How to upload a single-player save to your Factorio server Print

This article explains how to take an existing Factorio save from your PC and run it on your PlayNHost server.

1. Locate your Factorio save on your PC

Factorio saves are stored as .zip files.

• On Windows, open File Explorer and go to:
  %appdata%\Factorio\saves
• On other systems, check the saves folder in your Factorio user data directory.
• Find the save you want to use (for example, myfactory.zip) and copy it somewhere easy to access.

2. Log in to the Game Panel and start the server once

1. Go to https://panel.playnhost.com and log in.
2. Select your Factorio server.
3. If this is a brand new server, click Start once and let it fully start, then click Stop again. This step makes sure the default folders (including saves) are created on the server.

3. Stop the server

4. From the server dashboard, click Stop and wait until the server is fully offline.

4. Upload your save to the /saves folder

Option A – File Manager

1. In the Game Panel, open File Manager.
2. Navigate to the saves directory (often just /saves in the Factorio server folder).
3. Click Upload and select your .zip save file.
4. Wait until the upload finishes and you can see the file listed in the saves folder.

Option B – SFTP (FileZilla)

• Use your SFTP credentials (host, port, username, password) with FileZilla or another client.
• Connect and browse to the Factorio saves directory.
• Drag your .zip save file into that folder.

5. Configure the server to load your save

Factorio servers are usually started with a specific save name.

• In the Game Panel, look for a Startup, Configuration or Server Settings page.
• If there is a field for the save name or startup map, set it to the name of your uploaded save (without the .zip extension, if required).
• If your panel uses a startup command or variable, make sure it points to your save instead of the default one.

Example: if you uploaded myfactory.zip, the save name might be just myfactory depending on how the panel expects it.

6. Start the server with your uploaded world

1. Return to the server dashboard.
2. Click Start.
3. Watch the console; it should mention loading your save file instead of generating a new map.
4. Once it is running, open Factorio, go to Multiplayer → Connect to address, enter your server IP and click Connect.
5. You should now be playing on your uploaded factory.

7. Keeping backups and switching saves

• You can keep multiple saves in the saves folder and change which one is loaded by updating the startup/save setting.
• Use our backup guide regularly to download important saves from the server.

If the server fails to start or still loads a different map, please open a ticket from Support → Submit a Ticket with your server name and the exact save filename you uploaded.