--- title: "Palworld Save Tools: Fixing Host Saves and Converting Worlds" description: "PalworldSaveTools is discontinued. Use Palworld Save Pal to fix the co-op host character on a dedicated server and convert Game Pass saves to Steam." url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/palworld/palworld-save-tools/" category: "Palworld" category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/palworld/" published: "2026-09-28T03:14:09.224Z" updated: "2026-09-28T03:14:09.224Z" source_format: "markdown" site: "GameServerKings" --- # Palworld Save Tools: Fixing Host Saves and Converting Worlds Palworld save tools are community desktop apps that open a world's `Level.sav` and do what the game can't: move the co-op host's character onto a dedicated server, convert an Xbox/Game Pass world for Steam, or copy one player between worlds. The list changed in September 2026. **PalworldSaveTools, the most popular one, shipped its final release on 16 September and its own README now says it should no longer be used.** Its developers point to **Palworld Save Pal** instead, which is actively maintained. This page covers which tool to use now, the host-fix walkthrough for a GSK server, the Game Pass conversion, and the trap specific to switching between our Linux and Windows (Proton) Palworld servers. > [!NOTE] Checked on 27 September 2026 against Palworld **v1.0.5** > Palworld Save Pal **v1.4.3** (14 September 2026) and PalworldSaveTools **v2.4.5** (16 September 2026, final). Save tools break when Palworld changes its save format, so check each tool's release page against your game version before running it. ## Which Palworld save tool to use | Tool | Status | Use it for | |---|---|---| | **Palworld Save Pal** (oMaN-Rod) | Maintained. v1.4.3, 14 Sep 2026. Windows, macOS, Linux | Host fix (Player UID Swap), Game Pass ↔ Steam, player transfer, editing | | **PalworldSaveTools** (deafdudecomputers) | **Discontinued.** v2.4.5 is final and targets game v1.0.4 | Nothing new. Its README says continued use is no longer recommended | | **palworld-save-tools** (cheahjs) | Last release v0.24.0, October 2024 | The original `.sav` ↔ JSON converter. Predates 1.0 | | **palworld-host-save-fix** (xNul) | Last change May 2024 | Historical. Superseded by the swap tools above | The PalworldSaveTools README is blunt: *"Version 2.4.5 is the final release. The project is outdated and several features are broken because Palworld has moved past what this version supports."* It says the project has merged into its successor, which it calls **PalStudio (formerly Palworld Save Pal)**. The GitHub project is still published as Palworld Save Pal at the time of writing, and that is where the downloads are. Palworld Save Pal is a standalone program, not a mod. Nothing gets installed on your server. Its v1.4.3 notes are the reason to be on the current build: *"Fixed Player UID Swap wiping every pal in a co-op save"* and *"Fixed saves from the latest Palworld update failing to load"*. > [!IMPORTANT] Back up before any tool touches a save > Download the whole world folder first, and take a panel backup ([How to create a backup](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-backup/)). Palworld Save Pal writes its own copy to a `backups` folder next to the program when you save, but that only covers the file it edited. ## Why you need a save tool at all Palworld identifies players by an internal ID, and a co-op world gives the host a special one. The host's character file is `Players/00000000000000000000000000000001.sav` (the `0001.sav` in the tools' docs). A dedicated server has no host, so when you join your uploaded world, the server hands you a normal ID and a blank character. Everyone else keeps their progress, and the host starts from level 1. The fix is to swap the two player records inside `Level.sav`, so your old character takes over your new ID. Swapping by hand isn't practical, because the IDs are referenced throughout the world file (guilds, Pals, bases). That is the job these tools do. ## Fixing the host character on a GSK Palworld server This assumes you have already uploaded the world and pointed the server at it. [Managing your Palworld world and save files](/knowledge-base/palworld/managing-your-world/) covers that part: the folder under `Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/`, deleting `WorldOption.sav`, and setting `DedicatedServerName`. 1. **Start the server and join once as the old host.** Make a throwaway character; any name will do. Stay long enough for the world to save, or run `/Save` as admin (see [Palworld Admin Commands & Moderation Guide](/knowledge-base/palworld/admin-commands/)). 2. **Stop the server** from the **Console** tab. 3. **Download the world folder** from `/home/container/Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0//`. You need `Level.sav` and the `Players/` folder. [SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/) is faster for large worlds. 4. **Open `Level.sav` in Palworld Save Pal** (choose Steam as the save type). 5. Go to **Tools → Player UID Swap**. Swap the old host character (the `…0001` player) with the throwaway character you just made. 6. **Save** in Palworld Save Pal, then upload the changed `Level.sav` and `Players/` folder back over the originals on the server. 7. Start the server and join. You should load in as your old character, with your Pals and guild. It is a **swap, not a copy**. The PalworldSaveTools guide explains the same operation: the tool *"exchanges two player files (like trading seats), not a copy."* After the swap, the throwaway character sits in the old host slot, where it does no harm. The reverse move, taking a server world back to single-player, is the same swap run the other way. Copy the world into your local save folder, host it once to create a host character, and swap your server character into the `…0001` slot. ## Moving a world between our Linux and Windows servers GSK offers Palworld on two server types: the native **Linux** server and a **Windows server running under Proton**. Their config lives in `Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/` and `Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/` respectively. The world folder layout is the same on both. In 2024, before Palworld 1.0, the author of the original host fix documented that the two platforms assigned player IDs differently: *"Moving a Windows dedicated server save to a Linux dedicated server will force all players to create a new character."* We haven't re-tested this on the current version, so it may no longer apply. If you move a world between the two server types and *everyone* arrives as a new character, this is the likely cause. The fix is the same UID swap, run once per player. **Player Transfer** is the other route: it copies a character from one `Level.sav` into another, and you choose which parts come across. ## Xbox and Game Pass worlds Game Pass saves aren't a folder you can upload. They sit in a container of GUID-named files under `%LocalAppData%\Packages\PocketpairInc.Palworld_ad4psfrxyesvt\SystemAppData\wgs`, with a `container.index` file. Palworld Save Pal can open that directly and **convert the save format between Game Pass and Steam**. Convert first, then upload the converted world folder to the server as described in [Managing your Palworld world and save files](/knowledge-base/palworld/managing-your-world/), and run the host fix if the Game Pass player was the host. ## Editing, and what to leave alone Every tool on this list can also edit: Pal stats, inventories, levels, bases. On a multiplayer server that is effectively admin cheating, and vanilla Palworld has no command for it (see [Palworld Item IDs and Why There Is No Spawn Command](/knowledge-base/palworld/palworld-spawn-items-and-ids/)). If you do edit a server save, stop the server first. A running server keeps the world in memory, and its next save can overwrite your edited `Level.sav`. > [!WARNING] Don't mix tool generations > Palworld Save Pal no longer converts JSON exported by the old Python `palworld-save-tools` (`convert.py`) back into a `.sav`. Its README says round-trips only work *"within the same tooling generation"*. Export and re-import with the same tool. ## Common Questions ### Is PalworldSaveTools still safe to use? Its developers say not to. v2.4.5 is the final release, it targets game version 1.0.4, and the README says several features are broken. Use Palworld Save Pal. ### Why do I have a new character after moving my co-op world to a server? Because the co-op host is stored under the special `…0001` ID, and a dedicated server doesn't use it. Join once, then run a Player UID Swap between the old host and your new character. ### Do I need a save tool to move a world to a dedicated server? Only for the host's character, or when moving between platforms. The world itself (bases, Pals, other players) moves with a plain folder upload. ### Does a save tool need to be installed on my GSK server? No. They are desktop programs. Download the save, fix it on your PC, and upload it back. ### Can a save tool convert an Xbox world for a Steam server? Yes. Palworld Save Pal converts between Game Pass and Steam formats. Convert on your PC, then upload. ## What to Read Next - [Managing your Palworld world and save files](/knowledge-base/palworld/managing-your-world/): save paths, uploading a world, `WorldOption.sav` - [Palworld Crossplay & Cross-Save](/knowledge-base/palworld/palworld-crossplay/): which platforms can share a world - [Setting Up Your Palworld Dedicated Server](/knowledge-base/palworld/getting-started-with-your-server/): first boot and connecting --- Made with 💜 by GameServerKings