Back up and move your ARK saveTake world, characters and tribes with you

Published on September 2, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

What a save consists of

In your server's save directory, there are three kinds of files that belong together:

• The world file. It carries the name of the map and contains everything that was built, tamed and changed - the biggest chunk.
• The player profiles. One file per player with character, stats and engrams.
• The tribe data. One file per tribe with members, ranks and ownership.

Only if you take all three do you really move. If you only back up the world, the bases are still standing - but nobody owns anything anymore, and the characters are gone. Because each map has its own set, it is always the save of one map that moves, see Change the map.

Backing up

1. Stop the server. A backup taken while it is running catches a half-written state.
2. Connect. Via WebFTP in the browser or with an SFTP client - for large worlds, SFTP is much faster.
3. Download the save directory. The easiest way is the complete folder, then nothing is guaranteed to be missing.
4. Store it safely. On your own computer or in cloud storage - not on the same server.

Automatic backups are deliberately not part of our plans. The advantage: you have full access and always know exactly which save you own - instead of relying on an automatic system whose retention periods people only read when disaster strikes.

When a backup is a must

There are four moments when a backup is not optional:

• Before every change to the mod list - especially before removing a mod.
• Before larger changes to the Game.ini, for example to the experience curve.
• Before switching providers.
• Regularly during operation - for an active community, weekly is a good idea.

Moving

Moving to us is essentially a copy job:

1. Stop the old server and download the save directory.
2. Start the new server once and stop it again - this creates the folder structure you copy into.
3. Upload the files - world, profiles and tribe data into the same directory.
4. Check the map. The new server has to be set to the same map, otherwise it will not load the save.
5. Bring the mods over. Missing mods mean missing structures - the mod list has to move along.
6. Transfer the configuration. That way, your usual rates keep applying.

Then you start the server and check for yourself: is the base standing, are the dinos there, is tribe ownership correct? Only when everything fits do you pass on the new address.

Restoring a backup

The way back is the same in reverse: stop the server, upload the backed-up files, overwrite, start the server. It is important to restore the complete set - combining an old world file with new tribe data leads to strange results.

Before restoring, it is worth backing up the current state as well. Even a broken save is better than none at all, in case the backup turns out to be older than you thought.

Common issues when moving

• The server starts with an empty world. Usually the configured map does not match the world file.
• Parts of the bases are missing. Then a mod the building parts come from is missing.
• Characters are gone. The profile files were not copied.
• Nobody owns anything anymore. The tribe data is missing.

If nobody can get onto the server at all, it is not the save - then Fix connection problems will help.

Frequently asked questions