Your Garry’s Mod server is backed up every 10 minutes while it runs, and every time it sleeps. You can restore or download any backup from Backups. Garry’s Mod has no single world file: what matters is the server’s database garrysmod/sv.db, the garrysmod/data/ folder, your configs and your addons.
How backups work
| Backup | When it’s made | Kept |
|---|---|---|
| Latest safe copy | Every 10 minutes while the server runs and something changed, and every time it sleeps | Always the newest one |
| Your own backups | When you make one in Backups, with a label you choose | Until you delete them |
| Scheduled backups | On a schedule you set in Schedules, like every 6 hours | The oldest is replaced when your slots are full |
| Safety backups | Automatically before updates, restores, addon installs and game switches | 7 days |
Backups are safe while people play. They hold your data, configs and addons, never the Garry’s Mod game files, which always install fresh from Steam.
Make a backup
- Open Backups.
- Make a new backup and give it a label you’ll recognise, like “Before DarkRP jobs update”.
- Wait a few seconds for it to finish.
Restore a backup
- Open Backups and pick the backup you want.
- Restore it. We make a backup of the current server first, so you can undo.
- The server restarts with the restored data.
To get one file back, like last night’s server.cfg, open it in Files and pick an earlier version by date.
Download a backup
Open Backups, pick a backup and download it. You get a link to a zip that works for 24 hours.
Where your data lives
| Path | What it holds |
|---|---|
garrysmod/sv.db |
The server’s database. Gamemodes and addons save player data here, like DarkRP wallets and jobs |
garrysmod/data/ |
Files that addons save, like ULX groups in garrysmod/data/ulib/ |
garrysmod/cfg/ |
server.cfg, ban lists and other config files |
garrysmod/addons/ |
Addons you installed by hand |
garrysmod/lua/ |
Lua files you added, like lua/autorun/server/workshop.lua |
Move your server from another host
- On the old host, stop the server.
- Download
garrysmod/sv.db, thegarrysmod/data/andgarrysmod/cfg/folders,garrysmod/addons/, and any Lua files you added undergarrysmod/lua/. - Put them in a zip, keeping the
garrysmod/folder at the top so every path stays the same. - In the panel, open Games > Bring your world and upload the zip. We check it and put the files in place.
- Copy your startup options into Settings: gamemode, map, max players and Workshop collection ID.
- Paste your Steam game server token in Settings too, and stop the old server for good. One token can only run one server at a time.
- Start the server and join to check everything is there.
You can also upload by hand: stop the server, then upload the files into the same paths with Files or SFTP.
If your old server saved data in a separate MySQL database, that data isn’t in these files. Export it from that database first, or start fresh with the built-in sv.db.
Single-player saves and dupes
Garry’s Mod saves (.gms files) and dupes stay on your own PC. Saves load from the game’s menu, and a dedicated server can’t load them, so there’s nothing to upload.
To find them, right-click Garry’s Mod in Steam and choose Manage > Browse local files, then open garrysmod. With Steam’s default install folder that is:
| System | Folder |
|---|---|
| Windows | C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\ |
| Mac | ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/GarrysMod/garrysmod/ |
| Linux | ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/GarrysMod/garrysmod/ |
Saves are in saves, and dupes in dupes. There is no console version of Garry’s Mod.
Questions
How often is my Garry's Mod server backed up?
Every 10 minutes while it runs and something changed, and every time it sleeps. We also back up before updates, restores, addon installs and game switches, and you can make your own backups any time.
Where does a Garry's Mod server keep its data?
Mostly in garrysmod/sv.db, the server's database, and the garrysmod/data folder. Your settings are in garrysmod/cfg and hand-installed addons in garrysmod/addons.
Can I load my single-player Garry's Mod save on my server?
No. Garry's Mod saves load from the game's menu on your own PC, and a dedicated server can't load them. Your server keeps its own data instead.
How do I move my DarkRP server to Wilderack?
Download sv.db, the data and cfg folders and your addons from the old host, zip them with their garrysmod paths, and upload the zip in Games with Bring your world. Then copy your gamemode, map and collection into Settings.
Sources we checked
- Downloading and Hosting a Dedicated ServerFacepunch Studios
- Steam Game Server AccountsFacepunch Studios
- DarkRPDarkRP developers
