How to Back Up 7 Days to Die Saves (Across Version Updates)

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7 Days to Die has a long history of major updates breaking compatibility with old saves, and a corrupted region can take a horde-night base down with it. Checkpoint64 backs up your save folder automatically and keeps every version, so an update you weren't ready for or a bad region file is one click from undone.

Where 7 Days to Die saves live

  • Windows — %APPDATA%\7DaysToDie\Saves
  • macOS — ~/Library/Application Support/7DaysToDie/Saves
  • Linux — ~/.local/share/7DaysToDie/Saves

Each world gets its own folder inside Saves, holding the world state, the region files that store the terrain around your base, and your player data. Checkpoint64 backs up the whole folder, so a restore brings the world back exactly as it was.

Updates and old saves don't mix

This is one of the most-discussed 7 Days to Die gotchas: a major version update routinely isn't compatible with saves from the previous one, and the game will tell you as much rather than silently corrupting things. There's no official tool to carry an old save forward — your options are start fresh or keep playing the old version. If you update without meaning to, or want to keep playing your current world a little longer on the old build, having a version from right before the update is the only way back. Checkpoint64 keeps that automatically, without you having to remember to copy a save folder first.

Recovering a horde-night base

A crash, a bad shutdown, or a mod that rewrites world data can leave a region file unreadable — and after days spent fortifying a base for horde night, that's a genuinely bad way to lose it. Checkpoint64 keeps every version it backed up, so restoring the world from before the corruption is a couple of clicks, not a fresh start.

Hosting a group without a rented server

Like most survival co-op games, 7 Days to Die groups usually run on one live world hosted by whoever's got the server — which is why a rented dedicated server is the common fix for keeping it online. Checkpoint64 covers most of that need for a small group without the recurring bill: full version history plus a lock so only one session saves over the world at a time. The dedicated server alternative guide covers the trade-off.

How Checkpoint64 backs up 7 Days to Die

  1. Pick 7 Days to Die. The Saves folder is already known on all three platforms.
  2. Turn on auto-backup. Every 30 seconds it checks for a changed world and uploads a new version, sending only what changed.
  3. Restore in one click. Open Versions, pick a healthy version from before the update or the corruption, and Restore.

Common questions

Where are 7 Days to Die saves stored?

On Windows that's %APPDATA%\7DaysToDie\Saves, on macOS ~/Library/Application Support/7DaysToDie/Saves, and on Linux ~/.local/share/7DaysToDie/Saves. Each world gets its own folder holding the world state, region files, and player data. Checkpoint64 backs up the whole save folder and keeps every version.

Why doesn't my save work after a game update?

7 Days to Die has a long history of major version updates not being save-compatible — the game tells you outright that a save made on one major version won't load on the next. It's one of the most-discussed gotchas in the community, and there's no official way to convert an old save forward. Keeping a version from right before you updated is the only real safety net, and it's exactly what Checkpoint64 keeps automatically.

Can a backup recover a base after a corrupted region or a bad mod?

Yes. A crash or a mod that edits world data can leave a region file unreadable, and losing a horde-night base you've spent days fortifying to a corrupted save is a real gut punch. Checkpoint64 keeps every version it backed up, so restoring the world from before the corruption is a click, not a restart.

Does this work for a group hosting their own server?

Yes. 7 Days to Die groups typically have one live world on whoever's hosting, which is why people rent a dedicated server to keep it online. Checkpoint64 covers most of that need for a small group without the recurring cost: version history plus a lock so only one session saves over the world at a time. The dedicated server alternative guide covers the trade-off.