Windows

Where Is the Guild Wars 2 Local.dat File?

Guild Wars 2 Local.dat archive in AppData holding settings, versus screenshots in Documents.

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Guild Wars 2 packs account settings into a single Local.dat archive in AppData. Screenshots go elsewhere (Documents), which already has its own guide.

One file holds the client state. Corruption here manifests as reset settings rather than lost characters, which live server-side.

Where Guild Wars 2 stores this, by platform

Windows
%APPDATA%\Guild Wars 2\Local.dat

Single archive with settings and client state. Back up with the game closed. Delete it to force clean regeneration when settings corrupt. Screenshots live separately in Documents\Guild Wars 2.

Frequently asked questions

How do I back up Guild Wars 2 settings?

Copy Local.dat with the game closed. Graphics, keybinds and login state travel inside it. Screenshots live separately in Documents and need their own copy.

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