Prevent the loss of game progress: Save File Backups/Disable & download Cloud Saves + Fix corrupted files

A guide on how to disable Steam Cloud saves, use newer cloud or local saves when prompted, download cloud saves, make manual and auto saves and fixing corrupted save files.

Disabling Steam Cloud saves

In your Steam Library, Right click on Elden Ring>Properties and untick
“Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud for Elden Ring”.

The reason for doing this is because usually, the local saves are written more frequently than the cloud versions which may not save due to a drop in internet, a forced exit, game crash etc. Regular backups of your local save files should be maintained. Also, by disabling cloud saves, you will not receive a prompt to choose between cloud or local saves where one might chose the wrong option.

To re-enable Steam Cloud saves, make sure “Keep game saves in the Steam Cloud for Elden Ring” is ticked.

Creating a manual save backup

To find your Elden Ring save files either:
1. Copy and paste this string in any Windows Explorer Navigation bar and hit enter
%AppData%\EldenRing

or
2. Navigate to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\EldenRing.
(The AppData folder may be hidden)

Click on the folder within.
The actual saves are all .sl2 files, (ER0000.sl2 file in my example) however, to err on the side of caution, I personally make a copy of all files within that folder.
The .bak file is also a backup made by Elden Ring but usually what happens to the actual save happens to it as well.

To make a backup, right click anywhere and select New>Folder. Name it anything then copy and paste your save files inside.

Creating an auto save backup

Credits to Raigavin for the following write up.

Originally posted by Raigavin:

...you can create a batch file on the desktop which does backing up your EldenRing saves automatically for you ....

- Right Click on desktop -> New Text Document


- Open it then copy and paste the following into the text file:

cd %APPDATA%\
xcopy EldenRing "C:\ER backup\EldenRing\" /e /y
cd C:\"ER backup"
ren EldenRing "EldenRing %date%_%time:~0,2%%time:~3,2%"

- Save file


- Rename text file to a batch file, example: ER_Savebackup.bat


Double click on the file to create a save backup.




(give a minute of gap at least between making the backups)
It will copy the EldenRing save data files to C:\ER backup\ Add a date stamp (if needed)


Video

Cloud sync error

A sync error may happen if Steam did not properly sync the local save file’s progress with that on the Cloud. Upon launch, the user will have the following prompt:


The best thing to do is ALWAYS SELECT THE NEWER FILE. In my example, the newer file is my local save:


If for some reason, the Cloud save is newer, I would first cancel, make a backup of my local save then finally re-launch Elden Ring and choose to download the cloud save.


If the cloud save isn’t where you left off, just close the game and replace your local saves from the backup and choose local files instead.

If you load a save from the cloud, it's older than your local save and you have lost progress, there's no way to get back that progress as it'll overwrite the local save files and vice versa. The game can at times crash resulting in a corrupted save, so it's best practice to have manual/auto backups made even with cloud saves enabled and ALWAYS CHOOSE THE NEWEST SAVE WHEN PROMPTED.

Final note: it may happen that you select the local file as the newer save but you still lost progress. That would just be the game's fault for not saving your progress for a variety of reasons and a simple one maybe be that the game was closed forcefully without having the chance to completely save:


It may just be that either way, you were going to lose that progress. Making periodic saves is the foolproof way to ensure that if you do lose progress, it not too much should it happen.

All the best and happy gaming!

Download Cloud Save file

To download your Elden Ring Cloud save files, provided you have Steam Cloud enabled for this game, go here (login if required) and hit download for your save, then copy and paste in your local save folder.

Fixing corrupted save files

Drake Ravenwolf has an even better write up of this and other solutions here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2797241037
Download this Hex Editor[mh-nexus.de]

1. Make a backup of your save (.sl2 file) located at %AppData%\EldenRing\"numbers"

2. Launch Elden Ring, select New game, create a second character and exit game.

3. Open Hex editor and find the.sl2 you want to fix (for my example, ER0000.sl2

4. Right click in the Offset column and choose Select block...

5. in Start-offset put 000000310 and in End-offset put 0028030F and hit OK

6. From the menu bar, go to Analysis and select Checksums

7. In Available algorithms, scroll down and select MD-5 and hit OK

8. Right click again in the Offset column and choose Select block

9. in Start-offset put 000000300 and in End-offset put 00000030F and hit OK

10. At the bottom under Checksum right click and copy the entire MD-5 string

11. Go above to the highlighted line, right click it and select Paste write

12. Save

13. Delete ER0000.sl2.bak and launch game.

[Drake Ravenwolf]

Option #4 can save lost progress if everything else has failed:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2797241037

[JaMiTa]

mb you can do tutorial video using OBS studio and record then most of the noobs can follow your steps easier

[Bruzer]

Cheers!

[RyuKaze]

Ouch, I'm sorry for your loss and that nothing helped. If you ever do decide to play again, please remember to make a backup even if it's semi regularly. You shouldn't have to, but here we are. People sometimes give out runes and drop items that may help in a fast recovery as well (though that comes with it's own set of risks). You're most welcome and take care

[Bruzer]

I didnt work for me. But tyvm RyuKaze for your efforts to help me. Nice to at least chat with someone about it. LMAO. Thank you.

[Bruzer]

i'll try it now. Hard for a old man with no computer skills. But I'll try. TY

[RyuKaze]

@Bruzer: Try this https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2782187284 someone made an easier form of the hex editor. Try it and I hope it works for you. Lemme know and I'll link it here as well, thanks and good luck.

[Bruzer]

I still cant get it to work. My computer crashed and I now still have corrupted game file, And I have tried all the fixes. There goes 167 hrs played. Wish it was an easy fix for this old man. been at it for hrs trying to fix it.

[RyuKaze]

No, that won't work. Saves are linked to the Steam account of the game. You'll either get immediately banned for trying or it just won't work.

[f0rze.-]

can i tranfer my local save from the cracked game to the steam's local file? i want to buy it but i don't know if it's possible... i have a lot of hours spending