Where Are Transport Fever 3 Save Files Located?
Transport Fever 3 keeps saves, profile.lua and settings.lua in an AppData folder, and with no Steam Cloud the folder is the only copy.
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Transport Fever 3 follows the same shape as its predecessor: a per OS data folder holding a save subfolder for map saves, with profile.lua and settings.lua sitting beside it. On Windows that folder lives in %APPDATA%\Transport Fever 3; on Linux it moves to ~/.local/share. Profile.lua tracks campaign progress across maps, which is why it belongs in every backup even though it is not a save file itself.
The important difference from most modern releases is cloud sync. No Steam Cloud integration is listed for app ID 3493540, so nothing leaves your disk unless you copy it. Reinstalls, failed mod experiments, and drive wipes all hit the same single copy of your railway network.
Where Transport Fever 3 stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Transport Fever 3\save
One file per map save. profile.lua sits one level up and tracks campaign progress, so copy the whole Transport Fever 3 folder rather than the save subfolder alone.
%APPDATA%\Transport Fever 3\settings.lua
Graphics, audio and gameplay settings in plain Lua. Edit with the game closed; delete it to force fresh defaults if settings misbehave.
~/.local/share/Transport Fever 3/save
Native Linux build. settings.lua and profile.lua live in the parent folder. Steam Deck installs that run the Windows build through Proton instead nest the AppData tree inside compatdata/3493540.
Frequently asked questions
Does Transport Fever 3 have cloud saves?
No Steam Cloud integration is listed for the game, unlike many current releases. The folders above are the only copy of your progress, so back them up yourself before reinstalls, big patch days, or any mod experimenting.
What is profile.lua and should I back it up?
Yes. It tracks campaign and profile progress across individual map saves, so restoring a save without it can leave campaign state inconsistent. Copy it together with the save folder in one dated backup.
How do I move Transport Fever 3 saves to a new PC?
Close the game and copy the whole Transport Fever 3 folder from the same path on the old machine into the matching path on the new one. On Linux the same folder moves between distributions since the layout is identical.
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