Elden Ring Save Data Location How To Find And Back Up Your Game Files
Navigating the vast and unforgiving world of Elden Ring requires dozens of hours of dedication, making your game progress extremely valuable. Protecting your saved character data against unexpected system crashes, corrupted files, or hardware failures is essential for every Tarnished adventurer on PC. Learning where these save files are hidden on your system allows you to easily create manual backups whenever you reach major milestones.
Locating the Elden Ring Save Data Directory on PC
On Windows PCs, Elden Ring stores all character files and progress logs inside a hidden system folder. You can access this folder by pressing the Windows Key together with R to open the Run dialog box. Type %appdata% into the search prompt and press Enter to open your AppData Roaming directory immediately.
Inside the Roaming folder, scroll down until you locate a subfolder titled EldenRing. Opening this directory reveals a folder named with a long string of unique numbers representing your Steam account ID. Inside that folder, you will find your primary save file named ER0000.sl2 along with its corresponding backup file.
How to Create a Manual Backup of Your Game Progress
Creating a manual backup is a straightforward process that takes only a few seconds to perform safely. Simply copy the entire folder containing your steam ID number or duplicate the ER0000.sl2 file directly. Paste this copy into a secure location, such as a separate storage folder, external drive, or cloud storage service.
It is best practice to perform this step before modifying game files, installing third-party tools, or attempting major game updates. Regularly updating your backup folder ensures you never lose critical character progress during unexpected system errors. Keeping organized copies labeled with dates or character levels can also help you manage multiple backup points.
Restoring Saved Files and Managing Cloud Synchronization
Restoring your saved files involves pasting your backed-up ER0000.sl2 file back into the original Steam ID folder location. If Windows asks whether you want to replace the existing file, confirm the overwrite to apply your backup. Always make sure Elden Ring is completely closed before transferring files to prevent file corruption.
Steam Cloud also offers automatic save synchronization, but reliance on cloud saves alone can sometimes lead to sync conflicts. Disabling or carefully monitoring cloud sync settings prevents older cloud files from overwriting your fresh local backups. Taking full control of your local files remains the safest way to preserve your progress across long campaigns.