A Valheim world can represent months of shared progress: bases, terrain modifications, explored coastlines, and boss progression. Preserving that work matters more than how quickly a server can be recreated. Before changing worlds, importing saves, changing important rules, or testing a large update, make sure you have a recovery copy you can actually use.
MaximusHost provides a Backups area for server backups and a separate Worlds area for world selection and supported world-only transfers. Valheim also maintains its own in-game save and automatic-backup behavior. These layers serve different purposes and should not be mistaken for interchangeable restore buttons.
First, understand what is saved
A Valheim world consists of metadata and world data. Older Valheim saves often used matching .fwl and .db files. Valheim 1.0-era saves can use chunked generations stored together in a per-world directory. Keep the complete matching save generation rather than copying a single interesting-looking file.
Saved world data typically includes terrain edits, structures, discovered world state, and progression. Individual Valheim characters are generally separate from the server world. Do not assume that restoring a world backup restores every player’s personal character inventory.
The server name displayed in the Valheim browser and the selected world name are different concepts. Updating the server’s listing name does not rename an existing world save, and switching between saves doesn’t combine their data.
Make a server backup before a risky change
In your MaximusHost account, open the correct Valheim server in Server Manage → Backups. Create a backup using the controls available to you and wait for completion; do not treat an enqueued job as a finished recoverable archive.
Check the resulting backup entry, its timestamp, and completion status. Backups may include server configuration and other relevant files in addition to worlds. A world-only export is not equivalent to that full-server backup.
Before a major change, consider stopping the game and allowing its final save to finish. If your workflow supports a live backup, still confirm that the produced archive is internally consistent rather than assuming every file was captured from one snapshot.
Preserve a known-good backup outside the normal changes you are testing. A second backup made after a corrupted save does not automatically replace your need for an older recovery point.
Understand Valheim’s built-in automatic backups
Under Properties → Settings, MaximusHost exposes Valheim’s save interval and automatic backup settings. You can adjust how often the game saves, the number of built-in backups retained, and its short/long backup intervals.
Those controls affect Valheim’s own world-saving behavior. They do not necessarily change how MaximusHost schedules or retains full-server archives. Read the field explanations carefully and restart when required for changed launch options to take effect.
A game-generated backup copy may appear under a separate Backup copies section of the Worlds tab. Those entries represent preserved world copies; selecting one as a distinct world is not the same thing as overwriting the original world through a restore operation.
If you are recovering from a serious problem, do not rush to delete apparently older files or backup directories. Check what each copy represents before taking action.
Export a world for safe keeping
Worlds can provide a world-only .tar.gz export. A world-only archive is useful when you want to move one world to another server or preserve an independent copy for later use.
Make the export after a clean save or stop when possible. Keep the resulting archive in a location you control, and verify the download completed. Give it a meaningful name that includes the world and date.
Unlike a full-server backup, a world-only archive is intended to contain the selected world’s saved data, not all hosting configuration, installed programs, or account billing information. Treat it as a portable world snapshot.
A growing world may take longer to package and download. Let the job finish rather than repeatedly initiating exports or closing the browser while an active transfer is still in progress.
Import an existing world without overwriting another
Open Worlds and stop the server before uploading a supported world-only archive. Choose the archive, review the optional Import as name, and start the upload only after confirming the target server.
The import path validates archive contents and adds an imported world without changing the currently selected world. A name collision should be handled by choosing another name or reviewing existing saved worlds; never assume that an upload is supposed to overwrite its namesake.
When importing from another host or a local machine, don’t simply rename arbitrary folders and expect them to pass validation. Use the archive format documented by the manager. Different backup tools may package Valheim saves in incompatible layouts.
After import, refresh Worlds, confirm the new entry is complete, and choose it with the supported Select world action while stopped. Start Valheim and join to confirm that expected structures and progress survived the transfer.
Restore a full-server backup
If the problem affects the whole Valheim server, use the matching Backups restore workflow rather than confusing it with world selection. Before restoring, record what you intend to recover and consider preserving a copy of the current state if it may be useful later.
A restore can replace current files with older saved data. Expect changes made after that recovery point to be absent. Verify whether your chosen backup contains the server settings and the world you need, especially if the server has held several worlds.
Wait until the restore is reported complete before starting the game. Then verify the expected world is selected, the save is complete, the browser name/password are as intended, and the original structures appear in-game.
Do a short real gameplay test after restoration: join, visit a known base, interact with a structure, save, disconnect, and rejoin. A “restore completed” status does not prove every part of the game-level recovery is correct.
Avoid common backup and restore mistakes
One common mistake is transferring only one half of a legacy save pair or mixing files from different chunked generations. Another is choosing a world backup copy under Worlds and assuming it permanently replaced the active world. Check the operation’s stated effect before clicking.
Changing world selection while a game is running can risk inconsistencies, so MaximusHost’s Worlds actions require a stopped server. Do not work around that gate through direct file edits.
A successful scheduled backup also does not guarantee a successful restore. The safest validation uses a disposable test server or spare world where you can inspect the recovered data without risking an active community.
If the archive contains unknown scripts or unexpected files, don’t force an import. Use the documented world-only format and contact support with the archive type, operation time, and non-sensitive error message.
Next steps
For the manager’s specific controls, visit Valheim worlds and settings and Valheim backups. For general setup, read Set up and join a Valheim server.
Visit Valheim hosting for current features and resource planning.
