Palword dedicated servers experience an issue when transferring from Linux to Windows, or vice versa, which causes players to see a character creation screen even though the saved files are present. This is because the server assigns different player GUIDs for each operating system. The fix below utilizes the helpful online Palworld save conversion/migration tool to dynamically switch the GUIDs of affected players. This tool's main use is to add existing characters to different saves; it can also be used to fix broken saves by replacing temporary characters.
Note: These steps assume the player has already uploaded a save to the server. If not yet completed, check out our server transfer or co-op upload guides.
Note: Make backups locally to avoid losing player progress.
1. All affected players must Join the new server once and create a Temporary Character.
2. Log in to the BisectHosting Starbase panel.
3. Stop the server.
4. Go to the Files tab.
5. Find the following directory: /home/Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0
6. Right-click the world file and choose Download.
7. Extract the files into an Empty Folder.
8. Go to the Player Transfer web tool.
9. Upload the world folder to both the Source World and Destination World sections.
10. From the Players in old save section, open the Destination Dropdown for the broken save, and select the Temporary Character they made.
Note: Affected players must make a temporary character, pressing Add as a new player will not work.
11. Press the checkbox at the bottom confirming backups have been made, and press Migrate.
12. When the migration is finished, press Download Save ZIP.
13. Return to the BisectHosting Starbase panel.
14. Enter the World Folder on the server.
15. Select the Players, Level.sav and LevelMeta.sav files.
16. Press Delete.
Note: Make sure to backup these files to prevent any potential loss of progress.
17. Upload the player transfer .zip file.
18. Right-click the file and press Unarchive.
19. Start the server.