Most games don’t tell you where they store your saves. Some drop files in a hidden AppData folder, others use Documents, and a few bury saves inside the game’s install directory. If you’re trying to back up progress, move to a new PC, or troubleshoot a missing save, you need the exact path.

Here’s a systematic approach that works for any PC game.

The Four Common Save Locations on Windows

Before doing anything else, check these four paths. They cover the vast majority of PC games:

  • %APPDATA%\[GameName]\ — press Win + R, type %APPDATA%, press Enter
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\[GameName]\ — same method, type %LOCALAPPDATA%
  • Documents\My Games\[GameName]\ — open File Explorer, go to your Documents folder
  • C:\Users\[YourName]\Saved Games\[GameName]\

Substitute [GameName] with the actual game title — sometimes it’s the studio name, sometimes an abbreviation. If nothing shows up, try a partial name or browse the folder manually.

Why AppData Is Harder to Find

The AppData folder is hidden by default on Windows. If you navigate to C:\Users\[YourName]\ in File Explorer and don’t see it, that’s why.

To show it:

  1. Open File Explorer
  2. Click the View tab (Windows 10) or the View menu › Show (Windows 11)
  3. Check Hidden items

Alternatively, just paste the path directly into the address bar — hidden folders open fine with a direct path even when they’re not visible.

Games That Save Inside the Install Directory

A smaller category of games — mostly older titles or DRM-free games — writes saves directly into the game’s installation folder:

  • C:\Program Files (x86)\[GameName]\saves\
  • C:\Program Files\[GameName]\SaveGames\

This is less common now because Windows UAC restrictions can block writes to Program Files. If you see a “saves” or “data” folder inside the game directory, check there.

The Steam userdata Folder

Steam games that use the Steamworks cloud API often write saves here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[SteamID]\[AppID]\remote\

The [SteamID] is a numeric folder — if you have multiple accounts on the same PC, there will be multiple folders. The [AppID] is Steam’s ID number for the game, which you can find by hovering over the game in your library or checking the URL on the Steam store page.

Using Windows Search to Hunt Down Save Files

If you’ve checked all the usual locations with no luck, use Windows Search to find save files by extension. Common save file extensions include .sav, .dat, .save, .sg, and .bak.

  1. Press Win + S and search for *.sav or [GameName] save
  2. In File Explorer, navigate to C:\ and use the search box in the top-right — this searches the entire drive
  3. Filter results by Date modified to narrow down recent files

This is slow but thorough. Give it a few minutes to index and return results.

The Fastest Method: Look Up by Game Name

Rather than guessing, you can look up the exact verified save path for any specific game on this site. Each entry shows the full folder path, the specific files to copy, and whether the game uses cloud sync.

Find the save location for your game →