Valheim Save Editor — Edit Skills, Inventory, Health & World

Last verified: 2026-09-30

Save file to edit

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\characters_local\<name>.fch

Valheim saves are NOT plain text. Your character is a single <name>.fch in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\characters_local (plus a <name>.fch.old backup), and each world is a <name>.db world-data file next to a <name>.fwl metadata file in worlds_local. The .fch is a custom binary blob — a length-prefixed structure holding your inventory, skill levels, max health/stamina, known recipes and map/exploration data, ending in a hash the game checks on load. To edit it: fully quit Valheim (and pause Steam Cloud sync, or Steam restores the old file), back up the .fch, then load it into an editor that understands the format — ValheimSaveEditor (lancewarner, Windows + Steam Deck/Linux), Loki (Wufflez), VikingEditor (Nexus) or the browser-based Valheim CharData Editor. Change skills or inventory, save back over the same filename, and relaunch. The reason you need a real tool and not a hex editor is the trailing hash: good editors re-calculate the required signature automatically, so the game doesn't reject the file.

Valheim keeps your character and your worlds in separate binary files: the character is a single .fch in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\characters_local, and each world is a .db + .fwl pair in worlds_local. Neither is text — they're custom binary with a length-prefixed layout and a hash, so you can't touch them in Notepad. A save editor decodes the .fch, lets you change skills, inventory and stats through a UI, and re-computes the file so the game accepts it.

What you can edit and which tag to change

What it changes	XML tag	Example value	Notes
Skill levels	`Skills → (Run, Swim, Axes, Bows, Blocking…)`	`Bows = 100`	Each skill 0–100. Raising a combat skill to 100 is the most common edit. Values above 100 can display oddly; keep them in range.
Inventory items	`Inventory (item name + quantity + quality)`	`Iron ×999 (quality 1)`	Items are stored by their internal prefab name (e.g. 'Iron', 'FineWood'). A misspelt or non-existent prefab name is dropped on load rather than crashing, but the item just won't appear.
Max health & stamina	`Character → food/base stats`	`raise base HP`	Base health/stamina are driven by food buffs at runtime; most editors expose the stored current values. Editing these is cosmetic if food overrides them next meal.
Known recipes / crafting	`Character → KnownRecipes`	`unlock all recipes`	Flags for what you've discovered. Unlocking everything skips the material-discovery gating; safe, but removes progression.
Map / exploration data	`Character → map fog`	`reveal / reset map`	Per-world explored fog is stored on the character. Some editors let you clear it; large map data is the bulkiest part of the .fch.
World seed & metadata	`.fwl → seed / name`	`world name`	The .fwl holds the world name and seed; the .db holds all placed objects and terrain. Editing world objects is far riskier than character edits — back up both files.
Character name	`.fch → name`	`Name = Viking`	The filename and the in-file name should match. Renaming only the file without the tool updating the in-file name can make the character not load.

How to edit your Valheim save by hand

Fully quit Valheim and pause Steam Cloud (Steam → Valheim → Properties → turn off Cloud, or exit Steam) — otherwise the cloud copy overwrites your edited .fch on next launch.
Open %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\ (Win+R → type the path). Characters are in characters_local, worlds in worlds_local.
Copy your <name>.fch (and the world's .db + .fwl if editing a world) to a backup folder outside the Valheim directory.
Open ValheimSaveEditor, Loki, VikingEditor or the Valheim CharData Editor and load your .fch.
Edit skills, inventory or recipes. Let the tool save — it re-computes the file's hash/signature so the game accepts it.
Save back over the original <name>.fch (same filename the game expects).
Relaunch Valheim. If the character loads with your edits, re-enable Steam Cloud. If it fails to load, restore your .fch backup and try a smaller edit.

Prefer a save editor instead of raw XML?

Browser-based editors like the Valheim CharData Editor edit the .fch in your browser (nothing uploaded) and are convenient for quick skill/inventory tweaks, but desktop tools (ValheimSaveEditor, Loki) handle world files and edge cases more reliably and always re-sign the file so it loads.

Mistakes that corrupt the save

The trailing hash is why hex editing fails: change a byte by hand and the game rejects the .fch as corrupt. Always use a tool that re-computes the signature.
Steam Cloud will silently restore the pre-edit .fch if you don't disable it before editing — the #1 reason 'my edit disappeared'.
Character and world are separate files. Editing your character doesn't touch the world; deleting a world's .db loses all builds. Back up both.
Keep a .fch.old — Valheim itself keeps one, but overwrite it and you lose the automatic fallback. Make your own copy before every edit.

Not sure where the file is? See the full Valheim save file location guide (every platform path), or the corrupted-save recovery guide if an edit broke your file.

FAQ

Where is the Valheim save file to edit on PC?

Characters are at %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\characters_local\<name>.fch and worlds at ...\worlds_local\<name>.db + <name>.fwl. Press Win+R and paste the path.

Can I edit my Valheim character in Notepad?

No. The .fch is custom binary ending in a hash the game verifies. Editing bytes by hand corrupts it. Use ValheimSaveEditor, Loki or VikingEditor, which re-calculate the signature.

Why did my Valheim save edit disappear after I relaunched?

Steam Cloud restored the old .fch. Disable Cloud sync (or exit Steam) before editing, and only re-enable it after the edited character loads correctly.

Which Valheim save editor is safest?

For characters, ValheimSaveEditor (Windows + Steam Deck/Linux) and Loki are well maintained and re-sign the file. The browser Valheim CharData Editor is fine for quick skill/inventory changes. Back up the .fch first.

Other games

Need another game or a quick backup? Use the Save Location Finder — pick any game to get its exact save path plus a ready-to-run backup command.