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

What Are Steam Deject Saves?

Games that yous purchase and download through Steam can upload and download save game files to Steam'south servers. In other words, if you lose your reckoner's data, set upward a new computer or play your Steam games on multiple computers, you tin retrieve your latest salvage game via the cyberspace.

When you uninstall a game and so reinstall it at a afterward engagement, your save games will be restored likewise. In general, Steam Cloud saves allow you lot forget about your relieve information and just get on with gaming.

Does Every Game Back up Steam Deject Saves?

Not every game on Steam supports deject saves. This is something that'due south left upwardly to the developer. All games don't work the same either. Developers get to choose what data is uploaded and what isn't. If you desire to know if a Steam game supports cloud saves, simply become to its shop page and check if the Steam Cloud logo is under the list of game features.

Ensuring Deject Saves Are Active for Your Game

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

To check the global cloud save settings:

  1. Open up 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 cheque cloud save status for private games:

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

[4 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.

Over again, not all games have the Steam Deject save feature, so if you don't see that pick for an individual game, it probably doesn't back up it. We encourage you to make manual backups of your save game information 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 motorcar. As long as you know the binder locations, of grade:

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

Just remember that these are the default locations where cloud save data is stored locally. If you specified a custom binder when you installed Steam, yous need to go to that binder 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's catalogue number in the Steam shop. You can easily find which ID goes with which game by inbound the ID number on SteamDB.

What to Do with Steam Deject Save Conflicts

Sometimes, you'll get an fault message from Steam that there's a conflict between the save game stored on your local computer and the i that Steam has on their server. This normally happens because you progressed on ii unlike versions of the same save game file.

About of the time, the correct choice is only to choice the nearly recently modified version of the file, merely in some cases that may actually non be the relieve you want. Simply to be safe, nosotros recommend choosing to cancel the cloud sync conflict the first time you see information technology.

At present become brand a fill-in of the local file using the folder locations we just discussed in the previous section. If it turns out that the local files were the ones that you should accept kept, you tin can get dorsum and supervene upon them manually.

Manually Download Your Steam Cloud Saves

Another neat option is the ability to view and download your Deject Sync files using a spider web browser. Simply go to the View Steam Cloud and log into your Steam account if you lot aren't already.

Here you can see every individual game file that'south stored in your Steam Deject Sync account. All you accept to do is select the download button and you have a re-create for yourself. This is useful for using relieve files with other versions of a game and to quickly make a fill-in of the cloud files before they are removed in a sync disharmonize resolution every bit we but saw.

Only comport in heed that more than save game files are stored here. Developers may choose to shop other data, such as game configuration files, correct alongside your saves. So make sure you're downloading the right thing!

How to Gear up the "Steam Was Unable to Sync" and Other Issues

The last bit of crucial information you need to get along well with Steam Deject saves is what to do when things go incorrect. Hither are some general tips:

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

At present you're armed with all the knowledge you need to become the about out of the Steam Cloud save feature. Which means you tin can become back to the all-important job of enjoying your video games.