Steam Deck Save File Location(All You Should Know)
Game backups help you save your game progress in case of hard drive failures. If you are using Steam Deck, you may want to backup save games to Windows PC or transfer saves from PC to deck if the cloud backup is not supported. To access them, you need to know where is Steam Deck saves file location is.
While you can access all of these on AppData on Windows, the Steam Deck save file location often confuses people. This post will show us how to find and save game data on Linux and SteamOS.
How to Locate Steam Deck Game Save Files on PC
You can select the changes in the default download folder on your PC to download Steam game data. But many people prefer saving the game data and saving the game in C drive. While most of these game files lie inside the AppData, here's how to locate Steam Deck game save files on your PC.
Step 1: Open the File Explorer on your Windows PC.
Step 2: Navigate to the default Steam Games data location. Paste this location in the search bar. C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common.
Step 3: Here, you can find the individual game folders. Find the Game. Save data or back up the entire folder to an external drive.
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How to Find Game Save Files on Steam Deck
- Notice:
- The Windows games on the Steam Deck use the proton layer to connect and communicate with Linux and Windows. While this software saves the game files themselves, the game saves are stored in something called Prefix Folder. The Prefix folders contain all the configuration information and Windows bits and pieces to run the games, just like a registry.
Just like %AppData% in Windows, all of this prefix folder information is stored in something called a Compact data folder. Now, let us see how to navigate the compact data folder to get the Steam Deck to save the file location.
Step 1: Find the SteamID.
Every Steam and Non-Steam game is associated with a unique ID. The Steam Deck uses this ID to store the files of that respective game.
You can find the ID on SteamDB for Steam games, and for non-Steam games, you can use third-party tools to get the ID.
Step 2: Move to the Compact data folder.
/home/deck/.steam/steam/steamapps/compact data/
Step 3: Now, navigate to /SteamID/.pfx/drive_c and save the game's storage location in various locations. (SteamID- Unique SteamID associated with different games).
Step 4: Go to the PC gaming wiki, enter the game's name, and find the save game files location on the Steam Deck.
Step 5: Now, navigate to the folder to find the Game Save files.
Pro Tip - Backup Steam Deck Save File to Keep Your Game Safe
It is uncertain that when a hard drive fails, a re-format may erase your data, resulting in game save data and others. It is better to prevent such cases, where you might lose all your hard-earned progress by backing up your data. Qiling Disk Master is a tool where you have to back up once and then set scheduled backup and automatic backup for game saves.
Qiling Todo is a seamless backup software to schedule your backups with advanced options like AI smart backup. This is your one-stop solution to quickly create system backup, upgrade, clone, and transfer your files and disks. You have to find the game saves and opt for backups that will do the job. You can backup and restore with secure methods to keep your files in emergencies.
Key Features of Qiling Disk Master:
- Back up your PC to a cloud drive.
- Advanced backup and clone solutions to create backups.
- A complete backup, management, and restoration tool.
- Allows multi-path backup options with cloud storage.
Here is what you should do to save your game file:
Step 1. Click "Select backup contents" to initiate a backup.
Step 2. There are four data backup categories, File, Disk, OS, and Mail, click File.
Step 3. Local and network files will be displayed on the left side. You may extend the directory to choose which files to back up.
Step 4. Select the location where you want to store the backup by following the on-screen instructions.
Click "Options" to encrypt the backup with a password in "Backup Options," and to setup a backup schedule and choose to initiate a backup at a certain event in "Backup Scheme." There are a variety of other customization options available for the backup process.
Step 5. You may save the backup to a local disk, Qiling' online service, or a NAS.
Step 6. Qiling Disk Master enables customers to back up data to a third-party cloud drive and its own cloud drive.
If you want to back up data to a third-party cloud drive, choose Local Drive, scroll down to add Cloud Device, add your account, and then log in.
Step 7. To begin backup, click "Proceed" Once the backup process has been finished, it will be shown as a card on the panel's left side. To further manage a backup job, right-click it.
How to Transfer Game Files to PC/Steam Deck
If you want to transfer files between the PC and Steam Deck, you need to download the tool called Warpinator. While the manual download is tricky and requires a lot of preparation, this software allows you to drag and drop files as long as both devices are on the same network. Here's a guide on how to do it using Warpinator.
Step 1: From desktop mode on your Steam Deck, go to Discover, search for Warpinator, and install it.
Step 2: If you want to transfer files from Windows to Steam, install the Windows version.
Step 3: The first time you launch the app, the Warpinator asks you to set a Group code. Give a group code and turn it on and later choose the "Wlan0" under Network Interface to use and click on Apply Network Changes.
Here, under the General tab, you can choose the location to save files (if you are receiving them) under the location for received files drop-down.
Step 4: Now, do the same on the Windows PC. Go to File > General section, and choose the "location to save the received files."
Under the Connection tab, enter the group code, the same as Steam Deck and WiFi, for the "Network interface to use." This action will connect the PC and Steam Deck.
- Tip
- Make sure you turn off the Firewall settings on your Windows. And, if the connection is not made, try doing step-2 again.
Step 5: Now, browse the files on Steam Deck/PC and send them. Accept the file transfer in PC/Steam Deck to start the transfer process.
Sum Up
The game saves are essential to back the game's progress and continue. If you want to find the Steam Deck Save File location, it can be tricky and confuses many users. This post gives you a detailed guide about finding the Steam Deck save file location and transferring files between the PC and Steam Deck.
Data threats like hard drive failures and data loss are other reasons which might delete your game progress. To avoid such situations, you must create backups of game saves with Qiling Disk Master—a one-stop solution for backup and recovery needs for your PC.
FAQs on Steam Deck Save File Location
Here are some of the most frequent FAQs on Steam Deck save file location. If you have similar queries hope this will help you.
1. How do I save Steam Deck files to my SD card?
- Hold the power button on the Steam Deck and Switch to Desktop mode.
- Connect the SD card to your Steam Deck (Make sure it is formatted into the required format).
- Move the Steam Deck files onto the SD card using the Warpinator.
2. Can you use multiple SD cards on Steam Deck?
Yes, Steam Deck allows using multiple SD cards to expand the storage capacity. The Steam Deck has a microSD slot to insert high-capacity cards. These slots help gamers who wish to store large games and libraries.
3. Does uninstalling Steam delete saves?
No, if you sync your Steam files to Steam Cloud. The game saves will be automatically stored in the cloud and can be used to backup even if you uninstall the game. Once you install Steam on any device, all of these game saves will be downloaded automatically.
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