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How to Locate & Backup Elden Ring PC Save File

Elden Ring has taken the gaming world by storm since its release in February 2022, garnering critical acclaim for its expansive open world and challenging gameplay. As players sink dozens or even hundreds of hours into the lands between, having a backup save file is crucial to avoid losing progress. For PC players, locating and backing up your Elden Ring save file is thankfully straightforward. In this guide, I‘ll walk you through the steps to find where Elden Ring stores save data on your computer and how to create backups.

Locating the Elden Ring Save File

By default, Elden Ring uses the standard Steam cloud sync to store save games. This means your progress is automatically backed up online. However, you can also manually access the local save file on your PC. Here‘s how to find it:

  1. Open the File Explorer on your computer and paste this path into the address bar:

    %AppData%\EldenRing\

  2. Press Enter. This will open the folder where Elden Ring stores local save data on your PC.

Inside this folder, you‘ll see multiple backup save files named ER0000.sl2, ER0001.sl2 and so on, as well as potentially save files for other characters if you have multiple. The numbering indicates the order – ER0000 contains your most recent save.

Backing Up Elden Ring Save Files

Now that you know where your Elden Ring save game data is stored, you can manually create backups. Here are some tips:

  • Copy the Latest Save: After each long gaming session, copy the most recent .sl2 file and paste it in a backup location like an external hard drive or cloud storage. This gives you a progress restore point.

  • Rename Files: Give your backup save files descriptive names indicating things like character name, soul level, location etc. For example "Paladin-Lvl120-VolcanoManor.sl2".

  • Create Save Milestones: Manually back up your save file after achieving certain goals or reaching key locations. This gives you milestone restore points.

  • Store Backups Remotely: Use cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox to store backup save files. This protects against local storage failure.

  • Use Multiple Backup Drives: Maintain copies of backup saves on both local external drives as well as cloud storage for redundancy. Hard drives can fail.

Restoring Elden Ring Save Files

If your Elden Ring save gets corrupted or a save mishap occurs, restoring from a backup is straightforward. Here is what to do:

  1. Quit Elden Ring and close Steam. This avoids any sync conflicts.

  2. Navigate to AppData\EldenRing\ in File Explorer.

  3. Delete the existing local Elden Ring save folder completely. This removes corrupted files.

  4. Copy your clean backup save folder to this location.

  5. Rename the backup folder to ER0000 – this denotes the primary active save slot.

  6. Launch Elden Ring via Steam. The game will now load your restored save file. Verify the correct restore.

And that‘s it! By regularly backing up your save and understanding how to restore it, you can pickup right where you left off in Elden Ring no matter what misfortune occurs. Never lose hours of precious progress again.

Now let‘s dive deeper into some advanced backup topics that serious Elden Ring completionists may want to utilize…

Making Copies of Characters & Items

Elden Ring lets players extensively customize builds and equipment loadouts to take on enemies. You can also respec stats and alter appearance later in the game.

However, what if you want to safely experiment with multiple configurations using the same character? Or have an item in your inventory permanently without risk of losing it?

Using the save file backup method, you can actually "dupe" entire character builds as well as rare items. Here‘s how:

  1. Equip your character with the desired equipment and items in Elden Ring itself. Get the loadout exactly how you want it.

  2. Quit the game and navigate to the save file location > AppData\EldenRing\.

  3. Copy the latest save (e.g. ER0000.sl2) and paste the duplicate file in the same folder.

  4. Rename the copy to the next available number (e.g. ER0001.sl2).

This essentially clones your character and inventory! By loading the different save files, you can access totally identical characters that can be leveled up and geared differently.

The same method works for "duping" rare consumables or other items. Simply copy them into your inventory before backing up the save file. You now have two instances of that item.

Sharing Elden Ring Save Files Between PCs

Many Elden Ring players have gaming rigs with multiple PCs, such as a desktop and laptop. Wouldn‘t it be great if you could access the same save file on both systems? Using manual backups, you actually can by simply transferring files.

To share an Elden Ring save between computers, follow these steps:

  1. On the source PC, copy your latest save from AppData\EldenRing\ to removable media like a USB drive.

  2. On the destination PC, paste the save file into AppData\EldenRing\ after clearing any existing saves in that folder.

  3. Launch Steam and start Elden Ring – your save will now be usable on the other machine. Syncing works between Windows PCs.

Couple things to note – make sure Steam Cloud is disabled, and use this to transfer saves forwards, not back and forth. But now you can play more Elden Ring during travel while still retaining your progress!

Finding & Sharing Elden Ring Save Files on Console

So far we‘ve covered Elden Ring save data on the PC version. But what about console players on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S? Can they also access saves?

The process for finding and sharing save files is similar, though slightly more complex:

  • On PlayStation, save games are tied to your PSN account and stored in system storage or the cloud automatically. You can copy them to a USB drive via Settings > Saved Data.

  • On Xbox, save games are accessible under Manage > Saved Data > Elden Ring. You can copy saves to the cloud or a USB drive.

Backing up and restoring works the same way – copy the save file then overwrite the local file on the same console. Unfortunately, there is no cross-platform crossplay between PC and consoles for Elden Ring.

But at minimum, console players can backup saves locally or to the cloud to prevent file corruption or loss issues.

What Causes Elden Ring Save File Corruption?

Now that you know all about manipulating Elden Ring save files, let‘s talk about why backups are so crucial in the first place.

Like all huge open world games, Elden Ring is not without bugs. One of the most dreaded issues players may experience is save file corruption – where your savegame becomes glitched and unusable. This can completely erase dozens of hours of progress.

So what causes save corruptions in Elden Ring? Some common triggers include:

  • Game crashes, lockups or incorrect shutdown during saves.
  • Using hacked items, armor or weapons – these can contain bugs.
  • Game memory leaks when playing for extremely long sessions.
  • Too many dynamically-generated items cluttering the open world.
  • Developers pushing small patches that glitch save compatibility.

Quite simply, you never know when gremlins in the code may ruin your save file. Making regular backups guards against save corruption wiping out your hard work.

For maximum safety, I recommend backing up your Elden Ring saves to multiple drives after every long gaming session. It takes seconds and beats the heartache later!

Wrapping Up

And there you have it – everything you need to know about locating, backing up and restoring Elden Ring save files on PC and consoles. Follow the steps outlined in this guide and you‘ll never lose your hard-fought progress, no matter what cruel bugs the coding gods throw your way!

I hope this guide proves useful on your epic quest to become Elden Lord. Now get back to playing and remember – always backup those saves! Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments.