Before resetting Windows: check which Steam saves you can restore
- Problem this solves
- A Windows reset is planned, but Cloud settings and copied game installations do not establish which desired saves are preserved.
- What you can do afterward
- Locate each game's saves, keep an independent copy and record whether the desired progress has actually been restored and checked.
Name the progress and storage you need to preserve
Write a recognizable target: the game and edition, the character or save slot, the last completed chapter or another progress marker, and the device where you last saw it. A file’s recent modification time is useful context, but it cannot tell you on its own whether it contains the playthrough you want.
Also record which Windows profile you played under and which disks or partitions the planned operation affects. A copy in another folder on storage that will be erased does not meet the purpose of this preparation. Choose an independent destination you intend to keep, such as an external drive, and identify it in your notes.
This guide covers preservation of Windows game saves while the old files are still accessible. It does not determine what a Windows reset option will keep. If you cannot establish the erase scope, leave that question unresolved before starting the reset.
Separate game files, Cloud and saves
| What you have | What it establishes | What remains to check |
|---|---|---|
| A copied game installation or Steam game backup | You preserved the files included in that copy | Whether the actual save location was included, and whether the copied files can be restored |
| Steam Cloud enabled | A synchronization setting is enabled | Which files the game syncs and whether the desired progress reached Cloud |
| A dated copy of the documented save folder | An independent file copy exists, if you checked the destination | Whether it includes the desired slot and loads correctly |
| The desired progress loaded from a restored working copy | That restoration worked on the recorded device and date | Any other games, editions or later progress not covered by that check |
Valve specifically warns that backups for Valve-created games omit saves, custom maps and configuration files. For third-party games, it directs readers to the developer for the actual save location. Treat Properties → Installed Files → Backup game files as the documented game-file backup route, not proof that every game’s personal data is protected. [2]
For Cloud settings, Valve documents Library → right-click the game → Properties → General for the individual game and Steam settings → Cloud for the global setting. Inspect them if Cloud is part of your plan, but do not enable a setting and immediately mark the progress preserved. Valve’s developer documentation describes synchronization of configured files around game sessions; the configuration is game-specific. [1] [3]
If Steam shows a sync error or conflict, record it before launching again. Preserve the existing local files before experimenting. Valve advises resolving sync errors before play and comparing a conflict’s timestamps with your actual play history. Blindly choosing a version can lose progress, and Steam Support cannot recover lost saves or resolve the conflict for you. [1]
Find the real folder and preserve a copy
- Find instructions for the exact game and platform. Use the developer’s support page to identify saves, settings and any extra required files. If it provides separate Steam, Microsoft Store or console instructions, use the matching section. A similarly named folder from another edition is not enough.
- Locate the folder that actually contains your files. Check the Windows profile that played the game. Valve’s Cloud documentation explains that Windows folders can be moved from their defaults. If the expected path is absent, investigate the actual location instead of creating an empty folder and calling it a backup. [3]
- Close the game normally. If the last session ended normally and Cloud is syncing, allow that operation to finish and record the result. If there is already a conflict or unexplained missing progress, preserve the existing files first and avoid further launches until you understand the copies.
- Copy the relevant save folder into a new, dated folder at the independent destination. Copy rather than move. Keep the original filenames and any associated files the developer identifies; leave the original folder intact. Do not overwrite a previous backup just to make this one.
- Open the destination and check the result. Confirm it contains the expected files and folders, and compare file counts and sizes with the source you intended to copy. Note any copy error. This checks the copy operation, not whether the game can load the save.
A broad copy of the Steam directory can be an additional precaution, but it does not replace locating each game’s actual saves. Valve’s configured Cloud roots include several Windows locations as well as the game installation directory. There is no single folder in this article that covers every Steam game. [3]
Work through a Hades example
This is a fictional preparation record for the original Hades on Windows, not Hades II and not a tested restoration. Supergiant documents the default save folder as C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Documents\Saved Games\Hades\. It also explicitly identifies Profile1.sjson as settings rather than save progress. Copying that settings file alone would not meet the reader’s goal. [4]
If the reader previously enabled Hades’ /alternatesavemount option, Supergiant documents a different default location, C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Saved Games, and says existing saves do not move automatically. Record the location actually in use; do not enable that option merely to prepare a backup. [4]
| Field | Example entry | Decision it supports |
|---|---|---|
| Desired progress | Slot 1, the latest House of Hades return observed on the old PC; a private screenshot records the visible progress | There is a specific state to compare if a restore is checked later. |
| Location evidence | Supergiant’s Windows guide; actual Hades save folder located under the playing Windows profile | The record identifies personal data separately from the installed game. |
| First attempted copy | Only Profile1.sjson was copied | Incomplete for the stated goal: the documented file is settings. |
| Revised copy | The whole located Hades save folder copied to a dated folder on an external drive; originals kept | An independent save-folder copy is recorded. |
| Verification | Destination files checked; loading from a restored copy has not been checked | Record “copy made; restoration not checked,” not “restore passed.” |
If Hades progress is already missing, Supergiant has a separate lost-progress procedure using game-specific save and backup candidates. Read that recovery section with your preserved original copy available. Its rename steps address an existing loss; they are not routine preparation before a Windows reset. Do not apply Hades’ filenames to another game. [4]
Record what you have actually verified
Use three separate statuses: not located, copy made; restoration not checked, and desired progress loaded from a restored copy. These states make the remaining work visible. An enabled Cloud icon should not silently move a game into the final category.
For a restoration check, first obtain the developer’s instructions for that game. Keep the preserved backup untouched and use a separate working copy. Preserve any saves already on the destination before replacing files, and follow the game’s instructions for the relevant account, edition and Cloud behavior. Load the intended slot, compare the progress marker and record the device and date. Stop if an unexplained conflict or different save appears; do not repeatedly overwrite copies to try to force a match.
If there is no verified restore procedure yet, record that limitation and keep the original installation and files available. Valve recommends testing backups, but its game-file restore instructions do not supply one universal save-restoration procedure for all third-party games. A file copy is still useful preservation; it just supports a narrower conclusion. [2]
Complete one record per game
Review the records before starting the reset. For each important game, you should be able to name the desired progress, the actual save location, an independent copy you can open and any unresolved restoration question. Prioritize rows with no located save or only a Cloud setting recorded.
Add separate rows to your wider backup plan for recordings, screenshots, mods and other personal files you want to keep. This save record covers only the files and observations you put in it. Keep your preserved copies after the new installation first launches, until you have checked the progress that matters to you.
Sources and review notes
Valve’s backup and Cloud documentation and Supergiant’s Hades support guide were checked for this article. The Hades record is illustrative. We have not performed an in-game backup or restoration test, and a completed worksheet does not certify that a reset or a save restoration will succeed.