There is no universal “move my save” button for indie games. Before replacing a PC, changing handhelds, or moving between Switch consoles, identify the game’s platform and storefront, confirm whether that specific title supports cloud saves, make a separate copy when the platform allows it, and verify the save on the new device before erasing the old one.
Why indie-game saves need a game-by-game check
A game installation, cartridge, or removable game library is not the same thing as save data. Your progress may be synchronized by a platform service, stored in a local folder, or handled by the game’s own account system. Some titles support none of those options.
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“Indie game” describes how a game is made, not how it stores progress. Two small games on the same platform can use completely different save systems. A title can also support cloud saves on one storefront but not another, or support a console transfer while lacking a usable PC export.
Use this order of operations:
- Write down the device, operating system, storefront and edition you are moving from and to.
- Check the individual game’s store listing, software menu or official support page for cloud-save and cross-progression support.
- Launch the game on the old device while signed in to the relevant account and connected to the internet.
- Wait for synchronization to finish, then make an independent copy of known save files where the platform permits it.
- Keep the old device intact until the new device has opened the restored save and your latest progress is visible.
Do not shut down, wipe, sell or trade in the old device immediately after starting a transfer. A cloud service can contain an older save, and a mistaken restore can replace a newer local save.
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Choose the transfer method that matches your situation
| Method | Game support | Account or subscription | Old device needed? | What you get | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform cloud sync | Only games that opt in or are otherwise supported | Depends on the platform; Nintendo Switch Save Data Cloud requires Nintendo Switch Online | Usually needed to create or refresh the backup; not always needed to download it later | A synchronized copy held by the platform | Choosing the wrong version during a conflict, or restoring an older cloud copy over a newer local save |
| Nearby console transfer | Supported by the console and compatible software | For Switch, the same Nintendo Account must be linked to a user on both consoles; Nintendo Switch Online is not required | Yes, both consoles must be available and near each other | A direct transfer from one console to another | Starting before checking which console has the newest save |
| Manual file copy | Only when you can identify a portable save folder and the destination can read its format | No platform subscription is inherently required | Yes, to locate and copy the files | A separate offline copy you control | Copying the wrong folder, copying while the game is writing, or assuming every game uses a portable format |
No method guarantees cross-platform compatibility. A Windows save may not be readable by a console edition, and a save from one storefront or game edition may not be accepted by another. Treat cross-platform progress as a feature that must be documented by the game’s developer, not as a consequence of owning the same game.
Before you touch the old device
Record the exact game and account
Note the game’s name, edition, storefront, installed version if shown, and the account used to play it. This matters when a title has separate PC, Switch and Switch 2 editions or when a publisher uses its own login. If you cannot identify the account that created the save, a new installation may appear to have no progress even when the files are intact.
Finish a clean sync
Open the game, confirm that your latest checkpoint or save slot is present, exit through the game’s normal menu, and leave the device online long enough for the platform to report that synchronization has completed. If a conflict message appears, stop and inspect the timestamps or progress represented by each version before selecting one.
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Preserve the source
Do not uninstall the game, delete its local data, reset the console or rely on a factory-reset process until the destination has loaded the save. If the old device is failing, prioritize copying known files or completing the official transfer before troubleshooting less important software.
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Steam and other PC storefronts
Check whether the individual game uses Steam Cloud
Steam Cloud is an opt-in, game-dependent feature. Steam says it can store save games, settings, profile statistics and other user-specific data, but support is not automatic for every title. Check the particular game’s store information or support documentation and confirm the cloud status shown by Steam before assuming your progress is online.
Indie developers sometimes document a save location or a special export process even when Steam Cloud is unavailable. If the developer says that saves are account-bound, follow that account procedure instead of copying arbitrary files.
Refresh the cloud copy
- Connect the old PC to the internet and sign in to the Steam account that owns and runs the game.
- Launch the game and verify the newest save in-game.
- Exit normally and wait for Steam to finish synchronizing. Do not put the PC to sleep or close Steam while a pending sync is shown.
- If Steam reports a conflict, compare the local and cloud choices using their dates or other details. Select the version that contains the progress you intend to keep.
- Install the game on the new PC, sign in to the same account, allow the initial synchronization to complete, and open the game to verify the save.
Steam’s ability to recover lost cloud data is limited. Steam Support states: “If any saves or other data have been lost, it is not likely that we will be able to recover them.” A cloud icon is therefore not a substitute for checking the destination copy.
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Steam documents these default locations for Steam Cloud files:
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| Operating system | Documented Steam Cloud folder |
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| Windows | C:Program Files (x86)Steamuserdata |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata |
| Linux | ~/.local/share/Steam/userdata |
These are Steam’s documented userdata locations, not a promise that every game’s actual save is there. A game can keep saves in another folder, use a launcher-specific directory, or store data in a format that the other operating system cannot use. Confirm the game’s own path through its official support information or the developer’s instructions before copying anything.
Handle a Steam conflict deliberately
A conflict means Steam found different local and cloud data. Do not click through it just to start the game. First determine which device was last played and which save slot or timestamp contains the desired progress. If you choose the wrong side, the replacement may propagate to the other device. When the game developer provides a recovery or transfer procedure, use it; Steam notes that the developer may be able to help locate and transfer files while the old machine is still available.
Make a separate Windows backup with external storage
A manual copy is useful when you know the exact save folder and want an offline fallback in addition to Steam Cloud. It is not a universal PC-save solution, and it does not apply to Nintendo Switch console saves.
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Copy a known save folder
- Find the game’s documented save path. Use the game developer’s instructions or support page rather than guessing from the installation directory.
- Close the game. If the instructions warn that a launcher must also be closed, exit it before copying.
- Connect a USB flash drive or another external storage device with enough free space for the save folder.
- In File Explorer, select the complete documented save folder, choose the copy command, open the external drive, and paste the folder there.
- Give the backup a clear name that includes the game and the copy date. Keep the original folder on the old PC unchanged.
- On the new PC, install the same game edition, run it once if the developer’s instructions require the folder to be created, then close it.
- Copy the backup into the documented destination, allowing Windows to merge or replace files only when the game’s instructions say to do so.
- Open the game and check several saves or checkpoints. Keep the old PC and the external copy until that verification succeeds.
Microsoft’s external-storage guidance covers the general process of copying files to a drive and then to a new PC. It does not certify every game-save format. Some games encrypt saves, bind them to an account or version, or reject files created by a different platform.
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Do not confuse Windows Backup with complete game coverage
Windows Backup can synchronize selected user folders through OneDrive, but that scope does not establish that game saves stored in arbitrary locations are included automatically. A save hidden in a game-specific directory, a secondary drive or an application-data folder may be outside the selected folders. Check the actual save path and make a deliberate copy.
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Use Save Data Cloud when the title is eligible
Nintendo Switch Save Data Cloud requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership. It covers the vast majority of Switch software, but eligibility is title-specific. Check the game’s eShop entry or the Save Data Cloud option in the software menu before relying on it. Some games are excluded or have special rules.
- On the old console, connect to the internet and open the game’s Save Data Cloud controls.
- Confirm that the latest local progress has been backed up and note the backup date.
- On the replacement console, sign in to the same Nintendo Account and check the cloud backup date before downloading.
- Compare that date with the last time you played on the old console. If the cloud date is older, return to the old console and create a current backup before restoring.
- Download the backup only after checking the target console’s local save.
- Launch the game and verify the restored progress, inventory and settings.
Downloading a cloud backup can replace the target console’s existing save for that game. Nintendo says the overwritten data cannot be recovered, so inspect both the cloud date and the local save first. If a Nintendo Switch Online membership expires, Nintendo says earlier backups can be accessed again when you resubscribe within 180 days.
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If the old console is available, Nintendo’s nearby-console transfer is a separate official path and does not require Nintendo Switch Online. Both consoles need internet access, must be near one another, and must have the same Nintendo Account linked to a user. Start the transfer from the console settings, choose the user and game data to move, follow the on-screen pairing instructions, and leave both systems powered and connected until the process reports completion.
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Check which console contains the newest progress before beginning. A direct transfer is not an independent archival copy; it moves data between consoles. Keep the source console until the destination game has opened successfully.
Moving between Switch and Switch 2
Nintendo says compatible cloud backup data for Switch software can be shared between Switch and Switch 2 through the same Nintendo Account, subject to the game’s compatibility and edition-content rules. A game may have different Switch 2 content or restrictions, so verify the specific title rather than assuming every save is interchangeable.
What Switch cannot do
Nintendo does not support ordinary local save-data backups to a USB drive or memory card. Do not apply the Windows file-copy method to a Switch save, and do not use unofficial console modifications as a substitute for Nintendo’s supported transfer paths.
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When the game is on another platform or storefront
For PlayStation, Xbox, another PC launcher or a named indie title, use the game’s official support page for the exact account, save-path and cross-progression rules. Look for four separate answers:
- Does the game support cloud saves on this platform?
- Is the save tied to a platform account, a publisher account or the local device?
- Can the destination edition read the source save?
- Is there an official export, import or console-transfer procedure?
If the documentation does not answer those questions, do not invent a folder path or assume that a removable game library carries progress. Ask the developer while the old device still works and preserve the original installation until you receive a confirmed procedure.
Troubleshoot the most common transfer failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | Safe response |
|---|---|---|
| The new device starts at the beginning | The game is using a different account, edition or local profile, or the save was never synchronized | Confirm the account and edition, check the old device, and inspect the game’s official save instructions before creating more new saves |
| The cloud copy has an old date | The old device was offline or synchronization failed | Return to the old device, launch the game online, finish a clean exit and wait for a current backup |
| A Steam conflict appears | Local and cloud files differ | Compare dates and progress; choose deliberately rather than accepting the first prompt |
| Manual files do not load | Wrong folder, incompatible edition, encrypted format or an incorrect copy made while the game was open | Restore the original destination folder, recheck the developer’s path and format requirements, and retry with the game closed |
| Switch restore would erase newer progress | The target console has a newer local save than the cloud backup | Stop, record the dates, and create or transfer a current backup from the console with the newest data |
| Nearby Switch transfer will not start | Consoles are not online, are too far apart, or users are linked to different Nintendo Accounts | Connect both systems, place them nearby, verify the linked accounts and restart the official transfer flow |
A verification checklist for the replacement device
- The destination uses the same account required by the game or platform.
- The game edition and platform match the documented compatibility rules.
- The cloud backup date or copied-folder date is the one you intended to use.
- The game opens the expected save slot, character, world or checkpoint.
- Important settings and downloadable content are present when the game stores them with the save.
- You have closed and reopened the game once after the first successful load.
- The old device and any external backup remain untouched until verification is complete.
Only after these checks pass should you erase the old device or dispose of the temporary backup. For an especially valuable long-running save, retain one independent copy in addition to platform synchronization, provided the game’s format and platform allow that copy.
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