When customizing your Palworld server, sometimes you might run into problems. One of the major issues are settings not being saved properly for your world. There are a few reasons why this could be happening, which we will cover in this Apex Hosting guide. Keep in mind that these are the most common situations that server owners encounter. There might be very specific or highly unique cases where it’s something else.
With this in mind, review the following sections to see what applies to you.
WorldOptions Override
Why it happens: The most common culprit for ignored settings in Palworld is file hierarchy. Palworld strictly prioritizes save files over configuration files. If your save folder contains a WorldOptions.sav file (which frequently happens when uploading a local single player save or using an online config generator), the server entirely ignores your PalWorldSettings.ini file. Editing the .ini file directly will have no effect because the server silently bypasses it.
Resolution: Access your server panel, navigate to FTP File Access, and locate your active save folder (/Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/Your_Save_Folder/). Either delete WorldOptions.sav to force the server to read PalWorldSettings.ini, or update the .sav file directly using an online save converter.
Existing Objects Do Not Update
Why it happens: Certain world parameters in Palworld bind to objects or entities at the exact moment they are spawned or placed. For instance, if you change AutoResetEggIncubatorTimer to speed up hatch times, any egg already placed inside an incubator before the change will retain its original timer.
Resolution: Have players cancel and reset the action in game. Removing an egg from the incubator and placing it back inside after the server update forces it to pull the newly applied timer settings.
Editing Files While Server is Online
Why it happens: Modifying PalWorldSettings.ini while the server is actively running causes issues due to cached memory. Palworld holds active settings in RAM. When you shut down or restart the server to apply changes, the server overwrites your newly edited .ini file with the old settings cached in memory.
Resolution: Always stop the server completely before editing configuration files or modifying data. Save your changes, then start the server back up.
Syntax Errors & Formatting Rules
Why it happens: Palworld configuration files are notoriously fragile. Unlike standard config files that allow neat multi-line lists, Palworld requires all configuration keys to exist on a single line inside OptionSettings=(...). Adding an accidental line break, missing a closing quotation mark, or entering a value outside allowed bounds will cause a failure. The server will silently reset all settings to hardcoded defaults.
Resolution: Use the editor in your server panel to edit PalWorldSettings.ini, ensuring the entire block remains on line 1 without manual enter or return keys inserted.
Editing the Wrong World Save Directory
Why it happens: Servers that have multiple saves can lead to editing the wrong configuration target. If the server is configured with a custom world save name in the main settings, editing the root PalWorldSettings.ini file under Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ might not link properly if world overrides exist inside specific save subfolders.
Resolution: Double check the active world name field in your main control panel to ensure your configuration edits match the exact folder path of the world currently being loaded.
Conclusion
Hopefully these fixes helped you save settings on your Palworld server. Whether you’ve mistakenly created syntax errors or have overriding issues, it’s entirely possible to fix it. If you still are having issues, then we strongly recommend reaching out to our Support Team to see if they can assist you. Otherwise, here are some helpful resources:
