer a one-click restore, a file manager, FTP, or all three. The important questions are whether the method restores the full save set, preserves player and tribe identity, lets you download the pre-restore state, and supports the save format and game build you are using.
| Route | Access | Typical scope | Main advantage | Check before restoring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-managed server | Local filesystem or remote shell | Entire ShooterGame/Saved directory or a selected backup set |
Full control over files and launch parameters | Correct installation path, permissions, and compatible build |
| Host control panel | Provider dashboard | Provider-defined snapshot or archive | Fast restore without manual extraction | Retention period, restore scope, and whether the current state is preserved |
| Host file manager or FTP | Web file manager or FTP client | ZIP or timestamped directory | Lets you inspect and select files | Upload limits, extraction support, directory ownership, and downtime requirements |
Safe restore procedure for a self-managed dedicated server
1. Announce downtime and force a final save
Tell players when the server will be unavailable and record the target rollback time in UTC or your local timezone. If players are online, use the documented save-world console command for your server configuration to force current changes to disk before shutting down. ARK normally writes world data automatically every 15 minutes, but that interval is not a substitute for a final controlled save.
After the save command completes, stop the server cleanly through its normal service, script, or console method. Do not copy files while the process is still writing them; an in-progress copy can contain mismatched or incomplete files.
2. Preserve the live state outside the active folder
Rename or copy the entire live ShooterGame/Saved directory to separate storage, such as another internal disk, an external SSD, or a secured remote backup location. Give it an unambiguous name such as Saved-pre-restore-2026-10-18-UTC. The copy must include all subdirectories and files, not just SavedArks.
Do not delete this safety copy when the restore finishes. It is your recovery point if the selected backup is damaged, uses a different format, or restores the map without expected ownership data.
3. Identify the correct backup set
List the available snapshots by timestamp and select one that predates the problem but is late enough to retain the progress you want. Check whether the backup is a complete ShooterGame/Saved tree or only an archive of SavedArks. If the provider labels a backup by creation time, remember that the world may have been saved up to 15 minutes earlier or later than a player’s recollection.
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Keep all files generated at that timestamp together. In particular, do not combine a map from one backup with tribe or player files from another unless you have a documented reason and a separate test copy. A mixed set can produce apparently missing ownership or characters.
4. Stop services that can rewrite the save
Confirm that the ARK process, scheduler, container, and any automatic update task are stopped. On a Linux host, verify the service or screen/tmux session has exited; on Windows, verify the server process is no longer running. Disable an automatic restart temporarily if it could launch the server while files are being replaced.
5. Replace the active save directory
Extract the selected archive, or copy its files, into the server’s expected save location. Preserve the directory structure and the map filename used by your server. For a normal dedicated server, that means the restored map and companion data must end up below ShooterGame/Saved, with map files in ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks when the backup uses the standard layout.
Keep the pre-restore directory separate rather than overwriting it. If the archive contains an extra top-level folder, such as BackupName/ShooterGame/Saved, copy the contents of the inner Saved directory into the active location; otherwise the server may start with an empty world because it is looking one level higher or lower.
6. Check ownership and permissions
Make sure the account that runs the ARK server can read and write the restored files. A copy performed as an administrator or root user can leave files owned by the wrong account. Match the permissions and ownership of the preserved pre-restore directory where practical, and ensure the disk has free space for new saves.
7. Apply flags only for official-server snapshot archives
Official-server snapshot archives use a special format. For the documented official snapshots, extract the archive into <ARK installation path>ShooterGameSavedSavedArks and append -newsaveformat to the server command line. Add -usestore as well for every non-LEGACY official save.
The ARK Official Community Wiki describes these two arguments as mandatory for the applicable official-save cases. Do not add them blindly to an ordinary local dedicated-server backup or a host-generated archive; first establish that the files are an official snapshot and that your server build supports the format. The page documents snapshots dated August 25, 2023, and September 30, 2023, so those dates identify the examples on that page, not a promise that every later archive uses identical requirements.
8. Start the server and verify the restored world
Start the server with its normal map and configuration. Allow it to finish loading before anyone makes changes. Join with an administrator account and inspect the following in order:
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- Your test character’s level, engrams, position, inventory, and equipped items.
- Tribe membership, tribe log, ranks, and ownership of a nearby structure.
- Several storage containers, crafting stations, beds, and defensive structures.
- Tamed creatures, their locations, inventories, health, and ownership.
- Recent events that should or should not exist at the selected rollback time.
- Server logs for load errors, missing files, permission failures, or conversion warnings.
Ask at least one ordinary player and, if possible, a member of another tribe to verify access. If a character, tribe, or structure is missing, stop the server before it saves over the restored set. Rename the failed restore for investigation, put the preserved pre-restore copy back, and try a different backup or the provider’s alternate restore method.
Restoring an official-server snapshot
An official snapshot is not interchangeable with a normal dedicated-server backup. The documented workflow places the extracted files under ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks and requires -newsaveformat. Non-LEGACY snapshots also require -usestore. Both arguments belong on the server launch command, not in a world file.
Before launching, confirm which snapshot type you have. A LEGACY save does not receive the additional -usestore argument under the documented rule, while a non-LEGACY official save does. If the server fails to load after adding flags, stop it, check the archive’s documentation and directory level, and compare the server build with the snapshot’s intended build instead of repeatedly starting it.
How to restore through a managed host
Control-panel restore
Some providers expose a Restore Backup action. Stop the server from the panel first, select the timestamp, review the scope, and confirm whether the panel will overwrite the current files. If it offers a download, save the current backup locally before confirming. After the panel reports completion, start the server and perform the same character, tribe, structure, creature, and inventory checks as a self-managed restore.
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One provider’s ARK instructions describe backups under ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks; another documents a Restore Backup control and ZIP downloads through its file manager or FTP client. These labels and paths are provider-specific. Retention, automatic-backup frequency, supported game builds, and whether a restore includes the entire Saved directory can change, so read the host’s current instructions or ask support before the maintenance window.
File manager or FTP workflow
- Stop the server in the host panel.
- Download the current
ShooterGame/Saveddirectory, if the host permits it, and keep the download outside the server account. - Upload the selected ZIP or timestamped backup.
- Extract it so the active path contains
ShooterGame/Savedand the expectedSavedArkssubdirectory, rather than an accidental nested folder. - Remove or move only the active files being replaced; never remove the preserved download.
- Check file ownership or panel permissions, restart, and verify the world.
FTP transfers can fail silently on large archives or individual files. Compare the archive size and extraction results with the provider’s reported values, and inspect the server log after startup.
Automatic backups and character-transfer protection
The official-server documentation describes two useful launch settings. -BackupTransferPlayerDatas creates an extra backup of character-profile data when a character is transferred. It also documents -MaxNumOfSaveBackups=<integer>; the default maximum is 20, and those automatic save backups are created every two hours.
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These settings are safeguards, not a replacement for an independently stored copy. A rolling set can eventually discard the timestamp you need, and a backup stored on the same disk is vulnerable to disk failure or accidental deletion. If you change the maximum, verify that the command line is actually used by the service or container that starts the server.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting a failed or incomplete restore
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Server starts on a new or empty map | Files were copied into the wrong directory level, or the map filename does not match the launch configuration | Stop the server, inspect the path below ShooterGame/Saved, remove the accidental nested folder, and restore the expected map filename. |
| Map is correct but characters or tribes are absent | Only the .ark map was restored, or companion files came from another timestamp |
Restore the complete backup set, including player and tribe data, then test with accounts from more than one tribe. |
| Official snapshot refuses to load | Required format flags are missing, the wrong flags were used, or the archive is incompatible with the server build | Confirm LEGACY versus non-LEGACY status; use -newsaveformat and, when required, -usestore; verify the documented build and path. |
| Restore appears successful but files revert after restart | An automatic restart, scheduled backup, or second server instance wrote over the restored directory | Stop every related process and scheduler, restore again, then start only the intended service. |
| Players report missing recent items | The selected timestamp predates those changes, or the automatic save had not run | Choose a later backup if it predates the incident, or explain that changes after the snapshot cannot be recovered from that set. |
| Server logs show access or write errors | Restored files belong to a different operating-system account or the disk is full | Match ownership and permissions to the server process and free sufficient disk space before retrying. |
When to keep or discard the pre-restore copy
Keep the safety copy until the server has run normally through a meaningful play period and multiple players have confirmed their data. During that period, avoid making irreversible cleanup changes to the backup. Once the restored world is accepted, retain at least one independent backup according to your normal rotation rather than deleting every older copy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I restore only the map file?
Only if you intentionally want the map without its associated ownership and character state. For a normal rollback, restore the map together with the player, tribe, creature, structure, and other files supplied in the same backup.
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- Raised, textured surface gives the design real depth instead of a flat printed look
- Made in Japan - the pin back attaches securely and sits flat without dragging the fabric down
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Where is the ARK server save folder on Windows or Linux?
The platform-independent location is the server installation’s ShooterGame/Saved directory. Dedicated-server map saves are normally in its SavedArks subdirectory. The absolute prefix differs by installation method and host.
How far back can I roll back?
Only as far as your retained backup sets allow. The documented automatic-save setting defaults to 20 backups at two-hour intervals, while the normal world-save interval is 15 minutes; neither guarantees a particular historical point if older files have been rotated out.
What should I do if the host’s Restore Backup button has no timestamp I need?
Ask the provider whether older archives exist, check downloadable ZIPs or FTP storage, and preserve the current state before trying any alternative. If no backup contains the desired time, the missing progress cannot be reconstructed from the restore function alone.
Should I use official-snapshot flags for every ARK backup?
No. -newsaveformat, plus -usestore for non-LEGACY saves, applies to the documented official-server snapshot format. Ordinary dedicated-server and provider backups should use the launch configuration appropriate to their own format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I restore only the map file?
Only if you intentionally want the map without its associated ownership and character state. For a normal rollback, restore the map together with the player, tribe, creature, structure, and other files supplied in the same backup.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhere is the ARK server save folder on Windows or Linux?
The platform-independent location is the server installation’s ShooterGame/Saved directory. Dedicated-server map saves are normally in its SavedArks subdirectory. The absolute prefix differs by installation method and host.
How far back can I roll back?
Only as far as your retained backup sets allow. The documented automatic-save setting defaults to 20 backups at two-hour intervals, while the normal world-save interval is 15 minutes; neither guarantees a particular historical point if older files have been rotated out.
What should I do if the host’s Restore Backup button has no timestamp I need?
Ask the provider whether older archives exist, check downloadable ZIPs or FTP storage, and preserve the current state before trying any alternative. If no backup contains the desired time, the missing progress cannot be reconstructed from the restore function alone.
Should I use official-snapshot flags for every ARK backup?
No. -newsaveformat, plus -usestore for non-LEGACY saves, applies to the documented official-server snapshot format. Ordinary dedicated-server and provider backups should use the launch configuration appropriate to their own format.
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