Restart or update safely
- Warn players and create a backup of the world before changing the server version or startup settings.
- Use the panel Stop action and wait for a clean exit. Start again and wait for the game session to become ready.
- Join with a matching client and confirm the intended world and recent builds are present.
Mods and plugins
Valheim server mods commonly depend on a third-party loader such as BepInEx. Vanilla servers do not load those files, and a Valheim update can break loader or client/server mod compatibility.
Use a Runic-validated loader workflow only. Back up, stop, install the loader and compatible mod files as their authors direct, then start and inspect the loader log. Keep matching client mods where the mod requires them. If Runic has not enabled that loader for your service, ask support rather than uploading arbitrary binaries into the live world.
Server absent from the browser or join fails
- Confirm the assigned address, password and exact world/server name.
- Check whether crossplay is enabled: its join path differs from the Steam backend. Do not toggle it just to test without noting the original value.
- Check that the client and server game versions match; then inspect Console for a networking or authentication error.
Missing world or startup failure
Check the configured world name before assuming data is lost. Restore the corresponding world files as a set from a backup while the server is stopped. If a mod was added just before the failure, remove that change and test the vanilla boot before restoring.