How to Transfer an Enshrouded World to a Dedicated Server After 1.0

Find your local Enshrouded world saves

The official 1.0 changelog identifies local world and character storage under the Windows Saved Games area, including Saved Games\keen games\Enshrouded\default for the new local format. Earlier versions and Steam Cloud may store data elsewhere. Check the Local and Cloud tabs inside Enshrouded if an expected world does not appear; they can show different save collections.

Official documentation: Keen Games reference ↗

Back up both sides before migration

Create an offline copy of the source world and the target server’s current savegame directory. If migrating between paid hosts, download a provider backup or request a full export before cancellation. Include accompanying metadata and the whole world structure, not only a filename that looks like the active save. Keeping the previous server untouched gives you a reliable recovery path.

Upload the world to your hosting provider

Stop the destination instance from its control panel. Find the configured saveDirectory, which defaults to ./savegame, and use the provider’s file manager or SFTP to upload your world. Preserve folder and filename structure and avoid overwriting unrelated worlds. Providers may expose different interfaces, but the server’s configured save directory is the authoritative destination.

Official documentation: Keen Games reference ↗

Handle the Enshrouded 1.0 save conversion

Keen Games states that loading an older 0.8-or-earlier save in 1.0 creates a backup and automatically migrates the existing data into its new, smaller format. Therefore, update the server and allow the migration to finish before rearranging save files. Do not assume a legacy hex-named rolling-save guide precisely describes the new format. If a provider provides a migration tool, confirm which game versions it supports.

Official documentation: Keen Games reference ↗

Verify world and character progress

Join the newly configured server and inspect its map state, key bases, quest progression and accessible containers. World progression is server-side, whereas characters are player-side; a successful world transfer does not automatically move a player’s local character data. Only shut down the previous host when several players have confirmed that the destination is correct.

How to avoid loading the wrong world

Enshrouded keeps separate world and character progress, and 1.0 makes the local-versus-cloud distinction more visible in the game menus. Before exporting, load the intended world briefly, check a recognisable base and note when the save was last modified. On the destination, confirm the world’s name and content before inviting all players. A server that successfully launches with a fresh empty world has not completed the migration.

Migrating between two paid Enshrouded hosts

Start by creating a fresh backup with the old host. Ask whether the provider exposes SFTP or a downloadable archive, and note the location of the active world folder. With the new host, identify the target save directory, stop the new instance and upload the backed-up world. Start the new server, check logs and verify progression. Keep the old subscription active briefly if it helps validate the transfer, but do not run both communities as competing sources of truth.

Troubleshooting a failed transfer

A missing world can mean the wrong save directory, a cloud/local mix-up, an incomplete upload or files that were copied while the old server was still writing. Compare file counts and timestamps with the source archive, inspect the configured `saveDirectory` and check startup logs for load or conversion errors. Restore the source backup rather than repeatedly modifying the only copy of the world.

Related Enshrouded server guides

These guides cover the next practical step, from sizing and installation to keeping your world safe after Enshrouded 1.0.