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'southward a killer feature of the largest PC gaming platform. If yous game on Steam, you'll definitely desire to know how to use Steam Cloud game saves. When things go wrong, you'll be glad your precious hours of progress are safely stored where no i can delete them.

What Are Steam Cloud Saves?

Games that you buy and download through Steam can upload and download save game files to Steam's servers. In other words, if you lose your estimator'due south information, gear up a new computer or play your Steam games on multiple computers, y'all tin can retrieve your latest relieve game via the cyberspace.

When you uninstall a game and so reinstall it at a later on date, your relieve games will be restored as well. In general, Steam Cloud saves permit you forget well-nigh your salvage information and just get on with gaming.

Does Every Game Support Steam Cloud Saves?

Non every game on Steam supports cloud saves. This is something that's left up to the programmer. All games don't piece of work the same either. Developers get to choose what data is uploaded and what isn't. If yous want to know if a Steam game supports cloud saves, just go to its store folio and cheque if the Steam Cloud logo is under the listing of game features.

Ensuring Deject Saves Are Active for Your Game

It'south possible to disable cloud saves for all games on a given Steam computer. Y'all can also enable or disable the feature for individual games as well. If your game supports Steam Deject saves merely isn't syncing, you can cheque if the feature is enabled with ease.

To bank check the global cloud salvage settings:

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

To check deject save status for private games:

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

[iv Steam Library 1.jpg]

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

Again, not all games take the Steam Cloud salve feature, so if y'all don't see that choice for an individual game, it probably doesn't support it. We encourage you to make manual backups of your save game data in that case.

Finding Downloaded Steam Cloud Saves on Your PC

Speaking of making manual backups,you can actually access the local copy of your deject saves on the local machine. As long as you know the binder locations, of grade:

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

Only retrieve that these are the default locations where cloud save data is stored locally. If you specified a custom folder when you installed Steam, you lot need to get to that folder instead.

Inside these folders, y'all'll find the saves stored according to Steam App ID. This is a unique number that corresponds with a game'south 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 Practice with Steam Deject Save Conflicts

Sometimes, yous'll become an error message from Steam that at that place's a disharmonize betwixt the save game stored on your local computer and the 1 that Steam has on their server. This usually happens because y'all progressed on two different versions of the same save game file.

Well-nigh of the fourth dimension, the right choice is only to pick the most recently modified version of the file, only in some cases that may really not be the save you want. Just to be safe, we recommend choosing to cancel the cloud sync disharmonize the first fourth dimension you see it.

At present go make a backup of the local file using the folder locations we just discussed in the previous section. If information technology turns out that the local files were the ones that you should have kept, y'all tin can go back and replace them manually.

Manually Download Your Steam Deject Saves

Another swell option is the ability to view and download your Cloud Sync files using a web browser. Just become to the View Steam Cloud and log into your Steam account if you lot aren't already.

Hither you can see every individual game file that'due south stored in your Steam Deject Sync account. All you have to do is select the download button and you have a copy for yourself. This is useful for using save files with other versions of a game and to quickly make a backup of the cloud files earlier they are removed in a sync disharmonize resolution as we only saw.

Just bear in heed that more than salvage game files are stored here. Developers may choose to store other data, such as game configuration files, right aslope your saves. And so make sure yous're downloading the right thing!

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

The last chip of crucial information you demand to go forth well with Steam Cloud saves is what to do when things go wrong. Hither are some full general tips:

  • Bank check the Steam home folio to run across if their servers are down.
  • Restart your modems, routers and reckoner.
  • Connect to a different network.
  • Check your firewall and antivirus settings.
  • Disable any software that monitors or modifies network traffic to cheque for conflicts.
  • Disable your VPN, Steam doesn't like them and they can become you banned.

Now you're armed with all the noesis you need to get the about out of the Steam Cloud save feature. Which means yous can get dorsum to the earth-shaking chore of enjoying your video games.