Football Manager 26 Save Corrupted — Fix & Recover on PC

Last verified: 2026-09-24

If Football Manager 26 shows a corrupt save or your careers vanished after a patch, don't start a new career yet. Here's the exact games folder, the OneDrive Documents redirect that fakes most FM26 corruption, and how to recover your .fm career.

Save file

C:\Users\<You>\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\games

If Football Manager 26 says your save is corrupt, won't load, or your careers vanished after an update, do NOT start a new save yet. Your FM26 saves live at C:\Users\<YourName>\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\games (press Win+R, paste %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\games and Enter). On FM26 the #1 real cause is not a broken file: OneDrive has redirected your Documents folder, so the game and your backup point at two different 'Documents' locations and each launch shows the wrong (older or empty) games folder. Check BOTH C:\Users\<You>\Documents\... and C:\Users\<You>\OneDrive\Documents\... — your real save is almost always in one of them. Copy the whole games folder somewhere safe first, then work on the copy; the .fm file usually loads once you point FM26 at the right folder or pause OneDrive sync.

Where the files live: see the full Football Manager 26 save file location guide for every platform path (PS5, Xbox, Steam Cloud).

How to transfer your Football Manager 26 save to a new PC

Fully quit Football Manager 26 and check Task Manager for a leftover fm.exe process — FM writes to the games folder on save and exit, so nothing should touch it while you copy. If the error appeared right after a patch, let any pending Steam/Epic update finish first: a half-installed build reads on screen exactly like a corrupt save.
Open the save folder: press Win+R, paste %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\games and Enter. Your careers are the .fm files here. If the folder is empty or missing, that's the OneDrive redirect problem — go to the next step.
Check the OneDrive copy — the #1 FM26 cause: if OneDrive backs up your Documents, your real saves may sit at C:\Users\<You>\OneDrive\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\games instead. Open BOTH paths; whichever has your recent .fm files is the live one. FM sometimes creates a second empty folder while the good one lives under OneDrive.
Back up the WHOLE games folder (both copies if two exist) to your Desktop or a USB drive BEFORE touching anything. FM does not re-download a local save automatically, so a folder copy is your only guaranteed rollback point — this single step is the real fix if a later attempt makes things worse.
Stop the folders fighting: pause OneDrive sync (OneDrive tray icon → Settings → Pause), or right-click the Sports Interactive folder → 'Always keep on this device' so OneDrive can't replace your local .fm with a half-synced cloud copy. Then point FM26 at the folder that has your real save.
Restore an older version: right-click the corrupt .fm file → Properties → Previous Versions (or use File History / OneDrive 'Version history' online) and restore a copy from before the corruption. Keep your backup untouched while you test the restored file.
'Folder not created in Documents' at all? That is almost always Windows Defender Controlled Folder Access (ransomware protection) blocking fm.exe from writing. Open Windows Security -> Virus & threat protection -> Ransomware protection -> Manage / Allow an app through Controlled folder access -> Add an allowed app -> Browse -> point to fm.exe inside your Steam FM26 install (steamapps\common\Football Manager 26). Relaunch FM26 and it will create the games folder.
If nothing loads, verify game files through Steam/Epic (this repairs a broken build without deleting saves) and check disk space and antivirus 'Controlled folder access' — a blocked write to Documents surfaces as corruption. As a last resort, look on another PC where you played; its games folder may still hold an uncorrupted .fm.

Does cloud sync move it for you?

Football Manager 26 saves to your Windows Documents folder, but OneDrive commonly redirects Documents to the cloud — so 'C:\Users\You\Documents' and 'C:\Users\You\OneDrive\Documents' can both exist and hold different games folders. A half-synced or older OneDrive copy overwriting the good local one is what most FM26 'corruption' actually is. Pause OneDrive sync and confirm which folder holds your recent .fm files before any fix; FM also uses Steam Cloud, so go offline in Steam too if the game keeps restoring an older save.

Common mistakes

Do NOT start a New Career on the corrupt-save screen before you've checked the OneDrive Documents path — your real save is often just in the other 'Documents' folder, not gone.
Two 'Documents' folders is the classic FM26 trap: the game creates an empty Sports Interactive folder locally while your saves live under OneDrive\Documents (or vice-versa). Always open both.
If the save broke exactly at a patch, a half-installed update or a mid-write crash — not the .fm file — is usually the culprit; finish the update and verify files before assuming the save is dead.
If the Sports Interactive games folder never appears anywhere (not local, not OneDrive), it is not corruption at all: Windows 'Controlled folder access' is silently blocking fm.exe. Whitelist fm.exe (Windows Security -> Ransomware protection) before doing anything else.

FAQ

Where is the Football Manager 26 save file on PC?

C:\Users\<YourName>\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\games (the .fm files). Open it fast with Win+R → %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\games. If it's empty, check C:\Users\<You>\OneDrive\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 26\games — OneDrive often redirects Documents.

Why does Football Manager 26 say my save is corrupted after an update?

Usually not a truly broken file: OneDrive redirecting Documents so the game reads the wrong (older/empty) games folder, a half-synced OneDrive or Steam Cloud copy overwriting your good local one, a half-installed patch, or a blocked write from antivirus. Pause OneDrive, confirm which folder has your recent .fm, verify files, and it typically loads.

Can I recover my FM26 career without starting over?

Yes, if you have a copy. Back up the whole games folder first, then restore from that backup, the OneDrive copy, Steam Cloud, or Windows Previous Versions / OneDrive version history. FM does not auto-redownload local saves, so the folder copy is what saves your career.

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.