Any · Gaming

Save your games the right way

The #1 cause of 'I lost 200 hours of progress' is not a disk failure — it's saves living somewhere you didn't think to back up.

DifficultyEasy
Time5 min
RiskLow
ReversibleYes
PlatformAny
UpdatedSep 22, 2026

Written and tested by emdottech

What that means

Low risk. This fix only checks things, or changes settings you can switch back in the same place. This change is reversible — you can return to the previous state without professional help or data loss.

The game save routine in three stages — find each game's save folder in AppData or Documents, copy it monthly to an external drive, and use Steam Cloud sync where offered

Steps

01
- Find where each game actually saves: most Steam titles use %userprofile%\Documents\My Games\ or %userprofile%\AppData\Local\ — search the game's name in File Explorer, or check that game's community wiki if you're unsure
02
- Copy the whole save folder — not just the file you think matters — to an external drive or cloud folder monthly, more often if you're deep into something you can't afford to lose
03
- For Steam: Library → right-click the game → Properties → General → turn on Steam Cloud where supported — a free extra copy that syncs automatically and travels with you to a new PC
04
- Other launchers (Epic, EA app, Ubisoft Connect) have their own separate cloud-save toggle — check each one you use, they don't share Steam's setting
05
- After a Windows reset or a move to a new PC, restore saves before first launching the game — some titles create a fresh empty save on first run that can overwrite what you're about to restore

How to verify the fix

A copy of your save folder exists on an external drive (or Steam Cloud shows synced) from within the last month.

If this didn't fix it

You can't find where a game stores saves, or cloud sync never appears — that game needs manual backup each session.

Next stop: the related fixes below, or start a guided diagnosis.

Still stuck? Diagnose my problem Browse all Windows fixes

Save your games the right way

Steps

✓How to verify the fix

!If this didn't fix it

Related fixes

How to verify the fix

If this didn't fix it