How to Migrate Your Valheim World to NordHost

10 min read Updated December 2025

Overview

Migrating your Valheim world to NordHost takes about 5-10 minutes. Your builds, progress, boss kills, and explored map will all transfer with you.

What Gets Transferred

Everything! Your world file contains all terrain modifications, buildings, boss progress, map exploration, and placed items. Character data is stored separately on each player's computer and doesn't need to be transferred.

Valheim worlds consist of two files:

  • worldname.fwl - World metadata (small file, ~1KB)
  • worldname.db - World data (can be 5-100MB depending on exploration)

Both files must have the same base name. You'll need both to migrate your world.

Find Your Local World Files

If you've been hosting locally or playing single-player, your world files are on your computer.

Windows

1Open File Explorer

Press Win + R to open Run, then paste this path and press Enter:

%userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local
2Locate Your World Files

You'll see files like:

MyWorld.fwl
MyWorld.db
MyWorld.fwl.old
MyWorld.db.old

You need the .fwl and .db files (not the .old backups).

3Copy Both Files

Copy both worldname.fwl and worldname.db to a location you'll remember, like your Desktop.

Quick Access

You can also type %appdata% in File Explorer, then navigate up one level to LocalLow, then IronGate - Valheim - worlds_local.

Linux

World files are located at:

~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/

macOS (Steam Proton)

World files are typically at:

~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/892970/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/LocalLow/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/

Find Files on Another Host

If your world is currently on another hosting provider, you'll need to download the files first.

Common Host Locations

Most hosts store Valheim world files at:

/home/vhserver/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/

or

/opt/valheim/worlds_local/

Download via SFTP

1Get SFTP Credentials

Check your current host's dashboard for SFTP/FTP access credentials (host, username, password/key).

2Connect with FileZilla or WinSCP

Use an SFTP client to connect to your server. Navigate to the worlds folder.

3Download Both Files

Download the .fwl and .db files for your world to your computer.

Stop the Server First

Before downloading, stop your game server on the old host. This ensures the world files aren't being written to during download, which could cause corruption.

Create Your NordHost Server

1Sign Up or Log In

Go to nordhost.io/app and create an account or log in.

2Create a Valheim Server

Click "Create Server", select Valheim, and choose your settings. The server name and password can be anything - we'll replace the world anyway.

3Wait for Server to Start

Your server will provision in about 2-3 minutes. Wait until the status shows "Online" or "Ready".

Free Trial

New accounts get 5 free hours - plenty of time to migrate and test your world before committing to a plan.

Upload Your World

1Open Server Details

In your dashboard, click on your Valheim server to view its details.

2Find the Upload Section

Scroll down to "Upload Existing World". You'll see two file upload fields.

3Select Your Files

Click the first field and select your .fwl file. Click the second field and select your .db file.

Both files must have the same world name (e.g., MyWorld.fwl and MyWorld.db).

4Click Upload

Click "Upload World" and confirm. The system will:

  • Stop your server
  • Back up any existing world (just in case)
  • Transfer your world files
  • Restart your server with your world

This takes 1-2 minutes depending on file size.

Large Worlds

Worlds up to 100MB are supported. Very large worlds with extensive exploration may take a bit longer to upload. The upload progress will show you the status.

Verify & Connect

1Wait for Server Ready

After upload completes, wait for the server status to show "Online" again (usually 30-60 seconds).

2Connect to Your Server

Open Valheim, go to "Join Game", and add your new server using the IP and port from your dashboard.

3Verify Your World

Once connected, check that:

  • Your builds and structures are present
  • Boss progress is intact
  • Map exploration is preserved
  • Chests and items are in place
Success!

If everything looks good, you're done! Your Viking world is now running on NordHost with Smart Sleep - it'll automatically sleep when empty to save you money.

Troubleshooting

Upload Failed: "File names must match"

The .fwl and .db files must have identical base names. If you have MyWorld.fwl, you need MyWorld.db - not myworld.db or My_World.db.

Upload Failed: "World file too large"

The maximum supported world size is 100MB. If your world is larger, contact support - we can help with manual migration.

Server Won't Start After Upload

This usually means the world files are corrupted. Try:

  1. Re-download the original files from your source
  2. Make sure the server was stopped when you copied the files
  3. Try uploading again

If the problem persists, contact support - we keep a backup of your previous world and can restore it.

World Loads but Missing Recent Progress

This happens if you downloaded the world files while the server was still running. The most recent changes weren't saved to disk yet.

Solution: On your old host, stop the server, wait 30 seconds, then re-download the files.

Character Appears Naked / No Items

Character data (inventory, skills, spawn point) is stored locally on your computer, not in the world file. This is normal Valheim behavior.

Your character data is still at:

%userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\characters\

If you see a "wrong character", make sure you're selecting the correct character in the game menu.

Need Help?

Contact us at support@nordhost.io and we'll help you migrate your world.

Ready to Migrate?

Start your free trial and bring your Viking world to NordHost.

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