How to Manage Worlds and Saves on Your Project Zomboid Server

Project Zomboid stores your server world and all player progress as save data on your server. Over time you may want to start a fresh world, clean up old saves, or just understand where everything lives. The RiverHosting panel gives you a dedicated Saves page to handle all of this without touching any files by hand.

Before you start

• You need an active Project Zomboid server on RiverHosting. Log in to the panel at panel.riverhosting.com and select your server.
• Stop your server before making any changes to worlds or saves. This prevents data from being written mid-change, which could corrupt your files.
• If you have progress you want to keep, create a backup first using the Backups tab before doing anything irreversible.

1. How to find your world and save data

The easiest place to manage your Project Zomboid worlds is the Saves page in the left-hand menu.

1. Log in to panel.riverhosting.com and open your Project Zomboid server.
2. In the left-hand menu, click Saves.
3. You will see your current world save listed here. This is the active world your players join when they connect.

2. How to start a fresh world

If you want to wipe your server and begin a brand new world, you need to delete the existing save data. Once deleted, the server will generate a completely new world on next startup.

1. Stop your server using the red stop button at the top of your server page.
2. Go to Saves in the left-hand menu.
3. Find the current save and delete it using the delete option shown on that page.
4. Start your server again. A new world will be generated automatically.

3. How to change world settings before starting fresh

If you are starting a new world, now is a good time to review your server settings. Project Zomboid has a World Settings page where you can adjust things like sandbox rules, loot settings, and other world options before the new world generates.

1. After deleting your old save, go to World Settings in the left-hand menu.
2. Review and adjust any settings you want to change for the new world.
3. Save your changes.
4. Start your server. The new world will be created using the settings you just configured.

4. How to back up your save before making changes

Before wiping a world or making any major changes, it is a good idea to create a backup. That way you can restore your server to its previous state if something goes wrong.

1. Stop your server.
2. Click Backups in the left-hand menu.
3. Click the button to create a new backup. The panel will snapshot your current server files, including your save data.
4. Once the backup is complete, you can safely make changes to your world or saves.

5. How to restore a save from a backup

If you deleted your world by mistake, or something went wrong with the save data, you can restore from a backup you created earlier.

1. Stop your server.
2. Go to Backups in the left-hand menu.
3. Find the backup you want to restore and click the restore option next to it.
4. Confirm the restore. The panel will replace your current server files with the backup.
5. Start your server. Your world and player progress should be restored to the point the backup was taken.

Troubleshooting

• The server generates a new world but I wanted to keep the old one. If you did not delete the save, check the World Settings page to make sure the server name or save folder matches what you expect. A mismatch in save names can cause the server to create a new world instead of loading the existing one.
• Player progress is gone after a restart. This usually means the save path is not set correctly, or the old save was deleted. Check the Saves page and make sure the correct save is present. If you have a backup, restore it from the Backups tab.
• The server crashes on startup after changing World Settings. Some world setting combinations can prevent the server from starting. Check the Console tab for error messages. If the issue is unclear, restore a backup to get back to a working state and contact support.
• I cannot find my save on the Saves page. If the save is not listed, it may not have been created yet (for example if the server has never been started), or it may have been deleted. Start the server once to generate a fresh save if none exists.

Need help?

If you run into trouble managing your Project Zomboid worlds or saves, the RiverHosting support team is happy to help.