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How to Upload a World to a Vintage Story Server

Upload an existing Vintage Story single-player world by stopping the server, transferring its .vcdbs file to data/Saves, selecting it with default.vcdbs or SaveFileLocation, and restarting to verify the correct save loads.
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To put a single-player Vintage Story world on a dedicated server, stop the server, copy the world’s .vcdbs file into the server’s data/Saves folder, select that file as the server save, and relaunch. You can either rename it to default.vcdbs or set its exact path with SaveFileLocation in serverconfig.json.

What you need before uploading

This procedure moves an existing local save to a server. It does not create a new world or merge two worlds. Have the following ready:

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  • Access to the server’s file manager, FTP, or SFTP account.
  • Permission to stop and start the server and edit its configuration.
  • A copy of the local world file, with enough storage for the upload.
  • The same Vintage Story version, and the same required mods if the save uses mods.

Server hosts place saves in different installation roots, but the usual relative directory is data/Saves. Examples include /data/Saves and /home/container/data/Saves. Treat the path shown by your host’s file manager as authoritative.

1. Find and back up the local world

Open the Singleplayer save directory

  1. Launch Vintage Story.
  2. Open the Singleplayer menu.
  3. Choose Open Saves Folder. Menu wording can differ between releases, so use the installed version’s equivalent option if the label has changed.
  4. Locate the file for the world you want to move. A save normally appears as <SaveName>.vcdbs.

Copy the .vcdbs file to a separate local backup before transferring it. Work from the copy, not the only original. A large world can take considerable time to upload, and the original is your recovery point if a transfer is interrupted or the server is configured incorrectly.

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Typical local locations

Platform Example save path
Windows C:UsersuserAppDataRoamingVintagestoryDataSavesdefault.vcdbs
Linux Under /home/user/.config/VintagestoryData/Saves/

The account name and exact filename will differ. The in-game folder shortcut is safer than guessing a path.

2. Stop the server before changing files

Use the host panel’s Stop control, or the equivalent server-console command, and wait until the process is fully stopped. Do not replace a save while the server is running: the game may still be writing world data, leaving a partial upload or overwriting your changes when it shuts down.

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If the server currently has a world you might need later, download or copy its entire data/Saves directory before deleting or replacing anything.

3. Upload the .vcdbs file to the server

Browser file manager

For a small save, open the host’s file manager, browse to data/Saves, and use Upload. Wait for the transfer to finish and verify that the complete filename, including the .vcdbs extension, appears in the directory.

FTP or SFTP

For a large save or several files, an FTP/SFTP application such as FileZilla or WinSCP can resume transfers and show clearer error messages. Connect with the credentials supplied by the host, open the server’s data/Saves directory, and transfer the file there. SFTP is preferable when the host offers it because it encrypts the connection.

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Remove or preserve the old server world

If the server has an existing save, decide whether it should remain. Some hosting panels automatically load the old default file. To replace it, stop the server, back up the old save, then remove or move the old file before selecting the new one. If you want to keep multiple worlds on the server, leave their files in place and use the configuration method below to select one explicitly.

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4. Tell the server which world to load

There are two valid ways to select the uploaded file. Choose one method; do not rename the file and edit the configuration unnecessarily.

Method What you do Advantages Risks and requirements
Rename to default.vcdbs Rename the uploaded file in data/Saves. No configuration edit; useful when the host expects the default filename. An existing default.vcdbs must be moved or deleted after backing it up. The filename must be exact.
Edit SaveFileLocation Keep the original filename and point serverconfig.json to it. Preserves the save name and makes the selected world explicit. Requires an exact path, correct JSON syntax, and a server restart.

Option A: rename the save

  1. In data/Saves, move the existing default.vcdbs somewhere safe if one is present.
  2. Rename the uploaded file to exactly default.vcdbs, using lowercase letters and the .vcdbs extension.
  3. Check that the directory contains the intended file and that the name has not become default.vcdbs.vcdbs because the file manager hid extensions.
  4. Start the server and watch the startup log for the world-loading message.

This approach is simple, but every world you load through the host’s default setting must use that same filename.

Option B: edit SaveFileLocation

Open serverconfig.json in the server’s data directory and find the WorldConfig section. Change the save location from the default value to the uploaded filename. The official configuration example changes:

"SaveFileLocation": "./data/Saves/default.vcdbs"

to a value such as:

"SaveFileLocation": "./data/Saves/YourWorldNameHere.vcdbs"

Use the actual filename, including capitalization and the extension. Keep the surrounding JSON quotation marks and commas intact. A missing extension, an extra character, or invalid JSON can prevent the server from starting.

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Where to find serverconfig.json

Operating system Default location described by the server documentation
Windows %appdata%/VintageStoryData/serverconfig.json
Linux /var/vintagestory/data/serverconfig.json

Linux installations can use a different data directory when the install script specifies one. Confirm the active datapath in the installation rather than editing an unrelated copy of the file. A hosted server may expose the same file through its panel instead of these operating-system paths.

5. Restart and verify the correct world

Save the configuration, close the editor, and relaunch the server. Configuration changes do not take effect until the server is relaunched. Join the server and verify several recognizable details from the original save:

  • The spawn area, builds, chests, and terrain are present.
  • Player inventories and claimed areas match the local world.
  • The expected world name and seed-related settings appear in the server information.
  • Other players can connect without being prompted to create a new world.

Use the server log as an additional check. If it loads a fresh world, stop it before doing anything else; continuing to play can create new data and make the old save harder to identify.

Why the server can load the wrong world

The filename does not match

Check for spelling, capitalization, spaces, and duplicate extensions. The value in SaveFileLocation must match the file in data/Saves character for character.

The path is relative to a different data directory

./data/Saves/World.vcdbs is interpreted from the server’s data context. If the file manager shows several data directories, place the save beside the directory used by the running server and confirm the active datapath.

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An old default file is still selected

If you used the rename method, move every unintended default.vcdbs out of the Saves directory, then leave only the intended file under that name. If you used configuration, inspect SaveFileLocation and make sure it no longer points to the old default.

The upload is incomplete

Compare the local and remote file sizes, and retry with an FTP/SFTP client if the browser upload timed out. Do not delete your local backup until the server has loaded the world successfully.

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The server will not start after editing JSON

Restore the last backup of serverconfig.json, then reapply only the SaveFileLocation change. Check quotation marks, commas, and the filename extension. A JSON syntax error is different from a missing-world error: fix syntax first, then verify the path.

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Mods and compatibility

A save may depend on mods that are not part of the world file itself. Install the same mod files in the server’s Mods folder before joining. Use server-compatible versions and follow each mod’s dependency requirements. If the client has a mod that the server lacks, the world may fail to load correctly or players may be unable to connect.

Keep the game and mod versions aligned between the computer that created the save and the server. The configuration documentation cited for this procedure was checked against Vintage Story 1.22.0; labels and keys can change in later releases, so confirm the installed version’s menus and configuration names.

World settings: what can and cannot be changed in the file

Values in serverconfig.json that control world generation apply before a world is created. Changing those settings after uploading an existing world does not regenerate its terrain or retroactively alter the save.

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For an already-created world, use in-game world-configuration commands when you have the required permissions:

  • /worldconfig name value changes an applicable setting in the existing world.
  • /worldconfigcreate datatype name value creates a world-configuration value with the specified data type.

These commands affect only settings supported by the game and your permission level. They are not a substitute for editing SaveFileLocation; that key only selects which save the server opens.

A safe migration checklist

  1. Close the game or at least stop making changes to the local world.
  2. Use Singleplayer → Open Saves Folder and copy the intended .vcdbs file.
  3. Back up the local file and any existing server save.
  4. Stop the server completely.
  5. Upload the file to the server’s active data/Saves directory.
  6. Either rename it to default.vcdbs or set WorldConfig.SaveFileLocation to its exact path.
  7. Install the world’s required mods in the server’s Mods folder.
  8. Start the server and wait for startup to finish.
  9. Join and verify builds, inventories, terrain, and claims before deleting backups.

Moving the world back to single-player

The migration is reversible: download the server’s active .vcdbs file after stopping the server, then place it in the local Vintage Story Saves folder. Keep separate copies if both the server and local game have been played, because they represent different points in time. A file downloaded while the server is running may be incomplete, so always stop the server first.

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