The Forest Save Files: Locations, Backups, Multiplayer Saves, and Server Data

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The Forest saves are stored outside the game’s installation folder. On Windows, open %appdata%..LocalLowSKSTheForest, which normally resolves to C:Users<username>AppDataLocalLowSKSTheForest. Linux and Steam Deck players using Proton have the equivalent data inside Steam’s compatdata242760 prefix. Multiplayer is not one all-purpose file: host-world data and each player’s character data occupy different areas, so copy the complete save root when backing up or moving a world.

Dedicated servers use a separate SKS directory, and the server’s configured saveFolderPath takes precedence over the default location. Steam Cloud can synchronize saves, but Steam Support says it cannot recover lost saves or resolve cloud conflicts for you; keep an independent copy.

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Quick reference: which folder contains your save?

Use the path that matches both your platform and the role of the save. A local single-player game, a hosted co-op world, a client character and a dedicated server do not necessarily use the same subfolder.

Find The Forest save files on Windows

Open the documented location directly

1. Close The Forest. If you host a dedicated server, stop that server as well so no process is writing the files.
2. Open File Explorer.
3. Click the address bar, paste %appdata%..LocalLowSKSTheForest, and press Enter.
4. Look for the save structure and any SteamID-named directories. Do not open a similarly named folder under the game’s installation directory and assume it is the save location; the save root is under AppDataLocalLowSKS.

Windows expands the environment-variable path to a user-specific directory. For example, the expanded form is C:Users<YourUsername>AppDataLocalLowSKSTheForest. The username is the Windows account that runs the game, so a different account can have a different save root.

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If the folder appears empty

• Start the game, create or load the relevant type of save, exit normally, and check the path again.
• Confirm that File Explorer is showing hidden items if you are navigating manually through AppData.
• Check that you are using the Windows account that owns the game’s local files.
• If you are looking for a server world, inspect the dedicated-server directory rather than the ordinary game root.

Find saves on Linux or Steam Deck with Proton

The Flatpak Steam path is:

/home/<YourUsername>/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/242760/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/LocalLow/SKS/TheForest/

242760 is The Forest’s Steam application ID in this Proton prefix. The folders after pfx/drive_c mirror the Windows layout because Proton supplies a Windows-compatible environment. Replace <YourUsername> with the Linux account name.

This exact path reflects Steam installed as a Flatpak. A native package, a different library location or another Proton setup can place compatdata elsewhere. If the shown path does not exist, locate the Steam library that contains steamapps/compatdata/242760, then follow the remaining path through pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/LocalLow/SKS/TheForest.

How The Forest separates single-player and multiplayer data

Single-player saves

Single-player data is stored below the same TheForest root. The game’s save structure, rather than the installation directory, determines which slot appears in the single-player load screen. Preserve the surrounding folders instead of extracting one file whose name looks important.

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Host and world data

In a hosted multiplayer game, the host’s machine contains the world or server state. That state determines the map, buildings, progression and other shared-world changes. A backup that contains only a player-character directory can therefore omit the world that other players expect to join.

Client-character data

Player-specific multiplayer information is kept separately. The save structure identifies client-character data under a SteamID directory and MultiPlayercs. The SteamID folder identifies a user, so a copied character folder is not a substitute for the host’s world data.

Because the roles are split, the safe unit for migration is the complete TheForest save root. This keeps the host data and player-specific data together and avoids guessing which subfolder a particular slot needs.

Dedicated-server save locations

A dedicated server does not use the ordinary game save root by default. The Windows server layout places its data at:

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C:Users<username>AppDataLocalLowSKSTheForestDedicatedServerdsmultiplayerslot1

The final directory, slot1, is the server save slot in that default arrangement. Server administrators can set a different saveFolderPath, and that configured path is authoritative. Before copying anything, inspect the server configuration or startup settings and record the active path and slot.

Moving a dedicated-server world

1. Stop the server and wait for its process to exit.
2. Identify the active saveFolderPath; if none is configured, check the default TheForestDedicatedServerdsmultiplayerslot1 path.
3. Copy the complete configured save directory, including its slot structure, to the new machine or storage location.
4. Configure the destination server to use the intended path and slot.
5. Start the server and verify that the expected world loads before removing the original copy.

Do not mix a dedicated-server slot with a client-character folder. They represent different save roles and are managed by different processes.

Back up The Forest saves safely

A reliable backup is a complete folder copy made while the game or server is closed. This preserves the relationships between world, slot and SteamID directories.

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1. Exit all writers. Close The Forest. Stop any dedicated server that uses the save.
2. Choose the source. For a normal game, use the complete TheForest root. For a dedicated server, use the configured server save directory.
3. Copy the whole folder. Copy the root and every subfolder to a different location. Do not select only the newest-looking file or only the player folder.
4. Label the archive. Include the date and context, such as the host name, single-player slot or server slot, so multiple backups are distinguishable.
5. Use a separate destination. Another internal disk, an external disk or a USB flash drive for game saves can provide a second copy. If you use removable media, open the copied folder and confirm that the expected SteamID or slot structure is present.
6. Keep the original unchanged. Treat the copied folder as an archive until you have confirmed that it restores correctly.

A second copy stored independently from the gaming computer protects against disk failure or an accidental overwrite. That independent copy is separate from Steam Cloud and should be managed as its own backup.

Restore a save or move it to another computer

Restoration uses the same platform-specific path as the original save. The destination game should be closed while files are copied.

1. Install and start The Forest once on the destination computer so its save directories are created, then exit the game.
2. Close Steam’s game session and stop any dedicated server that could touch the destination files.
3. Open the destination’s corresponding save root: the Windows LocalLowSKSTheForest path, the Proton prefix path, or the server’s configured directory.
4. Preserve the existing destination folder by renaming it or moving it aside before replacement. This gives you a rollback if the wrong slot was selected.
5. Copy the backed-up files into the corresponding original folders, retaining the same hierarchy of SteamID directories, multiplayer folders and slots.
6. Start the game and select the intended single-player or multiplayer slot. For a server, start it and confirm the expected world before deleting the old destination copy.

When moving a co-op game, transfer the host/world data and the relevant client-character data together. If another player’s character is missing, the likely cause is an incomplete role-specific copy rather than a different Windows path.

Steam Cloud: useful synchronization, not a recovery plan

Steam Cloud may keep save data synchronized between computers, but it does not replace a local archive. Steam Support states: “Steam Support cannot recover lost saves or assist in resolving cloud conflicts.” That means a cloud copy should not be treated as guaranteed recovery after deletion, corruption or an incorrect merge.

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When a cloud conflict appears

1. Do not immediately choose an overwrite option.
2. Close the game and preserve the current local TheForest folder as a dated copy.
3. Compare the local copy with any known-good archive and determine which version contains the desired slot.
4. Resolve the conflict deliberately, then launch the game and verify the save before discarding either copy.

Cloud synchronization is best viewed as convenience for moving recent changes, while an independently managed local or removable backup provides an archival point you control.

Backup destinations compared

Troubleshooting by symptom

The Forest shows no saves

• Check the exact Windows environment-variable path rather than browsing to a guessed folder.
• On Linux or Steam Deck, verify that you are in the Steam installation’s Proton prefix for app ID 242760.
• Confirm that the game was run under the same operating-system account that contains the files.
• Look for a dedicated-server path if the missing world was hosted by a server.

The world loads but a player character is missing

Hosted multiplayer separates world data from client-character data. Recheck the backup for the SteamID directory and its MultiPlayercs area, then restore the complete save root rather than adding an isolated file.

A server starts a blank or older world

• Stop the server before inspecting files.
• Check whether saveFolderPath points somewhere other than the default directory.
• Confirm that the intended slot, such as slot1, was copied into the configured location.
• Keep the original server folder until the restored world has been verified.

A restore produces a cloud conflict

Preserve the local folder first, then choose the version intentionally. Do not let an automatic cloud decision erase the only copy of a desired save.

Quick Recap

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Bestseller No. 2

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$34.99

Bestseller No. 3

Hunting Simulator 2 (PS4) - PlayStation 4

$19.40

Bestseller No. 4

ARK Ultimate Survivor Edition PS4 Game

$39.59

Bestseller No. 5

Blair Witch PS4

navigate your way through a cursed Forest that warps and distorts both time and space

$46.34

Pre-migration checklist

• The game and any dedicated server are closed.
• You identified the correct platform path.
• You distinguished single-player, host/world, client-character and dedicated-server data.
• You copied the complete relevant root, not a single file.
• The backup is dated and stored separately from the live folder.
• A server’s configured saveFolderPath and slot were recorded.
• You can identify which copy should win if Steam Cloud reports a conflict.

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