Valheim stores its save files at %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim on Windows. Checkpoint64 already knows this folder — it backs it up automatically and keeps every version, so a corrupted or overwritten save is one click from restored.
Where Valheim saves are stored
- Windows —
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim
or%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local - macOS —
~/Library/Application Support/IronGate/Valheim
or~/Library/Application Support/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local - Linux —
~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim
or~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local
Where two locations are listed, which one is in use depends on the install (Checkpoint64 checks them in order and uses the first that exists).
The save data here is .db / .fwl / .old files — back up the folder as a set, not single files, so a restore always keeps them consistent.
How to open the save folder
- Windows — press Win+R, paste
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim, and press Enter (the AppData folder is hidden in Explorer, which is why this path is so easy to miss — pasting it skips the hunt). - macOS — in Finder press Cmd+Shift+G (Go to Folder) and paste
~/Library/Application Support/IronGate/Valheim.
Backing up Valheim saves automatically
- Install Checkpoint64 (free) and pick Valheim — the save path above is already preset.
- Auto-backup watches the folder and uploads a new version whenever it changes, keeping full history.
- Restore any version in one click if a save corrupts, gets overwritten, or a mod breaks it.
For the deeper story — how Valheim saves break and how rollback works — read the full Valheim save backup guide.
Sharing Valheim saves with friends
Valheim has co-op, so the folder above usually lives on one person's PC — whoever hosts. When they're offline nobody else can carry on, and if two people play separately, one session quietly overwrites the other.
Checkpoint64 lets a small group pass one Valheim world around instead of renting a dedicated server. Whoever plays next takes a server-enforced lock, pulls the latest save, plays, and pushes it back; everyone else stays read-only until the lock frees up, so nobody saves over anybody. Every version is kept, so a bad session is one restore away. The dedicated server alternative guide walks through the full take-turns flow.