The Palworld Host Character Transfer allows you to migrate a solo or co-op host character into a dedicated server save. This guide helps you prepare the necessary save files, use the supported migration tool, and upload the updated character data back to your server.
Experimental Character Transfer Notice This process is considered experimental and manually modifies save data. Palworld updates may change save structures, causing tools or migration steps to potentially stop working correctly.
Before you begin, ensure you have access to your Palworld game server and a local Windows system where you can run the required save migration tool.
You will need the following:
| Requirement | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Access to your ZAP-Hosting Palworld server | To download and upload the necessary save files |
| A local backup location | To keep a safe copy of your original save data |
| Palworld Save Tools | To perform the host character migration |
| A newly created server character | The host character data will be migrated onto this dedicated server character |
Create a backup first Before modifying save files, download a complete backup of your current server save and store it safely. If the transfer fails or corrupted character data occurs, you will need the original files to restore.
This transfer is not done by editing a Palworld configuration file in the Configuration tab. According to the currently available tool documentation and community guides, the host character transfer is done by replacing save data files.
The relevant files are located in your server’s save directory, not in the usual gameplay configuration file like PalWorldSettings.ini.
Before starting, identify the involved files.
The host character migration uses the following save data:
| File or Folder | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Level.sav | Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/[your_save_folder_id]/Level.sav | Contains world-level save data used by the migration tool |
Players/ | Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/[your_save_folder_id]/Players/ | Contains player save files, including the new dedicated server character |
00000001.sav | Inside Players/ from the uploaded solo or co-op save | Usually represents the original host character in co-op saves |
[your_save_folder_id] is the long folder name of your Palworld world save. This value differs for each save.
You can access the required save files via the file manager in your game server control panel.
Navigate to:
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/[your_save_folder_id]/
In this folder, you should find at least:
Level.savLevelMeta.savPlayers/
Before migrating the host character, the dedicated server must already have a newly generated player save for your account.
Join your Palworld dedicated server normally and create a new character. Then play until the character reaches at least level 2.
This step is necessary because the migration tool requires an existing dedicated server character file as the migration target.
After creating the new character, ensure the server has written the new player data to disk.
You can either:
- wait for the automatic save interval, which usually takes about
4minutes, or - run the
savecommand in the server console
| Command | Where to run | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
save | Server console | Forces the server to write current world and player data to disk |
Save command note
If you use the save command, run it before stopping the server. This ensures the new dedicated server character file exists in the Players/ folder.
Once saving is complete, stop the Palworld server via your server management.
Do not continue while the server is running, as active save processes might overwrite or conflict with the files you want to replace.
Since the new character now exists on the dedicated server, you can download the files for migration.
In the ZAP-Hosting file manager, go to:
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/[your_save_folder_id]/
Download the following items to your local computer:
| Item | Required |
|---|---|
Level.sav | Yes |
Players/ folder | Yes |
Save both items in the same local working directory so the migration tool can process them correctly.
Keep files together
Place Level.sav and the Players/ folder side by side in the same local folder. This matches the expected workflow of Palworld Save Tools.
Once you have downloaded the save data, you can perform the actual host character transfer.
Download Palworld Save Tools, extract them, then open PalworldSaveTools.exe.
In the application, select:
Fix Host Save
In the migration tool:
- Select your downloaded
Level.sav - In the left selection field, choose
00000001.sav - In the right selection field, choose the new character you created on the dedicated server
- Start the migration by clicking
Migrate
| Tool field | Value to select |
|---|---|
Path to Level.sav | Your downloaded Level.sav |
| Left character field | 00000001.sav |
| Right character field | Your newly created dedicated server character |
| Action | Migrate |
The migration process assigns the original host character data from the solo or co-op save to the dedicated server character you created earlier.
That’s why you must first join the server and generate a fresh player save before using the tool.
Verify target character Make sure you select the correct new server character in the right field. Choosing the wrong one can overwrite another player’s save data.
After the migration completes successfully, upload the modified files back to your server.
Return to the same server directory in the ZAP-Hosting file manager:
Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/[your_save_folder_id]/
Upload and overwrite:
- the updated
Level.sav - the updated
Players/folder
If your file manager asks whether to overwrite existing files, confirm the replacement.
For this specific host character transfer, there is currently no confirmed need to edit a Palworld configuration file like PalWorldSettings.ini.
| Item | Required for host transfer |
|---|---|
Edit PalWorldSettings.ini | No |
| Edit files in Configuration tab | No confirmed need |
Replace Level.sav | Yes |
Replace Players/ | Yes |
No additional configuration changes needed
Based on the currently available tool documentation and migration guide, no further configuration entries or manual .ini edits are required for the transfer itself.
| Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Save path | Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/[your_save_folder_id]/ |
| Required file | Level.sav |
| Required folder | Players/ |
| Typically selected host save file | 00000001.sav |
| Server command | save |
| Server restart required | Yes |
| Edit configuration file required | No confirmed need |
Preferred source on Google
