Where Does Steam Store User Data?
Steam keeps per user data including cloud saves in userdata folders with numeric IDs. How the tree maps to accounts and games.
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Screenshots, shader caches, workshop files and the library each have their own posts. This one covers userdata: per account folders holding cloud saves, local saves, screenshots metadata and controller configs.
Each account gets a numeric folder with per game app ID subfolders inside. The remote folder syncs through Steam Cloud while local stays on disk. Knowing which number is yours decides every hunt.
Where Steam stores this, by platform
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<steamid>\<appid>
One numeric folder per account with app ID subfolders inside. Remote holds cloud files, local holds the rest. Quit Steam fully before copying anything in or out.
~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata/<steamid>/<appid>
Same interior as Windows. Custom library locations keep their own userdata beside the install, so check those roots when this folder looks thin.
~/.local/share/Steam/userdata/<steamid>/<appid>
Identical layout on Linux under home. Flatpak installs keep userdata sandboxed under their own app ID tree instead, so trust the client storage settings over this path there.
Frequently asked questions
Which userdata folder is mine?
Open the userdata folder and match the subfolder name to the Steam3 account ID shown on the profile page URL. Each number below it is a game app ID from its store URL. The remote folder inside holds cloud synced files while local holds the rest.
How do I back up non cloud saves?
Copy the whole userdata tree with Steam quit, especially the app ID folders for games without cloud support. Cloud titles resync on login while the rest restore from this copy. Keep one backup per account ID when sharing a machine.
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