How to Transfer Stardew Valley Saves Between PC, Mac, iPhone, and iPad

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Yes—you can move a Stardew Valley farm between Windows, Mac, iPhone, and iPad, but you usually need to copy the save manually. Copy the complete farm folder—not just one save file—and put it in the destination game’s save location. This is a transfer, not an automatic cross-save or a merge: after moving the farm, progress made on either device stays separate unless you copy the chosen latest save back.

Which devices can share a Stardew Valley save?

Manual save-folder transfers work between the desktop and iOS versions, and between iPhones and iPads. The destination game must be able to read the save’s version: a newer game can generally open an older save, but an older game may not open a save that has been saved by a newer version. The Stardew Valley forum confirms that manual transfers to computers and mobile devices, including iOS, are possible.

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These steps describe manual file copying, not automatic syncing. Steam or GOG cloud synchronization can help with desktop installations, but neither should be treated as a universal PC-to-iPhone/iPad cross-save feature.

Before transferring: protect the farm

• Close Stardew Valley on both devices. On mobile, give the game time to finish saving after you switch away; do not immediately swipe-kill it if you want its emergency save to complete.
• Finish the in-game day if you can. The standard save is made when the day ends and normally loads at 6:00 a.m. Mobile emergency or backup saves can reflect different progress.
• Back up the whole farm folder. Keep a copy somewhere outside the active save directory before replacing anything.
• Update the destination game where possible. Avoid opening and saving the farm on a newer version if you still need it to work on an older installation.
• Account for mods. A farm that depends on custom items, characters, locations, or other mod data may not load correctly in vanilla mobile Stardew Valley. Test a separate copy rather than risking your only save.
• Pause desktop cloud sync if necessary. Steam or GOG may restore an older cloud copy over your manual transfer. Confirm the desired save locally before turning sync back on.

What exactly do you copy?

Each farm is a folder with a name like FarmName_123456789. Inside it are two important files, normally named like this:

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FarmName_123456789/
├── FarmName_123456789
└── SaveGameInfo

Copy the entire individual farm folder, including both files. Do not copy only the farm-named file, only SaveGameInfo, or the parent Saves directory. If you want a portable backup, ZIP the individual farm folder. Keep backup folders outside the active Saves directory so the game does not mistake them for playable saves. See the save-file guide for the folder format and platform details.

Where the saves are stored

Find the Windows save folder

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Enter %appdata%StardewValleySaves and press Enter.
3. Open the folder for the farm you want to transfer.

This is normally in your Windows user profile’s AppData roaming folder, not in the game’s Steam installation directory.

Find the Mac save folder

1. Open Finder and choose Go > Go to Folder….
2. Enter ~/.config/StardewValley/Saves and press Return.
3. Open the folder for the farm you want to transfer.

Find an iPhone or iPad save

1. Open the Files app and tap Browse if needed.
2. Under Locations, open On My iPhone or On My iPad.
3. Open the Stardew Valley folder, then locate the farm folder.

The ordinary location to check is local device storage, not necessarily iCloud Drive. If the Stardew Valley folder is missing, create and save a temporary farm, close the game normally, and check again. Do not delete and reinstall the app as a troubleshooting step unless your saves are backed up. For older devices running iOS 12 or earlier, direct Files access may not be available; connect the device to a computer and use Finder or iTunes File Sharing instead. The current App Store listing specifies iOS/iPadOS 13 or later, though store requirements can change.

Transfer from PC or Mac to iPhone or iPad

1. On the computer, open the save location above and copy the complete farm folder.
2. Move it to the phone or tablet using a cloud-storage app, another Files-compatible method, or a computer connection. A ZIP can be convenient, but extract it before placing the save in the game’s folder.
3. In Files, place the individual farm folder directly inside On My iPhone > Stardew Valley or On My iPad > Stardew Valley. Do not leave it inside an extra nested folder.
4. Open Stardew Valley and check Load Game.

If you use Finder or iTunes File Sharing on a computer, copy each individual farm folder into Stardew Valley’s app documents area. Do not drag the parent folder containing all your farms. The exact transfer interface varies by computer and iOS/iPadOS version, but the destination principle is the same: the farm folder belongs in the Stardew Valley app’s save area.

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Transfer from iPhone or iPad to PC or Mac

1. In Files, open On My iPhone > Stardew Valley or On My iPad > Stardew Valley.
2. Copy or export the entire farm folder—not just a file inside it—to a computer or transfer location.
3. On Windows, place the folder in %appdata%StardewValleySaves. On Mac, place it in ~/.config/StardewValley/Saves.
4. Launch the desktop game and check Load Game.

With Finder or iTunes File Sharing, select Stardew Valley in the device’s File Sharing section, save the farm folder to the computer, and then copy it into the normal desktop Saves folder.

Transfer between iPhone and iPad

1. Close Stardew Valley on both devices.
2. On the source device, copy the farm folder from Files > On My iPhone/iPad > Stardew Valley to a computer, cloud-storage folder, or other Files-compatible transfer location.
3. On the destination device, put that folder directly inside On My iPhone/iPad > Stardew Valley.
4. Open the game and check Load Game.

This is still a manual copy; do not assume that progress automatically syncs between an iPhone and iPad. If the destination has a farm folder with the same name and ID, back it up before replacing it.

Transfer between Windows and Mac

Copy the individual farm folder from the source computer’s Saves directory to the destination computer’s Saves directory, using a USB drive, local network, or cloud storage. The save format is generally transferable between Windows and Mac. Launch the destination game and check Load Game, keeping the version rule in mind.

Versions, mods, and separate progress

Version compatibility

In practical terms, a newer game version can generally load a save made by an older version; an older game version cannot reliably load one last saved by a newer version. Update the destination game first when possible. If the farm must remain usable on both an older and newer installation, keep an untouched backup and avoid saving the transferred farm in the newer game until you are ready to commit to that version. Save-file compatibility can depend on the specific releases, so do not assume every version combination will work indefinitely.

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Modded farms

A modded desktop save is not necessarily ready for unmodded iPhone or iPad play. Cosmetic or lightweight mods may leave data behind, while expansion and gameplay mods are more likely to add content the destination cannot interpret. Preserve the original and test a separate copy; removing a mod does not guarantee that its saved data disappears cleanly. The SMAPI site is the official reference for the desktop mod loader. Its bundled SaveBackup mod can retain up to 10 daily backups for modded desktop installations, but those backups do not make a mod-dependent farm compatible with mobile.

Copies do not merge

After a transfer, each device has its own copy. If you play the farm on both, the game does not combine the days, items, or progress. Choose the copy you want to keep, back up both, then manually replace the other device’s folder with the chosen latest copy. Avoid alternating between devices without a deliberate copy-back routine.

If the farm does not appear in Load Game

1. Check the folder level. The farm folder should be directly inside the destination save location, not inside another folder or still inside a ZIP.
2. Check the contents. The folder should contain both the farm-named save file and SaveGameInfo.
3. Check names and extensions. The folder name should resemble FarmName_123456789 and match the farm-named file. Make sure files have not acquired an incorrect .bin extension.
4. Restart the game. Close and reopen Stardew Valley, then check Load Game again.
5. Check the destination version. A save last written by a newer game may not load in an older one.
6. Check mods. If the save depends on missing custom content, try a backed-up copy in the environment that has the required mods.
7. Check sync conflicts. A desktop cloud service may have restored an older copy over your transfer.

If the wrong progress appears

First close the game and make another copy of the current farm folder before changing anything. On a PC or Mac, if Steam or GOG restored an older cloud version, temporarily disable that game’s cloud synchronization, restore the desired folder, confirm that it loads, and only then re-enable sync. A cloud-storage intermediary is only a way to move a file; it does not itself provide Stardew Valley cross-save.

Mobile has standard, emergency, and backup save states. The standard save corresponds to ending the in-game day; an emergency save may capture a different point after the app is backgrounded, and a backup is a separate recovery option. See the mobile save guide before trying to restore an earlier point.

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Advanced recovery: restore the previous save

Make a copy of the entire farm folder first. These steps alter or remove files and should be used only if the previous save files are present.

Windows, Mac, or Android

In the backed-up farm folder, delete the current SaveGameInfo and farm-named save file. Then remove _old from SaveGameInfo_old and FarmName_123456789_old. The resulting files restore the previous standard save, if those backups exist.

iPhone or iPad

After backing up the folder, the iOS recovery structure differs: delete the current farm-named file and the emergency file, then remove _SVBAK from the backup filename. Do not rename or delete anything until you have a separate copy, and consult the mobile save guidance if the filenames do not match this description.

SMAPI desktop backup

For a modded desktop installation, check the game folder’s save-backups directory. Extract the backup containing the desired farm and copy that farm folder into the normal Saves directory.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

Stardew Valley (Nintendo Switch)

become a part of the local community: get to know all 30+ residents of Pelican town!

$33.99

Bestseller No. 2

Stardew Valley [Nintendo Switch - Standard Edition]

$32.70

Bestseller No. 3

Stardew Valley - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]

$14.89

Bestseller No. 4

Minecraft - Nintendo Switch

Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures; Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes

$29.83

Transfer options at a glance

• Manual copy: Best for a one-time move or recovery. It works across the platforms covered here, but you must repeat it when switching devices and take care not to overwrite newer progress.
• Cloud-storage intermediary: Convenient for moving a ZIP without a cable. Extract it and place the farm folder in the destination’s local save area; watch for duplicate copies and sync conflicts.
• USB or Finder/iTunes File Sharing: Useful when Files does not expose the save or when you prefer a direct transfer. The interface varies across macOS and iOS/iPadOS versions.
• Automatic platform sync: May help between desktop installations that use the same service, but it is not a dependable universal PC-to-iPhone/iPad save system.

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