You have poured dozens of hours into your local Enshrouded world, and now you want friends to join you around the clock without your PC acting as the host. The good news is that Enshrouded stores each world as a single, portable save file, so migrating a single-player or local co-op world onto a dedicated server is mostly a copy-and-paste job. The one thing that catches people out is what does not move with the world file, so we will cover that up front before walking through the transfer.
How Enshrouded splits world saves from character saves
This is the single most important concept to understand before you start. Enshrouded stores world progression separately from character progression. The world save holds your terrain edits, buildings, base layouts, rescued NPC craftspeople, and the state of the map. Your character, on the other hand, including its level, skill points, and inventory, is saved on the client rather than inside the world file.
According to Keen Games’ own dedicated server guidance, character save-games are not stored on the dedicated server at all, only world progression is. That design is deliberate: it lets you take the same character between multiple worlds and servers. The practical takeaway for migration is simple. When you copy your world to a dedicated server, your base and map come across, but your character stays on your local machine. As long as you join the new server from the same PC and Steam account you played on locally, your existing character (and its level/skills) will show up. If a friend joins, they bring their own character. For a deeper look at how that affects multiplayer, see our co-op multiplayer and player count guide.
Find your local world save file
On a Windows PC, the easiest way to reach your saves is through Steam. In File Explorer, open your Steam save folder directly: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<SteamID>\1203620\remote (with Steam Cloud on), or %userprofile%\Saved Games\Enshrouded with Cloud off. Note: Steam → Manage → Browse Local Files opens the game install folder, not your saves. The full path looks like this:
Steam\userdata\
Inside that Remote folder you will find your world save. The first world you ever created is stored as a file named 3ad85aea with no file extension. That hexadecimal name is a static identifier assigned to World 1 (the first world in creation order); additional worlds you create get their own identifiers. The 1203620 number is simply Enshrouded’s Steam app ID, which is how you confirm you are in the right folder.
- 3ad85aea — the World 1 save file (no extension). This is the file that contains your entire world.
- You may also see numbered backup copies of the save. Enshrouded keeps rolling backups for rollback/recovery; the exact count and naming can change between versions, so do not assume a fixed number.
- If your world has a different 8-character name (for a world that was not the first created), note which file matches the world you want to move.
Back up the dedicated server’s existing saves first
Before you upload anything, protect whatever is already on the server. On most hosts the world data lives in a savegame folder at the top level of the file manager (on a self-hosted box it sits next to the server executable). The golden rule: never touch save files while the server is running. Editing or overwriting a live save can corrupt the world.
- Stop the server from your control panel and wait for it to fully shut down.
- Open the file manager and go to the
savegamefolder. - Create a new folder (for example
old) and move the existing save files into it. That is your rollback if anything goes wrong.
Upload your world to the dedicated server
With the server stopped and the old saves tucked away, you are ready to copy your world across.
- From your local
Remotefolder, copy the world file (3ad85aea, or your world’s 8-character file). - In the server’s
savegamefolder, upload that file via the panel’s upload button or drag-and-drop. - If the server expects the World 1 name and your file is named differently, rename your uploaded file to
3ad85aeaso the server loads it as its primary world. Match the name the server is configured to read. - Start the server, then connect from the same PC/account so your local character joins your migrated world.
If the server starts but your world does not appear, the cause is almost always a filename mismatch or a save uploaded while the server was running. Our server not showing up / can’t connect fix walks through the rest of the checklist. For connection settings and slot counts, the server config JSON settings explained guide covers enshrouded_server.json in detail.
What transfers and what does not
| Data | Stored in | Transfers with the world file? |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings & base layout | World save (3ad85aea) | Yes |
| Terrain edits & explored map | World save | Yes |
| Rescued NPC craftspeople (in-world) | World save | Yes |
| Chests & placed storage contents | World save | Yes |
| Character level & skill points | Client (your PC) | No — stays on your machine |
| Personal inventory & equipped gear | Client (your PC) | No — carried by your character |
Because your character is portable, a clean migration keeps your build and your character intact when you reconnect from the same account. The two simply live in different places. If you want to plan a fresh build around your skills before you rejoin, our skill tree build calculator and planner is a handy companion.
Migrating to a managed host
The process above is identical whether you self-host or rent a managed box; the only thing that changes is how you reach the savegame folder. On a managed panel you get a file manager, a stop/start button, and built-in backups, which removes the risk of overwriting a live save. If you are weighing a move, our Enshrouded server hosting plans include the file manager and scheduled backups you need for a safe transfer, and the Enshrouded documentation shows exactly where the save folder lives on our panel. If you would rather keep it on your own hardware first, see the dedicated server requirements.
FAQ
Will I lose my character level when I move to a dedicated server?
No, as long as you reconnect from the same PC and Steam account. Character progression is saved on the client, not inside the world file, so your level, skills, and inventory stay with you and load when you join the migrated world.
What is the 3ad85aea file and do I need a file extension?
3ad85aea is the save file for your first-created world (World 1), and it has no file extension by design. Do not add one. If your specific world uses a different 8-character name, that file is your world; rename it to 3ad85aea only if the server is configured to load that name.
Can I copy a dedicated server world back to single-player?
Yes. Reverse the process: stop the server, download the world file from the savegame folder, and place it in your local Steam\userdata\ folder using the matching filename. Back up your local save first so you can roll back if the world does not load.
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