Where Is Your Stardew Valley Save File Located?

Stardew Valley is the kind of game people sink hundreds of hours into — which makes knowing where your save files live genuinely important. Whether you're backing up a beloved farm, moving to a new PC, or troubleshooting a corrupted save, finding the right folder is step one.

The answer depends on your operating system and whether you're playing through Steam or another platform.

How Stardew Valley Saves Your Game

Stardew Valley stores save data locally on your device by default. Each time you sleep in-game, the game writes your farm's data to a dedicated folder on your hard drive. This is separate from Steam Cloud saves, which sync a copy of that same data to Valve's servers — more on that distinction in a moment.

Each save is stored as a named folder, not a single file. Inside that folder you'll find two key files:

• A file named after your farmer (e.g., FarmerName_123456789)
• A file called SaveGameInfo

Both are required for a complete, working save.

Save File Locations by Operating System 💾

Windows

On Windows, Stardew Valley saves are stored here:

%AppData%StardewValleySaves 

You can paste that path directly into File Explorer's address bar and press Enter — the %AppData% shortcut resolves automatically to your user's AppDataRoaming folder. You don't need to hunt through hidden folders manually.

The full path, if you prefer to navigate manually, looks like this:

C:UsersYourNameAppDataRoamingStardewValleySaves 

Note that AppData is a hidden folder by default. If you're navigating manually, you'll need to enable "Show hidden items" in File Explorer's View settings.

macOS

On a Mac, the saves are located at:

~/.config/StardewValley/Saves/ 

The tilde (~) represents your home directory. This is also a hidden folder. To access it, open Finder, click Go in the menu bar, hold the Option key, and select Library — or use Go to Folder (Shift+Cmd+G) and paste the path directly.

Linux

On Linux, the path mirrors macOS:

~/.config/StardewValley/Saves/ 

If you're running Stardew Valley through Steam on Linux (including Steam Deck), the path may vary slightly depending on your distribution and whether you're using the native Linux build or the Windows version via Proton. On Steam Deck specifically, saves are typically found within the Proton compatibility layer's virtual filesystem.

Steam Cloud vs. Local Saves

This distinction trips people up. Steam Cloud is a sync feature — it copies your local save to Valve's servers so you can access it across devices. It does not replace local saves. Both exist simultaneously in most setups.

The practical implications:

• If you uninstall the game, local saves may be deleted depending on your setup. Steam Cloud copies should persist on Valve's servers.
• If you reinstall, Steam may restore Cloud saves — but this isn't guaranteed and depends on your Steam Cloud settings.
• If a save gets corrupted, Steam Cloud might sync the corrupted version over your good one.

For this reason, manual backups — simply copying your Saves folder to another location — are worth doing before major in-game milestones, mod installations, or game updates. It takes thirty seconds and has saved countless farms.

What's Inside a Save Folder 🗂️

Opening a save folder reveals files with no extension that can be read as XML. The main save file contains everything: farm layout, inventory, relationships, in-game day and year, and all other progress data. SaveGameInfo is a smaller summary file the game uses to display info on the load screen.

If you ever need to restore from a backup, you replace the entire save folder (not just individual files) in the Saves directory. The game reads the folder structure, so keeping it intact matters.

Saves on Mobile and Console

If you're playing on iOS or Android, save data is stored within the app's sandboxed storage. On iOS, this is typically accessible through a Files app integration; on Android, rooting may be required for direct access. These saves are not interchangeable with PC saves without third-party tools.

On Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox, saves are managed by the console's own save system and are not directly accessible as files. Cross-platform save transfer is not natively supported.

The Variable That Changes Everything

The straightforward paths above cover most PC players — but your actual situation may shift things. Whether you're on vanilla Stardew or a modded install, using GOG instead of Steam, running through Steam Deck with Proton, or playing on a non-standard Windows user profile, each introduces a wrinkle worth checking before you assume the default path applies to you. The folder is almost always there — it's finding the exact branch of your own setup that takes a moment of verification.