Where Are Your Game Save Files?
Whether you want to back up your progress, transfer saves between computers, or edit them with SaveEditor, the first step is finding where your game stores its data. This guide covers exact paths for 12 popular games across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Before You Start: Quick Tips
%AppData% is a Windows shortcut. Press Win + R, type %AppData%, and press Enter to open it. It resolves to C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming.
%LocalAppData% resolves to C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local. Some games use this instead of Roaming.
Hidden folders: AppData is hidden by default. In File Explorer, click View → Show → Hidden items to reveal it.
Save File Locations by Game
Skyrim Special Edition
Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves\~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/489830/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/My Games/Skyrim Special Edition/Saves/Quick saves and auto saves are stored in the same folder. Each save is a single .ess file alongside a .skse co-save if you use SKSE.
Elden Ring
%AppData%\Roaming\EldenRing\<SteamID>\~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1245620/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Roaming/EldenRing/<SteamID>/All ten character slots are stored inside a single ER0000.sl2 file. Your Steam ID is a 17-digit number.
Stardew Valley
%AppData%\StardewValley\Saves\~/.config/StardewValley/Saves/~/.config/StardewValley/Saves/Each farm is a folder containing two XML files — one named after your farmer and one called SaveGameInfo.
Minecraft (Java Edition)
%AppData%\.minecraft\saves\~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves/~/.minecraft/saves/Each world is a folder. Player data lives in level.dat (NBT format). Backups are in the backups/ folder as .zip files.
GTA V
Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA V\Profiles\<ProfileID>\Profile folders contain numbered save files (SGTA50000 through SGTA50015). GTA Online characters are stored server-side and cannot be edited locally.
Dark Souls III
%AppData%\Roaming\DarkSoulsIII\<SteamID>\~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/374320/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Roaming/DarkSoulsIII/<SteamID>/Like Elden Ring, all characters share one .sl2 file (DS30000.sl2). The file includes a checksum — edit carefully.
Hollow Knight
%AppData%\LocalLow\Team Cherry\Hollow Knight\~/Library/Application Support/unity.Team Cherry.Hollow Knight/~/.config/unity3d/Team Cherry/Hollow Knight/Save slots are user1.dat through user4.dat. Despite the .dat extension, these are plain JSON files and easy to edit in any text editor.
Terraria
Documents\My Games\Terraria\Players\ and Documents\My Games\Terraria\Worlds\~/Library/Application Support/Terraria/Players/ and ~/Library/Application Support/Terraria/Worlds/~/.local/share/Terraria/Players/ and ~/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/Player files (.plr) and world files (.wld) are stored separately. Each also has a .bak backup file automatically created by the game.
Undertale
%LocalAppData%\UNDERTALE\~/Library/Application Support/com.tobyfox.undertale/~/.config/UNDERTALE/file0 holds your in-game save data. undertale.ini stores persistent flags (like Genocide route progress). Both are plain text.
The Witcher 3
Documents\The Witcher 3\gamesaves\~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/292030/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/The Witcher 3/gamesaves/Manual saves, quick saves, auto saves, and checkpoint saves are all stored here as .sav files with a corresponding .png screenshot.
Cyberpunk 2077
%LocalAppData%\CD Projekt Red\Cyberpunk 2077\SaveGames\~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1091500/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/CD Projekt Red/Cyberpunk 2077/SaveGames/Each save is a folder containing multiple .dat files. The sav.dat file holds most gameplay state. Save metadata is in metadata.9.json.
Baldur's Gate 3
%LocalAppData%\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public\Savegames\Story\~/Documents/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public/Savegames/Story/~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1086940/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public/Savegames/Story/Each save is an .lsv archive containing .lsf binary files. The save sizes can be large (50–200 MB) since they store the full world state.
Finding Steam Cloud Saves
Steam Cloud syncs saves to Valve's servers automatically. If you need to access the raw cloud files locally, they're stored at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<SteamID>\<AppID>\remote\~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata/<SteamID>/<AppID>/remote/~/.local/share/Steam/userdata/<SteamID>/<AppID>/remote/Your Steam ID is a numeric folder name (find it by navigating into userdata/ — if you only have one Steam account, there will be just one folder). The App IDis the game's Steam store number (e.g., 489830 for Skyrim SE, 1245620 for Elden Ring). You can look up any game's App ID on SteamDB.
To disable Steam Cloudfor a specific game (useful if you want to prevent Steam from overwriting your edited save), right-click the game in your library → Properties → General → uncheck "Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud."
Epic Games Store Saves
Epic Games Store saves are typically stored in the same location as the Steam version for most games (the paths listed above usually work regardless of storefront). However, Epic's own cloud save directory on Windows is:
C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\EpicGamesLauncher\Saved\SaveGames\Some Epic-exclusive titles may also store data under %LocalAppData%\<GameName>\Saved\SaveGames\ using Unreal Engine's default save path.
Ready to Edit Your Saves?
Once you've found your save files, open them in SaveEditor to view, modify, and export them — right in your browser.
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