How To Fix A Missing .db World File On Your Valheim Server

When you start a new Valheim server for the first time, you might notice that the server only generates a .fwl file for your world, and the .db file is completely missing. This happens because the .db file (which holds all your actual world data) is only written after the first autosave cycle, which takes 20 minutes.

If your server is restarted or a player disconnects before those first 20 minutes are up, the .db file never gets created. As a result, the server will generate a brand new, empty world every time it restarts. Luckily, you can fix this easily by manually forcing the server to save.

Step 1: Add Yourself as an Admin

To use the manual save command, you first need to give yourself admin privileges on the server.

1. Log into your MintServers panel and click Stop to shut down the server.
2. Navigate to your Files tab.
3. Click through your file manager to locate the adminlist.txt file inside your worlds directory.
📁 .config
📁 unity3d
📁 IronGate
📁 Valheim
📁 worlds_local (or just 'worlds')
📄 adminlist.txt (Click to edit this file)
4. Click on adminlist.txt to open the text editor.
5. Add your platform ID to a new line in the file. If you are an Xbox player, it will look something like Xbox_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Steam players will use their Steam64 ID. You can find this ID by checking your server's Console logs right after you attempt to connect.
6. Click Save Content.
7. Return to the Console tab and click Start to boot the server back up so your admin permissions take effect.

Step 2: Force a World Save

Now that you are recognized as an admin, you can force the server to generate the missing .db file immediately.

1. Launch Valheim and connect to your server.
2. Once you have fully loaded into the world, open the in-game chat by pressing the Enter key.
3. Type /save into the chat box and press Enter again.
4. Wait a few moments for the game to process the save command.

Step 3: Verify the File

To make sure the fix worked, let us check your server files one last time.

1. Go back to your MintServers panel and open the Files tab.
2. Navigate to your worlds_local folder again.
3. You should now see a Dedicated.db file (or your specific custom world name .db file) sitting right next to your .fwl file.