While the phrase "steam cloud" may conjure upwardly images of a boiling kettle or an sometime-timey railroad train, when it comes to video games information technology'south a killer feature of the largest PC gaming platform. If you game on Steam, y'all'll definitely want to know how to apply 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's servers. In other words, if you lose your figurer's information, set upwards a new computer or play your Steam games on multiple computers, you can retrieve your latest save game via the internet.

When you uninstall a game and and so reinstall it at a later date, your relieve games will be restored as well. In general, Steam Cloud saves permit yous forget about your salvage data and only become on with gaming.

Does Every Game Back up Steam Cloud Saves?

Not every game on Steam supports cloud saves. This is something that'due south left up to the developer. All games don't piece of work the aforementioned either. Developers go to choose what data 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 list of game features.

Ensuring Cloud Saves Are Active for Your Game

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

To check the global cloud relieve settings:

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

To check cloud salvage status for individual games:

  1. Open 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. Cheque that deject synchronization is toggled according to your preference.

Once more, not all games have the Steam Cloud save characteristic, so if yous don't run across that option for an individual game, it probably doesn't support it. Nosotros encourage you lot 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,y'all tin can really access the local copy of your cloud saves on the local car. As long every bit you know the binder locations, of course:

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

Just remember that these are the default locations where cloud relieve data is stored locally. If y'all specified a custom binder when you installed Steam, you need to go to that folder instead.

Inside these folders, y'all'll detect 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 tin easily detect which ID goes with which game by entering the ID number on SteamDB.

What to Practise with Steam Deject Save Conflicts

Sometimes, you'll go 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 usually happens considering yous progressed on two different versions of the same relieve game file.

Well-nigh of the fourth dimension, the right choice is simply to option the nearly recently modified version of the file, but in some cases that may actually not be the save you desire. Only to exist safe, we recommend choosing to abolish the deject sync disharmonize the showtime fourth dimension you see it.

Now go make a backup of the local file using the folder locations nosotros just discussed in the previous section. If information technology turns out that the local files were the ones that you should have kept, you can go back and supercede them manually.

Manually Download Your Steam Cloud Saves

Another bully option is the ability to view and download your Cloud Sync files using a web browser. Simply go to the View Steam Cloud and log into your Steam account if y'all aren't already.

Hither you can see 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 you lot accept a re-create for yourself. This is useful for using salvage files with other versions of a game and to chop-chop brand a backup of the deject files earlier they are removed in a sync disharmonize resolution as we merely saw.

Just bear in mind that more than save game files are stored here. Developers may cull to store other data, such as game configuration files, right alongside your saves. So make sure you lot're downloading the right thing!

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

The last flake of crucial information yous need to go forth well with Steam Cloud saves is what to do when things go incorrect. Hither are some general tips:

  • Cheque the Steam dwelling house page to run into 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 check for conflicts.
  • Disable your VPN, Steam doesn't like them and they tin can become yous banned.

Now yous're armed with all the knowledge yous need to get the most out of the Steam Cloud relieve feature. Which ways you can get back to the earth-shaking job of enjoying your video games.