Where are Game Saves Located in Windows 10? Everything You Need to Know

Players are used to saving their game before quitting or turning off their computer, so they can pick up where they left off. The problem comes when they have to switch computers or reinstall Windows.

And that meant that they would lose all of their games, because the save files would be deleted or lost. And so a lot of these gamers went to great lengths to back up their save game files. But that introduced another problem.

Where are their favorite game files, you wonder? As you probably know, Windows 10 updates regularly, and it likes to move those files around. This article will help you find the save file folder where games are stored in Windows. So, let's dig in and discover the save game location in Windows 10.

How to Find and Open Game Files on Windows 10

Finding the location of most game files in Windows 10 is pretty straightforward. Some games will store their save files in their own folders, so you might want to check those before trying this method. Game developers that often store their games in their own folders include:

• Ubisoft
• Rockstar Games
• Techland
• GOG Gamers/CD Projekt Red

There are many more, but the point is to check your game's folders before looking in Windows' default save locations. If you can't find the save files there, try searching for the game's files on Windows 10.

Please follow these steps:

Step 1: Press Windows + E to open My Computer/Explorer.

Step 2: Open the document and inspect the game's folder.

Step 3: If none of these are the game you want, open the My Games folder instead, and choose the game you want to open or save files for.

Step 4: Inside the folder, look for any other saved folders.

Step 5: Right-click on one of the files in the folder, and select Open with.

Step 6. Click on More apps to explore other applications. When the list of applications opens, select Notepad and click OK.

But this is probably the best way to find where most of your game files are right now – this is the default location for Windows 10 game saves.

How to Find Your Saved Games on Steam for Windows 10

You might already know that most games require the Steam client to run on a Windows PC, since Steam is the primary distribution platform for so many games. This also means that your game files aren't stored in the standard Windows 10 game saves location. As such, it's important to know how to find and back up Steam cloud saves in Windows 10.

Here's how to find the Steam games folder that contains your saved files in Windows 10:

Step 1: Launch Steam on your computer.

Step 2: Look for and click on Libraries in the main options at the top.

Step 3. Right-click the game you want to back up.

Step 4: Navigate to the Admin sub-menu.

Step 5: Click "Browse Local Files" to open the game's folder, and then browse through the files inside.

Browse local files

This will open the folder for the game you selected in the Library. Since our Steam Library only has one game, we can only access this one. If you have multiple games in your Steam Library, you'll need to repeat these steps for each game's folder that you want to access.

**How to Back Up and Restore Steam Game Files on Your Computer:** 1. **Backing Up Steam Game Files:** - First, ensure that the Steam game you want to back up is closed. - Locate the installation folder for your Steam games. It's typically at `C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common`, but you might have customized the path. - Select the folder of the game you wish to back up and copy it to a secure location, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage service. Alternatively, you can use a compression tool like WinRAR or 7-Zip to create a backup archive. 2. **Restoring Steam Game Files:** - Before restoring, make sure you've uninstalled the game, or at least closed the Steam client. - Paste the backed-up game folder back into its original installation location, or if it's a compressed file, extract it to the same spot. - Launch the Steam client and log in to your account. - In your library, find the game, right-click it, and select "Properties." - On the "Local Files" tab, click "Verify integrity of game files." This will compare your files with those on the Steam servers, and if any are missing or corrupted, Steam will automatically download and fix them. Please note that this method may not work for all games, as some rely on specific installation processes or serialized data and may require a full reinstall. Additionally, backing up and restoring large games might take some time.

[Steam Tutorial] How to Backup and Restore Steam Game Files

This tutorial will guide you on how to backup and restore Steam game files via two methods. You can either use Steam's backup feature or a file backup software to back up your game files.

## Where are Xbox Game Pass PC games saved on Windows 10?

The location of saved games for Xbox Game Pass on Windows 10 depends on which game you're playing, but the Xbox services on Windows save them all to the same folder on your computer. You'll find it in the `AppData` folder within your User folder.

Here's how to find your saved game progress for Xbox Game Pass PC games on Windows 10:

Step 1: Go to the C: drive and open the Users folder.

Step 2: Find your username, and open that folder.

Type %AppData% after your username.

Step 4: Then navigate to the Local folder and enter the Packages folder.

Step 5: Then, locate the folder where the game is saved, alongside a string of text.

As you can see, there is a string of characters next to the Save Game folder.

Games through Xbox Game Pass are usually installed through the Microsoft Store or a similar app on Windows, which means they'll often have a string of random letters following the game's name, as mentioned above.

Saving Game Files on the Microsoft Store for Windows 10

Games from the Microsoft Store will save their files in a subfolder called LocalLow within App Data. You'll need to access this hidden App Data folder again, which requires admin privileges on your computer.

Here's how to find your Microsoft Store game files on Windows 10:

First, navigate to C:\Users\Administrator\AppData.

Step 2: Locate the <My Documents> folder, and double-click to open it.

Step 3: Double-click the “Microsoft” folder inside the “LocalLow” folder to open it.

Step 4: Save or copy the contents of the folder.

Any game titles you have in this folder will be highlighted. So you don't have to look too hard, because your game's title will appear within the folder. It's important to remember that you'll only find save files for games downloaded from the Microsoft Store here.

Location of GOG Game Saves

GOG save game files are located in various spots on your Windows 10 system, depending on the game you've installed and how its developer configured the settings. Sometimes, you can find GOG save games at:

• Application data folder
• Program files folder
• Game installation folder
• Windows Documents folder

So we need to look through all the folders to find the GOG save location, because we only have the GOG version of Witcher 3 on this computer, so I'll use that as an example.

Our The Witcher 3 save game location is: Here:

Step 1: Navigate to the partition/drive where the game is installed, and locate the GOG Games folder.

Step 2: Go to the game folder, i.e. the Witcher 3 folder.

Step 3: Open the “Bin” folder, and then copy or back up the “Save Data” folder.

The location of the "Saves" folder depends entirely on the game you're playing. After finding your GOG game files, remember to back up your Witcher 3 saves and those from other games to protect against data loss. Most GOG games will have this folder inside their installation folder. However, some store save files in the "App Data" or "Program Files" folders instead, so you may need to dig around for the specific game's save files.

Expert Tip: How to Backup Game Save Files on Windows 10

Now that you've located your game save files in Windows 10, you might want to back them up securely. The easy solution is to use high-quality backup software to create a reliable backup. This is why you need to have the Todo Backup Home tool installed on your computer.

There are other tools out there, but what makes Todo Backup Home an excellent choice for backing up game save files is that:

• 250GB of free cloud storage for backing up and saving files and other data
• One-click backup and instant restore functionality
• Saving game progress while updating games
• Efficient recovery on any computer, even unfamiliar ones
• Reinstalling Windows without losing your games

Therefore, you should download and install the Todo Backup Home utility on your computer. This will help you save lots of important data and files, including game progress.

Here are the steps to back up game files using Todo Backup Home:

Step 1: Launch Todo Backup Home on your computer and locate the game files you want to back up.

Step 2. Click on Select Backup Content > Files, and then choose the save folder you want to back up based on the game's file location.

Select File Backup.

3. Click on the “Options” > “Backup Schedule” button to set up your own backup cycle, and choose the “Incremental” backup type.

Set up a backup schedule

Step 4. Choose a backup location from your local drive, free cloud storage, NAS, or safe area. Then, click the "Backup Now" button to start the backup task.

The bottom line is that Europe's leaders must recognize that they face a moment of truth.

That's where saved games are typically located on Windows 10, though note that some games use completely different methods for saving your progress. Some games will be in these folders, but others might be located elsewhere entirely.

If that's your case, you'll have to search for a specific file name. But once you've located all the game saves you need, it's important to back them up. For this, you can use a tool like Todo Backup Home, to save those files to cloud storage or your computer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I change the save file location for a game?

Some games let you change the save file location, but most modern games don't because they use tools like Steam or Epic Games Launcher to manage save files. That means you'll have to change the save location through those apps.

Where does Microsoft Store install games on PC?

Microsoft stores all game files in the “AppData” and “LocalLow” folders. The games will appear as individual folders within this specific folder. If you can't find your specific game here, try looking in the “WindowsApps” folder within the “Program Files” folder on your C drive.