While the phrase "steam cloud" may conjure up images of a humid kettle or an former-timey train, when it comes to video games it'due south a killer characteristic of the largest PC gaming platform. If you game on Steam, you'll definitely want to know how to utilise Steam Cloud game saves. When things go wrong, you'll be glad your precious hours of progress are safely stored where no 1 can delete them.

What Are Steam Cloud Saves?

Games that you purchase and download through Steam can upload and download save game files to Steam'due south servers. In other words, if y'all lose your calculator's data, set a new computer or play your Steam games on multiple computers, you can call up your latest save game via the internet.

When you uninstall a game then reinstall it at a afterwards engagement, your save games will be restored besides. In general, Steam Deject saves let you forget about your save data and simply get on with gaming.

Does Every Game Support Steam Deject Saves?

Not every game on Steam supports cloud saves. This is something that'due south left up to the developer. All games don't work the same either. Developers get to choose what information is uploaded and what isn't. If you want to know if a Steam game supports cloud saves, simply go to its store page and check if the Steam Cloud logo is under the listing of game features.

Ensuring Deject Saves Are Active for Your Game

Information technology's possible to disable cloud saves for all games on a given Steam figurer. You can also enable or disable the feature for private games likewise. If your game supports Steam Cloud saves but isn't syncing, yous can bank check if the characteristic is enabled with ease.

To check the global cloud relieve settings:

  1. Open Steam.
  2. Select Steam > Settings.
  3. Switch to the Cloud tab.
  4. Ensure that Enable Steam Cloud synchronization for applications which support it is toggled to your preference.
  1. Select OK.

To check cloud save condition for individual games:

  1. Open up Steam.
  2. Go to your Steam library.

[four Steam Library 1.jpg]

  1. Right-click on the game in question.
  2. Select Backdrop.
  1. Switch to the General tab.
  2. Check that cloud synchronization is toggled according to your preference.

Again, not all games have the Steam Deject save feature, so if yous don't meet that choice for an individual game, it probably doesn't back up it. Nosotros encourage you to make transmission backups of your salve game data in that example.

Finding Downloaded Steam Deject Saves on Your PC

Speaking of making manual backups,yous can actually access the local copy of your cloud saves on the local auto. As long equally you lot know the binder locations, of course:

  • PC: C:\Plan Files (x86)\Steam\userdata
  • Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata
  • Linux: ~/.local/share/Steam/userdata

Just call back that these are the default locations where cloud save information is stored locally. If you lot specified a custom folder when you installed Steam, you need to get to that binder instead.

Inside these folders, you'll notice the saves stored according to Steam App ID. This is a unique number that corresponds with a game's catalogue number in the Steam store. You lot can easily find which ID goes with which game by entering the ID number on SteamDB.

What to Exercise with Steam Deject Save Conflicts

Sometimes, you'll get an error message from Steam that there's a conflict between the save game stored on your local computer and the one that Steam has on their server. This unremarkably happens because y'all progressed on ii different versions of the same save game file.

About of the fourth dimension, the right choice is simply to pick the nearly recently modified version of the file, only in some cases that may actually not be the save you want. Merely to be prophylactic, we recommend choosing to cancel the deject sync conflict the first time you lot see information technology.

Now go make a backup of the local file using the folder locations we only discussed in the previous department. If it turns out that the local files were the ones that you should have kept, you tin can get back and replace them manually.

Manually Download Your Steam Deject Saves

Another dandy option is the ability to view and download your Deject Sync files using a web browser. Simply get to the View Steam Cloud and log into your Steam business relationship if yous aren't already.

Here you can run into every individual game file that's stored in your Steam Cloud Sync account. All y'all have to do is select the download button and yous have a re-create for yourself. This is useful for using save files with other versions of a game and to apace make a fill-in of the cloud files earlier they are removed in a sync disharmonize resolution as we only saw.

Just behave in listen that more than than salve game files are stored here. Developers may choose to store other data, such every bit game configuration files, right alongside your saves. So brand certain you lot're downloading the right thing!

How to Set the "Steam Was Unable to Sync" and Other Issues

The last flake of crucial information you demand to get along well with Steam Cloud saves is what to practice when things go wrong. Hither are some general tips:

  • Check the Steam abode page to see if their servers are down.
  • Restart your modems, routers and computer.
  • Connect to a unlike network.
  • Check your firewall and antivirus settings.
  • Disable whatsoever software that monitors or modifies network traffic to bank check for conflicts.
  • Disable your VPN, Steam doesn't like them and they can become you banned.

At present you're armed with all the knowledge you need to become the most out of the Steam Cloud save characteristic. Which ways you can become dorsum to the all-important task of enjoying your video games.