# Force a World Save on Your Valheim Server (/docs/valheim/force-save)



import { Tab, Tabs } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/tabs';
import { Step, Steps } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/steps';

Valheim auto-saves every 30 minutes by default. You can force a save at any time to protect recent progress before maintenance, mod changes, or shutdowns.

Force Save [#force-save]

<Tabs items={['Via Panel Console', 'Via In-Game (Admin)']}>
  <Tab value="Via Panel Console">
    <Steps>
      <Step>
        Open the Console [#open-the-console]

        In the [XGamingServer Panel](https://panel.xgamingserver.com), click **Console** in the sidebar.
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Send the save command [#send-the-save-command]

        Type:

        ```
        save
        ```

        The server will save the current world state. Look for "Saving world" in the console output.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="Via In-Game (Admin)">
    <Steps>
      <Step>
        Connect as admin [#connect-as-admin]

        You must be on the [admin list](/docs/valheim/admin-setup).
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Open the in-game console [#open-the-in-game-console]

        Press **F5**.
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Save [#save]

        ```
        save
        ```

        The console confirms when the save completes.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

When to Force Save [#when-to-force-save]

| Situation                        | Why                                          |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| **Before shutdown**              | Protect any unsaved progress                 |
| **Before mod changes**           | Roll back if something breaks                |
| **Before configuration changes** | Same as above                                |
| **After major events**           | Boss fights, large builds, milestones        |
| **Before backups**               | Ensures the backup captures the latest state |

> **Note:** The server saves automatically when shut down gracefully via the **Stop** button. Force-killing the server (or a crash) loses any unsaved changes.

Configure the Auto-Save Interval [#configure-the-auto-save-interval]

The `-saveinterval` startup parameter controls how often the server auto-saves. The default is 30 minutes (1800 seconds).

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Open Startup [#open-startup]

    Click **Startup** in the panel sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Set the save interval [#set-the-save-interval]

    Find the **Save Interval** variable and set it in seconds:

    | Interval                   | Seconds |
    | -------------------------- | ------- |
    | Every 10 minutes           | `600`   |
    | Every 15 minutes           | `900`   |
    | Every 20 minutes           | `1200`  |
    | Every 30 minutes (default) | `1800`  |
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Restart the server [#restart-the-server]
  </Step>
</Steps>

> **Tip:** Shorter save intervals protect more progress but cause brief lag spikes when saving. **15–20 minutes** is a good balance for most servers.

Backup Configuration [#backup-configuration]

Valheim also creates automatic backup snapshots. Configure them via Startup:

| Parameter      | Default | Description                                |
| -------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| `-backups`     | 4       | Number of backup files to keep             |
| `-backupshort` | 7200    | First backup interval in seconds (2 hours) |
| `-backuplong`  | 43200   | Subsequent backup interval (12 hours)      |

Backups are stored alongside your world files with `.old` extensions. See [Backup & Restore](/docs/valheim/backup-restore).

Related Guides [#related-guides]

* [World Save Files](/docs/valheim/world-save-files)
* [Backup & Restore](/docs/valheim/backup-restore)
* [Scheduled Restarts](/docs/valheim/scheduled-restarts)