Upload a Hytale world to your serverMove a single-player save - as a whole universe or as a single world

Published on October 4, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

Universe or world?

A Hytale save is structured in two levels, and the choice between them decides what comes along in the move:

• The universe (the universe folder) contains all worlds of a save and the player data - inventory, progress, position.
• A world (one folder under universe/worlds) only contains the landscape with everything built in it - but no player data.

Rule of thumb: if you want to keep playing exactly where you left off, with a full inventory, move the whole universe. If it is only about a map - for example a city you built or a downloaded map - the single world is enough. Players then start fresh in it.

Where the save is located on your PC

The Hytale launcher itself opens the way to the save:

1. Open the launcher and go to the settings.
2. Open the Hytale folder via "Open directory".
3. There, go to UserData and then to saves.

Every folder in saves carries the name of one of your saves. Inside it is the universe folder - and inside that, in turn, worlds with the individual worlds. That is exactly the structure the server uses too.

Close Hytale before you copy the save. A running game may be writing data, and a half-written file is the surest way to a damaged world.

Uploading the whole universe

1. Stop the server in the web interface.
2. Download the existing universe folder on the server once - that way, the previous state is saved in case something goes wrong.
3. Delete or rename the universe folder on the server.
4. Upload your local universe folder to the same place via SFTP.
5. Start the server and follow in the console whether the world loads without errors.

For larger saves, SFTP with a client such as FileZilla or WinSCP is far more pleasant than uploading in the browser: it resumes after an interruption and transfers many small files reliably. The login details are in the web interface. Where worlds, mods and configuration sit in the server directory is summarized in the Hytale guides overview.

Uploading just a single world

If you want to add or replace a world without touching the player data on the server:

1. Stop the server.
2. Upload the world folder from your local universe/worlds to universe/worlds on the server.
3. If the world is meant to replace the previous one, use the same folder name - or enter the name of the new world as the default world in the central config.json under Defaults → World.
4. Start the server.

Because every world brings its own config.json, PvP, fall damage and the other world rules come along right away. If you want to adjust the settings afterwards, Hytale server settings will help.

The version has to match

A save and the server should work with the same Hytale version. With us, the server always runs on the current state, because updates are applied automatically. If your world comes from an older version, it is best to open it once in the current client beforehand - then it is up to date before it is uploaded.

The same goes for mods: if the world was played with mods, the same mods belong on the server too. If they are missing, the content they added is missing from the world. How mods get onto the server is explained in Install mods and plugins.

After the move

• Join and check. Is the landscape right, are buildings and chests there? The address made of IP and port is in the web interface, see Join a Hytale server.
• Grant rights again. Operators, whitelist and bans are not stored in the universe, but in separate files. After the move, make yourself an admin with op add in the console, as described in Become an admin.
• Keep a local copy. Do not delete the save on your PC right away. It is the simplest fallback in case something goes wrong on the server.

From now on, the Hytale server automatically backs up the world on the server. You should still take a copy somewhere else from time to time - how is explained in Create a backup.

Frequently asked questions