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On Steam for Windows, an ARK: Survival Evolved single-player world is commonly stored in ShooterGameSavedSavedArksLocal inside the game installation. The safest backup is the complete folder for the map you play, together with ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsNoEditor. Copy those folders while ARK is closed, before an update, reinstall, or mod change. Folder names can vary by map and installation, and no official Studio Wildcard support page confirming these paths was found, so verify the location on your own machine.
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The short answer
For a normal Steam installation on Windows, use Steam’s file browser rather than guessing the drive letter:
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- Open Steam and select Library.
- Right-click ARK: Survival Evolved.
- Choose Manage, then Browse local files.
- Open
ShooterGame, thenSaved. - Look for the map folder used by your save. Single-player saves commonly use
SavedArksLocalor a map-specific name such asRagnarokSavedArksLocal.
Back up the entire map folder, not just the largest .ark file. Also copy SavedConfigWindowsNoEditor so settings such as difficulty, taming speed and food-rate values travel with the world backup.
These names and locations are community-reported rather than officially documented. The actual Steam library may be on another drive, and map or platform differences can change the folder prefix.
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Finding the Steam save folder on Windows
Use Steam to identify the correct installation
Steam can have several library locations, so a hard-coded path is only a starting point. The commonly cited default is C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonARKShooterGameSavedSavedArksLocal. If ARK was installed to a second drive, the prefix before steamapps will be different. Browse local files always opens the installation currently associated with the game in Steam.
Navigate to the saved data
Inside the window Steam opens, go to ShooterGame and then Saved. Do not confuse this with Steam’s separate userdata directory. Some web pages list a path containing userdata/{Steam3AccountID}/346110/, but that location was not confirmed as the default for these saves.
Confirm that you have the active map
Sort the folders by name or modification date and check for a recently changed world file. If you play several maps, each can have a separate folder. Start ARK, load the map you care about, exit normally, and then inspect the folders again; the folder whose timestamp changes is a useful local check. This does not replace a backup, but it helps prevent copying an old or unrelated map.
Map folder names and what they contain
Community reports describe a map-specific prefix rather than one universal directory. The following names are commonly reported; treat them as examples to verify against the folders in your installation.
| Map or map group | Common folder name | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| The Island | SavedArksLocal |
Check that the folder contains the world file for the Island you last loaded. |
| Workshop mod maps | SavedArksLocal |
Several maps may share this location, so use file dates and names to identify the active save. |
| Ragnarok | RagnarokSavedArksLocal |
Back up this folder instead of substituting the Island folder. |
| Extinction | ExtinctionSavedArksLocal |
Confirm the spelling on your installation before copying or restoring. |
The folder names above come from community observations, not a published platform specification. A different ARK edition, map, launcher or installation can use another prefix. If a map is missing from the table, inspect every folder under Saved and match it to the map you loaded rather than creating a new directory by hand.
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The world file
The playable world is stored in a map folder’s .ark file. Its name identifies the map in many installations, but the exact filename can vary. Treat the whole directory as the save unit because companion files may hold character, tribe or other local state.
The single-player character file
A single-player character is commonly reported as LocalPlayer.arkprofile. Keep it with the map folder. Restoring only a world file can leave the character, inventory or progression out of sync.
What a reliable backup includes
Copy the complete map folder
Select the entire folder for the map you are backing up and copy it to a separate location. A forum report described losing a Ragnarok world after copying only The Island folder; the practical lesson is to match the backup folder to the map actually being played and to preserve every file inside it.
Copy Windows configuration files
Also copy ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsNoEditor. It commonly contains GameUserSettings.ini, which stores game settings. A backup that contains the world but omits this directory can restore the map with different difficulty, taming or food-rate settings than the ones used during play.
Optional personal folders
Some players also retain MyPaintings and LocalProfiles from the Saved directory. MyPaintings can matter if custom in-game paintings are important to you. A community reply describes LocalProfiles as profile data from every server joined and says it may be unnecessary for a strictly single-player setup. Keep it when you are unsure; omit it only when you have confirmed that you do not need the profile data.
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Use a destination outside the game directory
Copy to another internal drive, an external drive or a folder that is included in your normal backup system. A second copy in the same ARK directory does not protect against an update, uninstall or file-system failure that affects the installation.
Manual backup procedure
- Quit ARK completely. Return to the desktop and wait for Steam to finish any disk activity. Do not copy files while the game is saving.
- Open the installation through Steam. Use Library → right-click ARK → Manage → Browse local files.
- Open
ShooterGameSaved. Identify the map folder that changed after your last session. - Copy the whole map folder. Paste it into a dated backup directory, for example
ARK-backups2026-10-14RagnarokSavedArksLocal. The date is an example naming convention; choose one that makes older copies easy to distinguish. - Copy the configuration directory. From the same
Saveddirectory, copyConfigWindowsNoEditorinto the dated backup, preserving theConfigWindowsNoEditorhierarchy. - Add optional folders if needed. Include
MyPaintingsandLocalProfileswhen your play history requires them. - Check the copy. Open the destination and confirm that the map folder contains its files, including the world
.arkfile and, where present,LocalPlayer.arkprofile. Compare the source and destination folder sizes as a basic transfer check. - Keep more than one dated version. Retain an older known-good copy instead of overwriting it after every session. This gives you a recovery point if a newly copied save is already damaged.
Manual copying and Steam’s Browse local files function use the same underlying folders. Steam does not create a separate, automatically restorable archive merely because you opened the directory through its interface.
Manual copy versus Steam file management
| Approach | What it does | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| File Explorer copy | Duplicates the selected map and configuration folders. | Visible, portable and easy to date; works without a special backup utility. | You must choose the correct map, close the game and maintain copies yourself. |
| Steam Browse local files | Opens the same ARK installation directory in File Explorer. | A reliable way to find the active library when several drives are configured. | It is a navigation shortcut, not an independent save-backup system. |
Whichever route you use, the important choices are the complete map folder, the Windows configuration directory and a destination separate from the live installation.
Restoring a backup safely
- Close ARK and Steam’s game process. Make sure no ARK window or save operation is running.
- Preserve the current state. Rename the existing map folder, or copy it to a separate emergency directory, before replacing anything. This gives you a way back if the older backup is not the one you wanted.
- Open the same
ShooterGameSavedlocation. Use Steam’s Browse local files command to avoid restoring into a different library. - Replace the map folder with the backup copy. Keep the original folder name expected by the installation; do not rename a Ragnarok folder to the Island folder or vice versa.
- Restore configuration when appropriate. Copy the backed-up
ConfigWindowsNoEditordirectory intoShooterGameSavedConfig. If you want to retain newer settings, save the current configuration elsewhere first. - Launch the matching map. Check the character, world state and gameplay rates. If the map does not appear or progress is missing, exit without making further changes and review the folder name and backup date.
Restoration is map-specific. A valid backup of one map will not populate another map’s save slot, and copying only a world file can omit the character or settings that make the save usable.
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Dedicated servers use a different directory convention from local single-player games. The commonly reported location is ShooterGameSavedSavedArks; Linux server guides commonly show ../ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks. Confidence in these server paths is lower than for the Steam single-player location because the server path is based on limited guide material.
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Alternate save directories
Multi-server installations can separate worlds with the launch parameter ?AltSaveDirectoryName=Server1. With that parameter, saves are commonly written under ../ShooterGame/Saved/Server1. The directory name is whatever value follows the parameter, so check the server’s actual startup command and then confirm that the expected files appear after a controlled save.
What to copy on a server
Stop the server before copying its save directory. Preserve the complete server save tree rather than selecting one map file. Server administrators should also retain their server configuration files according to the hosting layout, because world data and server settings may live in separate directories. The exact arrangement depends on the server platform and launch configuration; verify it on that host before deleting or replacing anything.
Multiplayer, cloud storage and other platforms
Reports about multiplayer character and tribe data conflict. One guide claims multiplayer saves are cloud-stored, while forum posts describe local character and tribe data. There is no reliable basis here for treating either description as universally true. For a server you control, back up the server’s local save directory. For a server you do not control, ask its administrator which data is retained and how restores are handled.
The paths in this guide are centered on Steam for Windows. Console editions, non-Steam PC editions and hosted services can use different storage systems and may not expose these folders at all. Do not paste a Windows path into another platform and assume it applies. Identify the platform, launcher and whether the world is single-player, non-dedicated or dedicated before following a path.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting missing or ineffective backups
The folder is not at the default path
Use Steam’s Browse local files command and follow the directory from that window. If several ARK installations exist, inspect the one Steam opens for the account and library where you play. A different drive letter or library root is normal.
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You copied a folder but the world is absent
Check that the copied folder corresponds to the map you loaded. Ragnarok and Extinction commonly use distinct prefixes, while The Island and many Workshop maps commonly use SavedArksLocal. Review modification dates after launching and exiting the map, then repeat the backup with the folder that changed.
The world loads with the wrong rates or difficulty
Restore ConfigWindowsNoEditor from the same backup set. Copying only the map folder can omit GameUserSettings.ini and related configuration files, so the restored world may use current defaults instead of the settings used when the backup was made.
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Confirm that the backup includes the complete map folder and look for LocalPlayer.arkprofile. Do not merge a character file from a different map or date into a world without first preserving the current folder; mismatched files can make it harder to determine which state is valid.
A restored save keeps changing back
Exit ARK before restoring and ensure the game is not running from another Steam library. After copying, launch once, verify the result, and make a fresh dated backup of the verified state. If you use a server, stop the server process and check whether AltSaveDirectoryName points to a different directory than the one you replaced.
You are unsure whether optional folders matter
Keep the original backup intact and test a copy in a separate recovery directory. Include MyPaintings and LocalProfiles in a second, fuller archive rather than deleting them from your only copy. This preserves the option to recover profile or painting data later.
A practical backup schedule
- Before updates: make a dated copy of the active map folder and
ConfigWindowsNoEditorbefore installing a game update. - Before reinstalling: copy the same folders to storage outside the ARK installation; an uninstall can remove files in the installation directory.
- Before mod changes: archive the current map and configuration before adding, removing or updating mods.
- After major progress: create another dated copy so a later corruption event does not erase all recent progress.
- After verifying a restore: keep the restored, tested state as a new backup rather than overwriting the older source immediately.
Use clear names that include the map and date. For example, a directory such as ARK-backups2026-10-14Ragnarok is easier to identify than a series of folders named backup1 and backup2.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteFinal checklist
- Steam’s Browse local files opens the installation you actually play.
- You inspected
ShooterGameSavedrather than assuming auserdatapath. - You selected the map-specific folder that changed after loading your world.
- You copied the complete folder, including the world
.arkfile andLocalPlayer.arkprofilewhen present. - You copied
ConfigWindowsNoEditorwith the same backup date. - You stored the copy outside the live game directory and kept an older known-good version.
- You stopped ARK, or the dedicated server, before copying or restoring.
- You verified the map, character and settings after a restore.
Bottom line
For Steam on Windows, start from the installation Steam opens and inspect ShooterGameSaved. Single-player maps commonly use SavedArksLocal or a map-specific variant such as RagnarokSavedArksLocal and ExtinctionSavedArksLocal. Back up the complete active map folder together with ConfigWindowsNoEditor, keep dated copies outside the installation, and verify every folder on your own setup because these community-reported paths have no official confirmation.
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