Already started a 7 Days to Die world locally? You can upload your existing save to your dedicated server and continue playing with the same map, buildings, characters, inventories, and progress.
For a randomly generated world, you must upload both:
The generated world files
The corresponding save files
This guide explains how to upload both folders using the xREALM File Manager and select the correct save through the Settings tab.
Before uploading your files:
Stop your dedicated server.
Create a backup of your local save.
Make sure your local game and server use the same 7 Days to Die version.
Check that you have both the save folder and the generated-world folder.
Do not upload or replace save files while the server is running, as the server may overwrite them.
On Windows, press Windows Key + R, enter the following path, and press Enter:
%APPDATA%\7DaysToDie
Inside this directory, you should find these folders:
Saves
GeneratedWorlds
Your save is stored using this folder structure:
Saves\<GameWorld>\<GameName>
For example:
Saves\MyGeneratedWorld\MySurvivalGame
In this example:
MyGeneratedWorld is the Game World
MySurvivalGame is the Game Name
The save folder contains your world progress, player data, inventories, buildings, and changes made to the map.
The corresponding generated map is stored here:
GeneratedWorlds\<GameWorld>
For example:
GeneratedWorlds\MyGeneratedWorld
The generated-world folder name must match the Game World folder used inside the Saves directory.
Using the example above, you need to upload these two folders:
GeneratedWorlds\MyGeneratedWorld
and:
Saves\MyGeneratedWorld\MySurvivalGame
You can compress the folders into ZIP archives before uploading them. This is usually faster and helps preserve the correct folder structure.
Make sure the archive does not contain the same folder twice.
Incorrect:
MyGeneratedWorld\MyGeneratedWorld\map_info.xml
Correct:
MyGeneratedWorld\map_info.xml
Open your xREALM server panel and make sure the server is stopped.
Open the File Manager and navigate to:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/
Look for a folder named:
GeneratedWorlds
The GeneratedWorlds folder may not exist yet, especially if the server has not previously created or loaded a generated world.
In this case, create a new folder inside:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/
Name the folder exactly:
GeneratedWorlds
Folder names are case-sensitive, so make sure the capital letters are correct.
After creating it, open:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds/
Upload the complete generated-world folder into this directory.
Using our example, the finished path should be:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds/MyGeneratedWorld/
If you uploaded a ZIP archive, extract it inside the GeneratedWorlds folder.
After extracting it, check that no unnecessary additional folder level was created.
In the File Manager, navigate to:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/Saves/
Upload the folder containing your Game World and Game Name.
Using our example, the completed path should be:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/Saves/MyGeneratedWorld/MySurvivalGame/
Your final folder structure should look similar to this:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/
├── GeneratedWorlds/
│ └── MyGeneratedWorld/
└── Saves/
└── MyGeneratedWorld/
└── MySurvivalGame/
Make sure the actual save files are located directly inside the MySurvivalGame folder and not inside another duplicated folder.
Incorrect:
Saves/MyGeneratedWorld/MySurvivalGame/MySurvivalGame/
Correct:
Saves/MyGeneratedWorld/MySurvivalGame/
After uploading both folders, open the Settings tab in your server panel.
Find the following settings:
Game World
Game Name
Enter the exact names of your uploaded folders.
Using our example:
Game World: MyGeneratedWorld
Game Name: MySurvivalGame
The values must match the folder names exactly, including spaces and capitalization.
The Game World setting must match the folder inside:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds/
It must also match the first folder inside:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/Saves/
For example:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds/MyGeneratedWorld/
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/Saves/MyGeneratedWorld/
The correct setting would be:
Game World: MyGeneratedWorld
The Game Name setting must match the save folder inside the Game World folder:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/Saves/MyGeneratedWorld/MySurvivalGame/
The correct setting would be:
Game Name: MySurvivalGame
You do not need to edit any configuration files manually. The server panel automatically applies the values entered under Game World and Game Name.
Save your settings and start the server.
Watch the console during startup. The first start may take longer while the server loads and validates the uploaded world.
Once the server is online, connect and check that:
Your buildings and bases are present
The correct map has loaded
Your character progress is available
Inventories and levels have transferred
The correct in-game day is displayed
This usually means that the Game World or Game Name setting does not exactly match the uploaded folder names.
Stop the server and compare the settings with your folder structure:
Game World:
GeneratedWorlds/<GameWorld>
Saves/<GameWorld>
Game Name:
Saves/<GameWorld>/<GameName>
Check the spelling, spaces, and capitalization.
Create it manually inside:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/
The complete path must be:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds/
Make sure it is named GeneratedWorlds exactly.
Make sure the generated-world folder was uploaded to:
/.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds/<GameWorld>/
Do not upload the generated-world files directly into the Saves folder.
Also check for an unnecessary additional folder level created when extracting the ZIP archive.
Make sure you uploaded the complete save folder.
The generated-world folder contains the original map layout. The save folder contains the changes made while playing, including buildings, destroyed blocks, and modified terrain.
Uploading only the generated world will load the original map without your saved progress.
Make sure the complete player data was uploaded with the save.
Character data may also be connected to a player’s Steam or EOS identity. A player joining through a different account or platform identity may receive a new character.
Check the server console for errors mentioning the world name or save directory.
Common causes include:
Incorrect Game World name
Incorrect Game Name
Missing generated-world files
Incorrect folder structure
An additional duplicated folder level
A save created with an incompatible game version
An incomplete or corrupted upload
Once the generated world and save files are uploaded to the correct directories, and the Game World and Game Name settings match the folder names, your existing 7 Days to Die world should load on your xREALM dedicated server.