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World desk10 min

How to Upload a Custom Map or World to a 7 Days to Die Server

A precise guide to moving a custom 7 Days to Die map and its save to a dedicated server, with Windows and Linux paths, FTP and control-panel steps, serverconfig.xml settings, and troubleshooting.
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To upload a custom map to a 7 Days to Die dedicated server, stop the server, copy the complete world folder into the host’s GeneratedWorlds location (or the host’s documented Data/Worlds location), then set GameWorld in serverconfig.xml to the folder name exactly. If you are continuing an existing game, upload the matching save folder and set GameName to that save name. Restart the server only after all files and settings are in place.

The important distinction is that a generation map contains terrain and world-generation data, while a save contains the explored, built and damaged chunks. Uploading only one of them can produce a fresh world, a default map, or a server that fails to start. The exact directory is host- and version-dependent, so use the control panel’s documented data path when it differs from the standard paths below.

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What you need before uploading

Prepare the files locally and identify which outcome you want:

  • A new game on a custom map: upload the complete custom map folder. The server will create a new save on that map when it starts.
  • An existing single-player or server game: upload the custom map folder and the corresponding save folder. This preserves buildings, player locations, containers, quests and other saved chunk data that exists in the save.

Have access to the server’s files through FTP/SFTP or a web-based file manager, permission to edit serverconfig.xml, and a recent backup of the current server data. Keep the server version and the map’s intended game version in mind: the available guides cover multiple releases, and the behavior of a particular build is not guaranteed by the generic procedure.

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Generation map versus saved world

The generation map

A generation map is the terrain and layout data used to create a world. For a custom map, it is normally a folder under GeneratedWorlds. The folder name is the value the server expects in GameWorld.

The saved world

The save is the live game state created on that map. It is stored under a Saves directory and has its own folder name. GameName selects this save and also influences the save name and decoration seed. A map can be present and correctly selected while the server still starts a new game if GameName does not match the uploaded save folder.

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Think of the two as a template and a database: the map supplies the terrain; the save supplies the progress. Upload both when you want to continue an established world.

Find the files on the computer that created the world

Windows

The usual Windows location for generated worlds is:

%APPDATA%7DaysToDieGeneratedWorlds<World Name>

Replace <World Name> with the actual folder name. If you are moving an existing game, locate the matching save under the same 7 Days to Die data area in the Saves directory. Copy the folder itself, not just individual files inside it.

Linux

When the server’s UserDataFolder is not set, a Linux installation commonly uses:

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~/.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds/

The leading dot makes .local hidden in many file managers. Enable hidden files or use a terminal-capable file manager when necessary. The corresponding save data is in the installation’s 7 Days to Die data area under Saves.

Check the folder level before transferring

Open the map folder and verify that it contains the map’s files and subfolders. Avoid creating an extra nesting level such as GeneratedWorldsMyMapMyMap...; in that layout the server sees the wrong directory and cannot match GameWorld. Preserve capitalization, punctuation and spaces in the folder name.

Stop the server and make a backup

  1. Open the host control panel or service manager.
  2. Stop the 7 Days to Die service and wait until its status explicitly reports that it is not running. Do not upload while the process is still writing chunks.
  3. Download or copy the current GeneratedWorlds, Saves and serverconfig.xml files to a safe location. If your host offers a snapshot or backup function, create one before replacing files.

Stopping first prevents a running process from overwriting an upload and gives you a clean rollback point if the new map does not load.

Upload the custom map

FTP or SFTP

  1. Connect to the server with the credentials supplied by your host.
  2. Locate the server’s user-data directory. If the host exposes a UserDataFolder, use that location for generated worlds unless its documentation specifically directs you elsewhere.
  3. Open GeneratedWorlds. Upload the entire custom map folder into it, so the result is conceptually GeneratedWorlds/<World Name>/.
  4. For a continuing game, open the server’s Saves directory and upload the complete save folder as well. Keep its exact folder name; that name will be used for GameName.

Large maps can contain many files. Let the transfer finish and check the client’s failed-transfer list before disconnecting. A partially uploaded folder can look correct at first glance but still fail when the server reads a missing file.

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Web file manager

  1. Open the host’s file manager and switch to its advanced view if the upload control or server data directories are hidden.
  2. Navigate to the location the panel labels for worlds. Some panels place pregenerated maps in a path resembling <Home>/Data/Worlds rather than the server user-data directory.
  3. Upload the compressed archive if the panel supports server-side extraction; otherwise upload the complete folder and verify that extraction did not create an additional parent directory.
  4. Upload the matching save folder into the panel’s Saves directory when preserving progress.

Control panels are not uniform. A panel’s documented world path takes precedence over a generic Windows or Linux path, particularly when the host separates the installation directory from the data directory.

When the host uses Data/Worlds

Some server packages expect pregenerated worlds under the game installation’s DataWorlds directory. This is different from a user-data GeneratedWorlds directory. If the host’s instructions specify Data/Worlds, place the map folder directly there and still use that folder’s exact name in GameWorld. Do not duplicate the same map in multiple locations until you know which path the service reads; duplicate copies make troubleshooting ambiguous.

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Set GameWorld and GameName

Edit the configuration while the server is stopped

Open serverconfig.xml in the host editor or download, edit and re-upload it. The file is read at startup, so changing it while the server is running has no effect until the next restart.

The relevant settings should identify the map folder and, when applicable, the save folder:

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<property name="GameWorld" value="MyCustomMap"/>
<property name="GameName" value="MyExistingSave"/>

Replace MyCustomMap with the custom map folder name and MyExistingSave with the save folder name. The spelling, spaces, punctuation and capitalization must match character for character. On Linux, capitalization is significant.

Choosing values for a new game

If you uploaded only a map and want a fresh game, set GameWorld to the map folder. Choose a new GameName that follows your server’s naming convention. The server should create a new save using that name on the selected map.

Choosing values for an existing game

If you uploaded a save, set GameName to that save directory’s exact name. A mismatch usually causes the server to create a new save rather than open the one you transferred. Do not rename the save folder after setting the value unless you update the configuration at the same time.

Understand settings that do not select a custom map

WorldGenSeed and WorldGenSize

WorldGenSeed and WorldGenSize apply when the server generates a new random world. They do not replace a custom map folder and do not convert an existing save to a different map. Leave them configured according to your random-world plan; they are not the fix for a custom-map selection problem.

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UserDataFolder

This setting controls where generated data is stored when the server honors it. Reports differ between builds about whether generated worlds always follow UserDataFolder. If the map is in the documented directory but the server behaves as though it is absent, verify the actual path used by the service rather than assuming this setting relocated every generated-world file.

Some operators work around a path mismatch by starting the server with a separate configuration file using the -configfile launch argument. This is a host-level workaround: use it only when you can confirm which configuration the service is actually loading and can edit the service’s startup parameters.

Restart and verify the result

  1. Save serverconfig.xml and confirm that it remains valid XML with no accidental characters, duplicate property lines or stray spaces inside a value.
  2. Start the server and watch the startup log or console rather than relying only on the control panel’s green status indicator.
  3. Connect with a client and check that the terrain, towns and landmarks correspond to the custom map.
  4. For a transferred save, check a known base, player position, chest or other structure. Its presence confirms that the server opened the intended save rather than creating a new one.
  5. Record the working map path, GameWorld, GameName and host-specific instructions for future updates.

A successful connection alone is not proof that the right world loaded: a server can start normally on Navezgane, a random world or a newly created save. Verify a distinctive map feature and, when applicable, an existing build.

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Troubleshoot a server that loads Navezgane or another default

Check the path first

The most common cause is a folder in the wrong directory. Compare the actual upload location with the host’s documented GeneratedWorlds or Data/Worlds path. If the host separates installation files from user data, putting the map beside the executable may not be enough.

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Check the folder name and nesting

Copy the map directory name directly from the file manager and paste it into GameWorld. Look for capitalization differences, an omitted space, a trailing space, a renamed archive folder or an extra parent directory created during extraction.

Check which configuration is loaded

Some services maintain more than one configuration file. Confirm that the panel’s startup command points to the file you edited. If it launches with -configfile, edit that referenced file or change the argument deliberately; editing an unused copy will not change the server.

Check save selection

If the terrain is correct but your buildings or player progress are missing, the map likely loaded while GameName points to a new or differently named save. Stop the server, compare the uploaded save folder name with the configuration value, and correct the mismatch before starting again.

Troubleshoot a server that fails to start

Validate serverconfig.xml

Misspellings, added characters, malformed XML and stray spaces can prevent startup. Revert to the backup configuration, then reapply only the GameWorld and GameName changes. Keep each property in the same XML format used by the original file.

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Check for an incomplete upload

Compare the local and remote map folders and re-upload any failed files. If the host extracts an archive, confirm that extraction completed and that the map files are directly inside the expected folder.

Check compatibility and permissions

A map made for a different game build may not load correctly in the installed server version. Also verify that the service account can read the map and save directories. Host support or the installed build’s documentation is the final authority when logs indicate an incompatibility that the file layout cannot explain.

Use a safe replacement and rollback process

  1. Stop the server and retain the original map, save and configuration backups instead of deleting them.
  2. Rename the new map folder temporarily if you need to test whether the service is reading the intended directory.
  3. Make one change at a time: first the map path, then the configuration values, then the save transfer. This makes the startup log easier to interpret.
  4. If the server will not start or loads the wrong world, stop it, restore the known-good folders and configuration, and restart.

Never overwrite the only copy of an established save. A custom-map test can be repeated safely when the original Saves directory remains untouched.

Host and operating-system differences at a glance

Situation Likely map location What must match Qualification
Windows local data %APPDATA%7DaysToDieGeneratedWorlds<World Name> GameWorld equals the map folder name The host may use a separate server-data directory.
Linux with no UserDataFolder ~/.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds/ Exact spelling and capitalization Hidden directories may not be shown by default.
Panel with raw FTP/SFTP The provider’s exposed GeneratedWorlds directory Map folder is uploaded intact Stop the service before transfer.
Panel with web file manager Often a panel-specific data path; some use <Home>/Data/Worlds Folder location and GameWorld value Advanced mode may be required to reveal uploads.
Pregenerated world package Sometimes the installation’s DataWorlds Folder name in GameWorld Use the host’s documented path instead of guessing.

Final upload checklist

  • The server is stopped and a backup exists.
  • The complete map folder is in the host’s expected GeneratedWorlds or Data/Worlds location.
  • The folder is not nested one level too deeply.
  • GameWorld exactly matches the map folder, including capitalization.
  • The matching save folder is uploaded when existing progress must be preserved.
  • GameName exactly matches that save folder.
  • serverconfig.xml is valid and is the file the startup command actually reads.
  • The server has been restarted after editing.
  • A distinctive map feature and an existing build have been checked in-game.

What to do when the host’s instructions conflict

Follow the host’s control panel and installed-server documentation over a generic path. Hosting environments can relocate user data, use a custom startup configuration or require a specific Data/Worlds directory. The game version installed on the server also matters, and behavior described by older guides may not apply unchanged. When support asks for details, provide the exact map folder name, the path used, the two configuration values and the relevant startup-log error without deleting the original backup.

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