Where Are Shadow Empire Save Files Located?
Where Shadow Empire keeps its .se1 saves in Documents, the fixed-path quirk, and backup advice for campaigns.
Last updated
Shadow Empire saves campaigns and generated planets as .se1 files in a fixed Documents folder, no matter which drive hosts the game. That assumption crashes ugly when Documents moves or security software blocks writes. The path never configurably changes.
Backups copy the My Games tree with the game closed. Defender exclusions fix the notorious generation crash more often than reinstalls. Accept the fixed path and work around it with links when drives fill. Junctions beat reinstalls for moved libraries.
Where Shadow Empire stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Shadow Empire
Fixed Documents location for .se1 campaigns and generated planets regardless of install drive. Defender blocks cause generation crashes; whitelist the tree. Symlinks relocate against the game's wishes.
Frequently asked questions
how do I back up Shadow Empire saves
Copy the .se1 files from the My Games folder with the game closed to back up campaigns and planets. The path is fixed to Documents regardless of install drive. Moving Documents itself relocates saves with everything else.
can I change the save folder
No setting moves it; the game assumes Documents on the system drive. Symlink or library tricks relocate the folder against its wishes. Defender false positives on save writes cause the classic crash instead.
crash when generating a planet
Whitelist the Documents tree in Defender and verify the game folder exists and writes. The crash trace names the missing planet file directly. Integrity checks plus exclusions fix most cases.
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