Where Are Game Save Files on Windows?
Most Windows games hide their saves in one of five folders. Here are all of them, how to find any game’s save folder in under a minute, and exact paths for popular games.
Where most games keep their saves on Windows
%APPDATA%
Most games store saves in a subfolder here (e.g. %APPDATA%\EldenRing). Paste %APPDATA% into the Explorer address bar to open it.
%LOCALAPPDATA%
Unreal Engine games and others (Palworld, Baldur’s Gate 3) use this folder or its LocalLow sibling.
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games
Bethesda games (Skyrim, Fallout, Starfield) and many others keep saves under Documents\My Games.
%USERPROFILE%\Saved Games
The official Windows saved-games folder — used by Cyberpunk 2077 and others.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata
Games that use Steam Cloud store per-account saves here, in a folder named with your Steam ID.
How to find any game's save folder
- Press Win+R, type %appdata% and press Enter — look for a folder named after your game.
- If it is not there, check %localappdata% and %localappdata%\..\LocalLow the same way.
- Also check Documents\My Games and %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games.
- For Steam games, right-click the game in Steam › Manage › Browse local files, or check Steam\userdata for cloud saves.
- Still stuck? Search the game name in our list below for the exact path.
Save locations by game
Pick your game for the exact path on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Steam Cloud:
- Baldur's Gate 3 Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Cities: Skylines Save File Location (PC, Mac, Linux)
- Cyberpunk 2077 Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Dark Souls III Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Elden Ring Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Fallout 4 Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- GTA V Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Hogwarts Legacy Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Hollow Knight Save File Location (PC, Mac, Linux)
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Minecraft Java Edition World Save Location (Windows, Mac, Linux)
- Monster Hunter World Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- No Man's Sky Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Palworld Save File Location (PC, Xbox)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Satisfactory Save File Location (PC)
- Sekiro Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Skyrim Special Edition Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Stardew Valley Save File Location (PC, Mac, Mobile)
- Starfield Save File Location (PC, Xbox)
- Subnautica Save File Location (PC)
- Terraria Save File Location (PC, Mac, Mobile)
- The Sims 4 Save File Location (PC, Mac, PS5, Xbox)
- The Witcher 3 Save File Location (PC, PS5, Xbox)
- Valheim Save File Location (World & Character, PC)
Moving to a new PC?
Step-by-step transfer guides:
- How to Transfer Your Baldur's Gate 3 Save to a New PC
- How to Transfer Your Cyberpunk 2077 Save to a New PC
- How to Transfer Your Elden Ring Save to a New PC
- How to Transfer Your Fallout 4 Save to a New PC
- How to Transfer Your Palworld Save to a New PC
- How to Transfer Your Skyrim Special Edition Save to a New PC
- How to Transfer Your Stardew Valley Save to a New PC
- How to Transfer Your Valheim Save to a New PC
FAQ
Where are game save files stored on Windows?
Most PC games store saves in one of five places: %APPDATA%, %LOCALAPPDATA% (or LocalLow), Documents\My Games, %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games, or Steam\userdata for Steam Cloud games. The exact folder depends on the game — check our per-game list for the precise path.
How do I find a specific game’s save folder?
Press Win+R, type %appdata%, and look for a folder named after the game. If it is not there, check %localappdata%, Documents\My Games, and Saved Games. Our game-by-game guides give the exact path.
Why can’t I find my save file?
Some games hide saves in Steam\userdata (named by Steam ID), in Microsoft Store Packages folders for Game Pass versions, or sync them only to the cloud with no local file. Console-style saves are often sealed and not copyable.