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Where ARK single-player save files are located
For a standard Steam installation on Windows, community reports place single-player saves in:
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C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonARKShooterGameSavedSavedArksLocal
The beginning of that path is only an example. If ARK is installed in another Steam library, substitute that library’s actual location. The reliable way to identify it is to let Steam open the folder for you.
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Open the installation folder through Steam
- Start Steam and open the Library.
- Right-click ARK: Survival Evolved.
- Choose Manage, then Browse local files.
- In File Explorer, open
ShooterGame, thenSaved. - Look for the map-specific save directory described below.
Folder names can differ between maps, editions, installations and platforms. Treat these names as commonly reported locations and confirm what exists on your own computer before moving or deleting anything. No official Studio Wildcard support page was found confirming a universal Windows path.
Map-specific folders and files
ARK keeps separate world data for different maps. The folder prefix therefore matters: copying the wrong directory can give you an apparently empty or outdated world.
| Map or map type | Common folder under ShooterGameSaved |
What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| The Island | SavedArksLocal |
The local single-player world and related map files. |
| Workshop mod maps | SavedArksLocal |
Often uses the same local folder prefix; verify the files after launching the map. |
| Ragnarok | RagnarokSavedArksLocal |
Ragnarok’s local single-player world data. |
| Extinction | ExtinctionSavedArksLocal |
Extinction’s local single-player world data. |
The world itself is stored in a map folder’s .ark file. The local single-player character is commonly reported as LocalPlayer.arkprofile. Do not use the presence of one file as a reason to ignore the rest of the directory: tribe, creature, structure and auxiliary data can be distributed among several files.
Why copying only one .ark file is risky
A community report described losing a Ragnarok world after copying only the folder used for The Island. That illustrates two separate risks: selecting the wrong map directory and omitting companion files. Back up the entire directory whose name matches the map you actually play. Keep the original folder untouched until the backup has been checked.
What a complete backup should include
A useful backup has two parts: the map save directory and the configuration directory. Copy both while ARK is closed.
- The complete map folder: for example,
SavedArksLocal,RagnarokSavedArksLocalorExtinctionSavedArksLocal. Include every file and subfolder inside it. - Configuration: copy
ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsNoEditor. This commonly containsGameUserSettings.ini, including settings such as difficulty, taming rates and food rates. - Optional personal data: some players also preserve
MyPaintingsandLocalProfileswhen those folders are present. A community reply saysLocalProfilescan contain profile data from every server joined and may not be needed for a purely single-player setup, so regard it as optional rather than a required world backup.
Copying only the world directory can restore terrain and entities while silently losing the rates and difficulty you configured. Conversely, copying only configuration files does not preserve the world. Keep the two components together and label them with the map and date.
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Manual Windows backup: exact procedure
1. Exit ARK completely
Return to the desktop and close the game. If Steam still shows ARK as running, wait until the status changes. The game can rewrite save data while exiting, so copying during that period risks an incomplete snapshot.
2. Open the correct Saved directory
Use Steam’s Manage → Browse local files path, then navigate to ShooterGameSaved. Do not start by searching the entire disk for a file named LocalPlayer.arkprofile; multiple installations or old copies can make search results misleading.
3. Identify the map folder
Match the directory name to the map you need to protect. If you play more than one map, back up each relevant map folder separately. A folder that was created for another map is not a substitute, even if both directories contain files with similar extensions.
4. Copy, do not move
Right-click the complete map folder and choose Copy. Create a destination on another drive, an external disk or a clearly named backup directory, then choose Paste. A backup on the same physical disk protects against accidental edits but not disk failure.
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Return to ShooterGameSaved, copy ConfigWindowsNoEditor and place it beside the map backup. Preserve the folder hierarchy so that a future restore can put it back under SavedConfig.
6. Add an identifying name
Use a name such as ARK_Ragnarok_2026-10-14_before-mod-change. Include the map and reason for the snapshot. Do not overwrite the only previous copy when making a new backup; retain several dated versions if storage allows.
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7. Check that the copy is complete
- Open the copied map directory and confirm that the expected
.arkfile and profile files are present. - Compare the folder size with the source. A dramatically smaller copy usually indicates that a folder level was missed or a copy operation failed.
- Open the copied
WindowsNoEditorfolder and confirm thatGameUserSettings.iniexists when it exists in the source. - Safely eject removable storage before disconnecting it.
When to make a backup
Make a fresh copy before an ARK update, reinstall, mod installation or mod removal. These operations can change or overwrite the current save. Also create a snapshot before changing major rates, experimenting with unfamiliar commands or moving a save between computers. A backup made after the game has already overwritten a damaged world cannot recover the earlier state.
For active worlds, a practical routine is to keep one recent backup and several older dated copies. Rotate them only after opening the newest copy and confirming that its files are readable. If you use cloud storage or an external drive, allow synchronization or copying to finish before treating the snapshot as your only recovery point.
How to restore a backed-up single-player world
1. Close ARK and Steam’s running game process
Exit ARK before changing files. If the game is open, it can recreate or overwrite the directory you are trying to repair.
2. Preserve the current state first
In ShooterGameSaved, rename the current map folder, for example to RagnarokSavedArksLocal-current-damaged, rather than deleting it immediately. This gives you a rollback if the selected backup is older than expected or belongs to a different map.
3. Put the backup in the matching location
Copy the backed-up map folder into ShooterGameSaved and keep its original map-specific name. A backup of RagnarokSavedArksLocal must not be renamed to SavedArksLocal; the name helps ARK associate the files with the correct map.
4. Restore configuration separately
Copy the saved WindowsNoEditor folder back to ShooterGameSavedConfig. If Windows asks whether to merge or replace files, preserve the backup version for files you intentionally want to restore. Keep any newly created files elsewhere until the world has loaded successfully.
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5. Test without making new changes
Launch ARK, select the relevant map and verify the character, structures, creatures and settings. If the world is still wrong, exit without saving, restore the preserved current folder and try another dated backup. Never overwrite every available copy during the first test.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Dedicated-server save locations
Dedicated servers use a different directory convention from local single-player sessions. Community guides commonly place server saves in ShooterGameSavedSavedArks. On Linux servers, the reported equivalent is ../ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks. Confidence in the Linux path is lower because it comes from a single guide snippet, so check the server’s actual launch directory and recently modified files.
For a dedicated server, stop the server cleanly before copying. Back up the complete server save directory, not just one map file, and preserve the server’s configuration files separately. A multi-server installation can redirect saves with the launch parameter ?AltSaveDirectoryName=Server1; in that case the save is commonly written to ../ShooterGame/Saved/Server1 instead of the default directory. The argument value is part of the path, so replace Server1 with the name actually used by your launch command.
Multiplayer character and tribe handling is not consistently documented. One guide claims multiplayer data is cloud-stored, while forum posts describe local character and tribe data. Treat neither claim as universal: inspect the server files, back up the local directories you control and retain the server’s own configuration and launch parameters.
Steam file management versus manual copying
| Method | What it does | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual folder copy | Copies the map directory and configuration to a destination you choose. | Works with the same files ARK reads; supports dated versions and offline storage; makes it easy to keep an untouched pre-update snapshot. | Requires selecting the correct map folder and remembering the configuration directory; it does not automatically schedule copies. |
| Steam’s local-file browser | Opens the installed game directory so you can reach ShooterGameSaved. |
Avoids guessing which Steam library contains ARK. | It is navigation, not a separate save format or independent backup. You still need to copy the folders and verify the result. |
Both approaches ultimately depend on the same on-disk save folders. Steam’s browser is the safer starting point for locating the installation; it does not protect a save unless you make and retain a separate copy.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
Looking in a guessed Steam path
Symptom: the stated directory does not exist. Fix: open the game’s properties through Steam and use Manage → Browse local files, then follow the ShooterGameSaved hierarchy from that confirmed location.
Backing up the wrong map
Symptom: the restored game starts with a new world or the wrong progression. Fix: compare the map you launch with the map-specific folder prefix and keep separate, clearly labelled backups for every map you play.
Copying only the world file
Symptom: the world loads but rates, difficulty or other settings have reverted. Fix: restore the complete map directory and the saved ConfigWindowsNoEditor directory, including GameUserSettings.ini.
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Copying while the game is running
Symptom: a backup is missing recent changes or contains inconsistent files. Fix: close ARK fully, wait for Steam to show it has stopped, then copy. Make another snapshot after a clean exit if the first copy was taken during an emergency.
Assuming every installation uses one universal name
Symptom: a guide’s path does not match your folders. Fix: treat reported paths as installation-dependent. Map, platform and server configuration can change the prefix or destination, so verify the directory that your own game or server is actively updating.
Deleting the original immediately after restoring
Symptom: there is no way back when the selected backup is unsuitable. Fix: rename and retain the current directory until the restored world has been tested and a new backup has been made.
A verification checklist before you consider the backup finished
- ARK was closed before the copy began.
- The installation was opened through Steam or otherwise confirmed on the correct drive.
- The folder matches the map being protected.
- Every file in the map directory was copied, not only the visible
.arkfile. ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsNoEditorwas copied with the map backup.- The backup has a date, map name and reason for creation.
- At least one copy is stored separately from the game’s installation drive.
- The destination opens normally and contains the expected profile and configuration files.
- Older backups have not been overwritten until the newest copy has been checked.
What is and is not established about ARK save paths
The Windows Steam locations above are community-reported conventions, not a publisher guarantee that applies to every edition. Paths can change with the Steam library location, map, server launch options, operating system and installation layout. Some websites list directories under userdata{Steam3AccountID}346110, but that location was not confirmed as the default for the single-player files described here.
There is also no published statistic establishing how often ARK saves are lost or how frequently players make backups. The practical safeguard is therefore procedural: locate the active directory on your own installation, copy the complete map folder and configuration before risky changes, and keep more than one dated recovery point.
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