Is it safe to simlink steam userdata directory to a cloud storage service?

[bob_the_blob2]

I'd like to simlink my steam `userdata` directory to a cloud storage in order to automatically backup user data, screenshots, certain game saves etc.

My plan is to simply simlink the userID folder within the `Steam > userdata` directory and point it to a folder on my Dropbox. To be safe, I do not intend to run Dropbox whenever Steam is running (to avoid any conflicts), and will only open Dropbox when I want to periodically back it up.

Does anyone have any experience doing this? Or recommendations for / against this?

[DarkCrystalMethod]

I've been considering some kind of regular backup, but something I could review.
So maybe if I set up a mercurial or git repo at "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam" and add ALL files (my game dirs are on "D:\STEAM\" which I might do too) and check in any new files, perhaps I'll get an understanding of which files change when certain features are updated... so that I could tell even if there wasn't a patch note I could figure out what they did...
But I'd have to stay on top of it or schedule a forced add-all/commit and then study the patch for a bit.(including any deleted files)

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

If you want an automated process to sync files to your onedrive, dropbox, or other 3rd party storages online, you have to use an app to do this, and set up where to scan, and sync things, just review the settings, and how they work, so you know what you're working with.

Anyways AFAIK limit can be 23k ~ 26k screenshots on Steam.

[Satoru]

Note that if you try this

1) MS does not 'officially' support symlinking
2) as such you can potentially run into problems when using it This is especially true if you try to do it with MS 'special' folders like My Documents
3) The most common problem when doing this is when multiple different backup systems begin stomping all over eachother trying to 'sync' data. The most common issue with SteamCloud is when MS OneDrive hijacks MyDocuemnts and extremely bad things begin happening with your save files.

Basically yes you 'can' do it, but if you are not extremely careful, multiple different backup systems will eventually cause you to lose data as they confict on how to 'sync' the data it 'thinks' each exists

[bob_the_blob2]

Thanks for the advise here folks, it’s very helpful.

Just to elaborate on the setup a little bit, the only folder I’d be simlinking is the steam userdata folder. I wouldn’t be simlinking anything in my documents or other windows folders (I have other ways for backing up saved in the documents folder

The only backup service that would be used is Dropbox. I’m also not using it to sync data across multiple devices, it’s simply a way to automatically back up my data for a single device. So Dropbox wouldn’t be active when using steam, it would only be opened once steam is closed to backup my data.

Given the above do you think it would be okay? Or better to be safe since any backup service like this has its risks

Really appreciate your help and advise