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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driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteTo move an existing Don’t Starve Together world, stop the destination server, copy the source cluster’s cluster.ini plus its complete Master and Caves shard folders into the cluster directory the server actually launches, add server_token.txt, and start every shard with matching -cluster and -shard values. A Day 1 world almost always means the server loaded a different path, cluster name, shard name, or session; stop it and restore your backup before changing anything else.
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What the server must find
A DST dedicated server does not search your computer for the newest save. It loads one named cluster from the persistent-storage path selected at launch. The cluster root must contain cluster.ini; the world data sits in shard directories below it. Klei’s documented layout uses a Master folder for the surface (Forest) shard and a Caves folder for the caves shard.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11The documented default persistent-storage roots are DocumentsKlei on Windows and ~/.klei on Linux. The default configuration directory is DoNotStarveTogether. A launch option can change either location: -persistent_storage_root changes the root, while -conf_dir changes the configuration directory. The server expects the cluster file at:
<persistent_storage_root>/<conf_dir>/<cluster>/cluster.ini
If you copy a world into a folder that is not selected by -cluster, the server will ignore it and create or open another world. Folder names and command-line values are therefore part of the save, not cosmetic labels.
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Before copying anything
Stop both destination processes
Shut down the destination server completely, including both the surface and caves processes if you run separate shard processes. Do not overwrite files while a shard is saving; an active process can rewrite the files you just copied.
Back up the destination cluster
Make a copy of the destination cluster directory before replacing it. Keep the source world untouched as well. Give the backup a clear name and store it outside the directory you plan to launch, so a failed start cannot overwrite your rollback copy.
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Identify the launch configuration
Find the startup command, service definition, or control-panel fields used by the destination. Record the values for -persistent_storage_root, -conf_dir, -cluster, and -shard. If an option is absent, use the documented defaults above. You need this information before choosing a destination folder; otherwise it is easy to copy a valid save into an unused directory.
- Windows default:
DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogether. - Linux default:
~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether. - Cluster root: the directory named by
-clusterinside the selected configuration directory. - Required root file:
cluster.ini. - Shard directories: normally
MasterandCaves, unless your launch commands use different configured names.
Choose the migration path
| Source save | Shard layout | Recommended method | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete cluster directory | Surface only or surface plus caves | Copy the cluster root and its shard folders, then launch the same cluster name | Using a different path or shard name makes the server generate a new world |
| Client-hosted overworld-only save | Surface data without a normal dedicated-server cluster | Convert the save by moving saveindex and the matching session directory into the dedicated server’s generated structure |
Incorrect slot or session_id mapping can produce a fresh world or an unrecognized save |
| Any save with caves | Master plus Caves |
Move both shard directories and start both processes with matching shard names | Starting only the surface shard leaves caves unavailable or causes an inconsistent world |
If you have a complete Cluster_X directory, use the direct-copy procedure. Reserve the manual conversion procedure for an overworld-only client save or a source whose files do not already form a usable cluster.
Directly upload a complete cluster save
1. Locate the source cluster
A complete source has a cluster-level cluster.ini and shard directories beneath it. Client-hosted saves are commonly under the Windows path DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogether; a cluster may appear as a directory such as Cluster_X. On Linux, inspect the corresponding configuration tree under ~/.klei or the alternate locations selected by your source launch settings.
Do not combine files from two worlds. The cluster configuration, shard data, world-generation overrides, mod settings, and session files must describe the same save.
2. Create the destination cluster directory
Under the destination’s selected persistent-storage and configuration roots, create or choose the directory named by your intended -cluster value. For example, if the command will use -cluster MyDediServer, the folder must be named MyDediServer. A differently named folder is not selected by that command.
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3. Copy the cluster file and every shard folder
Copy the source cluster.ini into the destination cluster root. Then copy the complete Master directory and, when the world uses caves, the complete Caves directory. Preserve the names and contents; do not copy only individual files from inside a shard.
The resulting arrangement should conceptually look like this:
<persistent_storage_root>/
└── <conf_dir>/
└── MyDediServer/
├── cluster.ini
├── server_token.txt
├── Master/
└── Caves/The exact additional files vary by world. Retain the source cluster’s server.ini, mod configuration, and world-generation override files when they are present and needed. A cluster root should not contain a mixture of settings from another save.
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Place server_token.txt in the cluster root. Keep the source cluster’s required configuration files alongside cluster.ini. If you intentionally change a setting, make that change after the first successful launch; changing several variables during migration makes a failure harder to diagnose.
5. Check ownership and access
The account running the dedicated server must be able to read the cluster root and write to both shard directories. If the server runs as a service or a separate Linux user, verify access for that account rather than only for your desktop login. Permission errors can look like a missing or newly generated save because the process cannot read the copied data.
Start the surface and caves shards
Klei’s documented command pattern for the surface process is:
dontstarve_dedicated_server_nullrenderer -console -cluster MyClusterName -shard MasterStart the caves process with the same cluster value and a caves shard value:
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dontstarve_dedicated_server_nullrenderer -console -cluster MyClusterName -shard CavesReplace MyClusterName with the exact destination folder name. The -shard value must match the corresponding directory name. If your configured shard directories have different names, use those names consistently in both the filesystem and commands.
Surface-only worlds
If the source is genuinely overworld-only, launch the surface shard and do not invent a caves directory. Keep the structure that the source save actually provides. A missing caves shard is different from a caves world whose folder was copied under the wrong name.
Worlds with caves
Run both shard processes for a multi-shard world. Each process uses the same cluster name, but each selects its own shard. Starting the surface with one cluster name and caves with another creates two unrelated contexts rather than one connected world.
Managed control panels
A managed host normally exposes the same concepts through file management and startup fields: persistent-storage location, configuration directory, cluster name, and shard name. Upload into the cluster selected by those fields, not merely into a directory visible in the file browser. If the panel hides the command line, confirm which folder and shard each startup profile selects before replacing files.
Verify the migration before deleting the source
Start the destination and join it only after both required shard processes are running. Verify the world in a deliberate order:
- Check that the server opens the expected cluster and accepts the intended token.
- Confirm the day count is the value from the source, not Day 1.
- Visit recognizable structures, landmarks, or bases that existed in the source.
- Check inventories, containers, equipment, and player identities.
- Enter a cave entrance and confirm the caves shard contains the expected map and structures, if the source used caves.
- Restart the server once and confirm the same state returns after saving.
Keep the original source and destination backup until these checks pass. Only then should you remove obsolete copies or automate restarts around the new cluster.
Convert an overworld-only client save
An overworld-only client save may not have the complete cluster structure used by a dedicated server. Klei forum guidance describes a conversion involving the client’s saveindex and the session directory identified by the world’s session_id. Treat this as a separate migration, not as a partial version of the direct-copy method.
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1. Make a backup and identify the slot
Back up the client save and the destination’s generated cluster before editing anything. Open the client’s client_save/saveindex and identify the slot that corresponds to the world you intend to move. Selecting the wrong slot can produce a valid-looking but unrelated world.
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2. Place the selected save index
Set the appropriate slot in the client save index, then place the resulting saveindex under the dedicated server’s Mastersave directory (use the equivalent separator on Linux). The server’s current generated structure determines the exact case and nesting; preserve those names rather than creating a parallel path.
3. Copy the matching session directory
Read the world’s session_id from the save data and locate the session directory with that same identifier. Copy that directory into the dedicated server’s savesession directory under the Master shard. The identifier must match; copying an arbitrary session directory does not attach the intended world.
4. Reconcile the cluster configuration
Ensure the destination cluster still has its own cluster.ini, token, and required server settings. Do not overwrite those with unrelated files from another cluster. Because this conversion adapts client-generated data to a server-generated layout, names may need to be adjusted to the current server structure.
5. Start, test, and roll back if necessary
Launch the Master shard using the destination cluster name and test the day count, structures, inventories, and player identities. If the result is Day 1 or a fresh map, stop immediately and restore the backup before trying another slot or session directory.
Troubleshoot a fresh Day 1 world
A Day 1 start or an empty map is a diagnostic signal, not a reason to keep experimenting on the live copy. Stop the server, preserve the failed directory for comparison, and check these causes in order.
The cluster path is wrong
Compare the folder named by -cluster with the directory that contains cluster.ini. Then compare both with the active -persistent_storage_root and -conf_dir values. A correct save in an unused directory has no effect on the running process.
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The cluster name differs by spelling or case
The command value and folder name must match. Correct a typo, extra space, or case difference, then restart. Do not create a second folder as a workaround; that can leave two plausible-looking clusters and make future recovery harder.
A shard directory or argument is mismatched
Confirm that the surface command selects Master and the caves command selects Caves, or that both use the exact custom names in your files. A caves folder copied as a differently named directory will not be selected by -shard Caves.
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Only part of the cluster was copied
Check that cluster.ini is at the cluster root, not inside Master or Caves, and that each shard directory was copied completely. Restore the destination backup and repeat the copy if files were omitted.
The client conversion used the wrong slot or session
For an overworld-only save, recheck the slot in saveindex and verify that the copied session directory’s name equals the world’s session_id. Keep the original client files unchanged while testing alternatives.
The server is reading a different generated structure
Some client-only migrations require placing files inside the destination server’s existing Mastersave and savesession directories rather than beside them. Compare the destination’s generated folders with the conversion instructions and adjust only the backed-up copy.
Permissions prevent reading or writing
Verify access for the account that runs the server process. The process needs to read the copied configuration and shard data and write new saves. Correct access, then restart from the backed-up cluster.
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- Destination processes stopped before any files were replaced.
- Destination cluster and source world backed up separately.
- Active persistent-storage root and configuration directory identified.
-clustervalue matched the destination folder.cluster.iniplaced at the cluster root.Mastercopied completely.Cavescopied completely when the source uses caves.server_token.txtplaced in the cluster root.- Source server settings, mod configuration, and world-generation overrides retained where required.
- Surface and caves processes started with the same cluster name and matching shard names.
- Day count, structures, inventories, player identities, and caves behavior verified.
- Server restarted once successfully before the old source was retired.
Which approach is safest?
| Situation | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
You have a complete cluster with cluster.ini and shard folders |
Direct copy with a rollback backup | It preserves the server’s native cluster layout and requires the fewest transformations |
| You have only a client overworld save | Manual saveindex/session_id conversion |
The client data may not contain a ready-to-launch dedicated-server cluster |
| The world includes caves | Copy both shards and launch both processes | The surface and caves are separate shards in one cluster |
| You use self-hosted SteamCMD | Inspect and edit the actual launch commands | You can verify every path and argument directly |
| You use managed hosting | Use the panel’s file manager and startup profile together | The visible upload directory may differ from the cluster selected at launch |
| You cannot tolerate data loss | Backup-first migration and immediate rollback on Day 1 | It limits experimentation to copies rather than the only world |
What to remember
The decisive detail is not where the files exist; it is which cluster and shard paths the server launches. A complete migration keeps cluster.ini at the cluster root, keeps shard data inside consistently named Master and Caves directories, and starts every process with matching values. Client-only overworld saves require the additional saveindex and session_id conversion. When the server shows Day 1, stop, verify the path and names, and restore the backup before making another change.
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