Hearth and Hamlet Save File Location and Backup Guide

Find Hearth and Hamlet save files on Windows and Linux, create safe backups, restore a settlement, and handle Steam Cloud sync.

Quick answer

  • 1On Windows, open %APPDATA%\Godot\app_userdata\Hearth and Hamlet to find the local save folder.
  • 2On Linux, use $XDG_DATA_HOME/godot/app_userdata/Hearth and Hamlet or the default ~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata/Hearth and Hamlet path.
  • 3Close the game and wait for cloud synchronization before copying the entire folder outside the live directory.
  • 4Pause cloud synchronization during a restore, preserve the current folder, test the restored settlement, and then resume sync.

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These related Hearth and Hamlet pages answer the next questions around this topic.

Hearth and Hamlet Save File Locations

Hearth and Hamlet uses a Godot user-data directory and tracks files ending in .save. The folder belongs to your user profile, separate from the game's installation directory.

PlatformSave folder
Windows%APPDATA%\\Godot\\app_userdata\\Hearth and Hamlet
Linux with custom XDG data path$XDG_DATA_HOME/godot/app_userdata/Hearth and Hamlet
Linux default~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata/Hearth and Hamlet

Windows

Press Win + R, paste %APPDATA%\\Godot\\app_userdata\\Hearth and Hamlet, and press Enter. On a default profile, that expands to %USERPROFILE%\\AppData\\Roaming\\Godot\\app_userdata\\Hearth and Hamlet.

The AppData directory is hidden in normal File Explorer views. Using the Run dialog or pasting the full path into the address bar reaches it directly without changing hidden-file settings.

Linux and SteamOS

Open $XDG_DATA_HOME/godot/app_userdata/Hearth and Hamlet when your system defines a custom XDG_DATA_HOME. With the common default, open ~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata/Hearth and Hamlet.

Linux paths are case-sensitive. Keep the spaces and capitalization in Hearth and Hamlet, and show hidden directories when navigating graphically because .local begins with a dot.

Back Up and Restore a Settlement

A safe backup captures the whole save directory after the game and cloud client finish writing. Keeping the copy outside the live directory also prevents extra .save files from joining the cloud file group.

Create a backup

  1. Exit Hearth and Hamlet completely.
  2. Wait for the client to show that synchronization has finished.
  3. Open the platform-specific folder listed above.
  4. Copy the entire Hearth and Hamlet directory to a dated folder elsewhere.
  5. Keep that backup outside the live Godot user-data path.

The file names can vary, so protect the whole folder rather than selecting a file by a guessed name. A whole-folder copy also retains supporting files that may matter to the settlement.

Restore a backup

  1. Exit the game and pause cloud synchronization for Hearth and Hamlet.
  2. Rename or copy the current live folder so you can reverse the restore.
  3. Copy the backed-up folder into the correct platform path.
  4. Launch the game and verify the expected settlement before making new progress.
  5. Exit cleanly, then resume cloud synchronization and review any conflict prompt carefully.

Never restore while the game is running. A live copy can catch a file between writes, and the cloud client may upload a changed file after the session ends.

Handle Steam Cloud Without Losing Progress

The current cloud configuration maps Windows and Linux into the same save group and recursively tracks .save files. That makes cross-platform synchronization possible, while also making the newest local and cloud copies important.

Use one machine at a time. Exit the game, wait for synchronization to complete, and only then open the settlement on another computer. When a conflict prompt appears, compare timestamps and preserve both copies before choosing one.

Keep manual backups in a separate directory. A duplicate that still ends in .save inside the live folder can be synchronized as another save and count toward the configured file allowance. The steam_autocloud.vdf file is synchronization metadata, so a backup of the full directory may include it without changing the settlement data.

Why the Save Folder May Be Missing

Check these causes in order:

  1. No local save exists yet: Launch the game, create or load a settlement, exit normally, and check again after synchronization.
  2. The hidden directory is not visible: Paste the exact Windows path into File Explorer or enable hidden directories on Linux.
  3. Linux uses a custom XDG path: Print or inspect XDG_DATA_HOME and follow that location instead of the default .local/share path.
  4. You opened the installation directory: Save data lives under the user profile, not beside the executable.
  5. Cloud sync pending: Open the client online, allow synchronization to finish, and recheck the local folder.
  6. Older demo data: Demo v1.0.46 notes state that earlier demo saves became incompatible after backend changes.

Keep demo and full-release backups in separate dated folders. No official transfer guarantee is currently published.

Frequently Asked Questions