Where Are X4 Foundations Save Files Located?
X4 keeps saves, keybinds and ship plans in Documents under Egosoft. Save path, the Steam fallback folder, and Linux.
Last updated
X4 Foundations keeps player data in Documents\Egosoft\X4\[SteamID], with saves as compressed XML inside the save subfolder and keybinds, construction plans and loadouts beside it. Steam Cloud syncs the tree, and the numeric folder is your per-account namespace. Copy it and you have moved universes.
Two quirks define X4 file life. If Windows security blocks Documents, the game silently falls back to a save folder inside its own Steam install directory, splitting saves across two spots with no warning. And the .xml.gz saves are plain XML inside, so editing faction money or teleporting ships is a decompress away. The native Linux client mirrors the same tree under ~/.config/Egosoft.
Where X4 Foundations stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Egosoft\X4\[ID]\save
[ID] is your numeric Steam account folder; save holds .xml.gz saves, inputmap files hold keybinds. If Documents was blocked, check the fallback save folder inside the Steam install dir and merge. Steam Cloud syncs this tree. Saves are compressed XML and editable when decompressed.
~/.config/Egosoft/X4/[ID]/save
Native Linux client path with the same numeric ID and save subfolder layout as Windows. Copy saves across freely; the format is identical. There is no macOS client, so this entry covers Linux only.
Frequently asked questions
how do i move x4 saves to a new pc
Copy Documents\Egosoft\X4\[ID]\save to the same spot on the new PC. Saves are compressed XML that travel freely; inputmap and construction plans sit one level up and should come along. Mods live in the game's extensions folders and Steam Workshop, so reinstall those separately.
why are my x4 saves in the steam folder
Windows security software blocked Documents, so X4 fell back to a save folder inside its own Steam install directory. Both locations are real; the game uses whichever it could write to. Pick one, merge the files into Documents\Egosoft\X4\[ID]\save, and whitelist Documents to stop the split happening again.
where are x4 saves on linux
The native Linux client uses ~/.config/Egosoft/X4 with the same numeric ID and save subfolder layout as Windows. Copy the save folder across freely; the compressed XML format is identical. This covers native Linux installs, not the Windows build under Proton.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.