Where Does Steam Deck Store Saves and Screenshots?
Steam Deck keeps Windows game saves in per game compatdata prefixes, with screenshots under userdata and native saves in home.
Last updated
Steam Deck runs SteamOS, so every Windows game gets a fake Windows machine called a prefix. Prefixes live in the compatdata folder, one numeric subfolder per app ID, with the fake C drive under pfx drive_c. A Windows save path maps one to one inside it.
Native Linux games skip prefixes and save into home folders like .config or .local/share. Screenshots live separately under userdata with the app ID and 760 remote path. Knowing which of the three holds your file decides whether you browse prefixes, home, or userdata.
Where Steam Deck stores this, by platform
/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/<appid>/pfx
One folder per Steam app ID with pfx drive_c inside. Windows users/steamuser mirrors Documents and AppData. Non Steam games get random IDs, found via Protontricks.
/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/userdata/<userid>/760/remote/<appid>/screenshots
Screenshot store per user and game. Non Steam captures and quick captures land in Pictures Screenshots instead.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find one game save folder on Deck?
Find the app ID on the store page URL, open its compatdata folder, then pfx drive_c. Mirror the Windows save path from PCGamingWiki inside it to reach the files.
Do I need Protontricks to find prefixes?
Use Protontricks from Discover. Pick the game, open the default prefix, and read the full path from the title bar instead of guessing numeric folders.
Does Steam Cloud make prefix backups pointless?
Yes when the game supports it. Cloud covers many titles, but prefix backups matter for games without Cloud and for mods and config tweaks.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.