How to Move Your Project Zomboid Save to a Dedicated Server
If you were playing with “Host” from your PC, the game only exists while you're connected. Moving it to a dedicated server means uploading a folder, giving it the name the server expects, and bringing the same settings and mods along. It doesn't take long, and the save on your PC stays untouched.
What to bring (and what not to)
Everything is in the Zomboid folder in your user directory: on Windows, C:\Users\<your user>\Zomboid; on Linux and Mac, ~/Zomboid. Each hosted game has the name you gave it when you hosted it (servertest if you didn't change it).
The save itself: the Saves\Multiplayer\<name> folder. That's where the map, the bases, what's in every container and, in the players.db file, the characters are stored.
The settings: in the Server folder, <name>_SandboxVars.lua (zombies, loot, when the power goes out…) and <name>.ini (mods and server options). Bring both so you can refer to them, but the .ini isn't uploaded as a whole (explained below).
What you don't need: the db folder (db\<name>.db). Those are the accounts of whoever joined your game, tied to your PC; on the server everyone registers again when they join, with the same username.
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Before you start: same version and same mods
The server has to be on the same game version as your save. NapNodes servers install the stable Steam version, which today is Build 42. A Build 41 save can't be opened in Build 42: if yours is from 41, you'll have to start a new world on the server (or stay on 41: Build 42 vs Build 41).
And with the same mods, in the same order. If the save is missing a mod it used (especially a map or item mod), whatever depended on it disappears or the server won't start. How to set them on the server is in the Workshop mods guide.
Moving the save step by step
Close the game on your PC
Leave the game and close Project Zomboid, so nothing is left half-saved. Copy the save folder somewhere else on your PC, just in case.
Start the server once
A newly created Zomboid server downloads the game the first time (about 7 GB, 10 to 15 minutes) and creates its folders and its .ini. Wait until the console says it's running, then press “Stop”. Everything that follows is done with the server “Offline”.
Add the mods in the “Mods” tab
Open your <name>.ini in Notepad: after WorkshopItems= are your mods' Workshop numbers, and after Mods=, their Mod IDs. In the panel's “Mods” tab, search for each mod by name (or paste its Workshop link), press “Add” and tick the same Mod IDs you had. The backslash Build 42 needs is added by the panel.
Zip the save folder
On your PC, compress the whole Saves\Multiplayer\<name> folder into a .zip (right-click → Compress). The panel can't upload folders, but it can upload a .zip.
Upload it and decompress it
In the panel's “Files”, go into .cache/Saves/Multiplayer, upload the .zip and use “Decompress”. If it's large, you can also upload it over SFTP, with the details in “Advanced settings” → “SFTP” (the password is in “My account” → “SFTP password”; how to use FileZilla or WinSCP (in Spanish)).
Give it the server's name
On NapNodes the server is called napnodes, like its .ini file in .cache/Server, and it loads the folder with that name. Rename the napnodes folder the server created (to napnodes-empty, for example) and name yours napnodes.
Bring the sandbox settings
In .cache/Server, move the existing napnodes_SandboxVars.lua out of the way (rename it) and upload yours, <name>_SandboxVars.lua, named napnodes_SandboxVars.lua. That way the world keeps the zombies, loot and power settings you had. The .ini options (password, PvP, public list…) you set by hand in “Settings”.
Start it and join
Press “Start” and watch the console: with mods it takes longer, because it downloads them. Join through “Join” → “Favorites” with the address and port from the panel and check that your base is where you left it.
Getting everyone's character back
Characters are stored in players.db in the save folder, and each one is tied to the username its player joined with. To get it back, you have to register on the server with that same username; with a different one, you start with a new character (in the same world).
In players.db each character also points to the save's name. So when going from servertest (or whatever it was called) to napnodes, someone's character may not show up. What other guides do is open players.db with a program like DB Browser for SQLite and, in the networkPlayers table, change the world name to the new one. Do it on a copy, with the server stopped, and if you're not sure, open a ticket in “Help” and a person will look at it.
Your admin account is no longer the one from your PC: the server's admin username and password are in “Settings” → “In-game admin”.
What about a single-player save?
A single-player game (Survivor, Apocalypse or a solo Sandbox) doesn't transfer the same way: the game stores that character in a different table (localPlayers) and the server only reads multiplayer ones (networkPlayers). The map can be brought over with the same steps, but the character has to be moved by hand between database tables, and if it goes wrong the server may refuse to let you in or shut down.
The practical route: start a new game on the server with the settings you like, or open a ticket with your save and we'll take a look. We can't promise the character will come through.
If you get a new, empty game
It's almost always one of these: the folder isn't named exactly napnodes, you ended up with a folder inside another when decompressing (inside napnodes you should see map_t.bin and players.db directly, not another folder), a map mod is missing, or the save is from another game version. Fix it with the server stopped and start it again. Your original save is still on your PC.
Once you've moved it, the server's copy is the real one: don't keep playing on your PC's copy too, because each one saves separately and they don't merge.
Frequently asked questions
Where is my hosted Project Zomboid save on my PC?
On Windows, in C:\Users\<your user>\Zomboid\Saves\Multiplayer, in a folder with the name you gave it when hosting (servertest if you didn't change it). The settings are in Zomboid\Server.
Do characters carry over when moving a save to a server?
Yes, they're in players.db in the save folder. Each player has to register on the server with the same username they used; if someone's character doesn't show up, the world name in that file may need changing.
Can I move a Build 41 save to a Build 42 server?
No: Build 41 saves don't open in 42. You'll have to start a new world on the server.
Can I move my Zomboid save to NapNodes?
Yes: upload it zipped from the panel's “Files” and name it napnodes. If you get stuck, open a ticket in “Help”.
Shall we set it up for you?
Project Zomboid servers from €12 a month, never oversold: your RAM is yours alone. And if you'd rather start without paying, there's a free Project Zomboid server, no card needed.
Adding Workshop mods? Paste the links and Mod IDs into the Project Zomboid mod list tool: out come WorkshopItems= and Mods= with the Build 42 backslash.
Not sure whether your server is online? Check it in a second with the Project Zomboid server status checker: players, version and password, free.
Free tool: Project Zomboid settings editor. Paste your .ini and SandboxVars.lua (or start from scratch), change their 400+ options with a search box, and download them.