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Scrap Mechanic Save File & Location — Where Saves Live & How to Back Them Up

Where Scrap Mechanic saves live, how to back up worlds and blueprints, and what the 1.0 update did to save compatibility.

Last Updated: 2026-08-12

Scrap Mechanic Save File & Location — Where Saves Live & How to Back Them Up

Scrap Mechanic saves are simple files — which means losing them is a real (and common) failure mode: an update, a fresh install or a Windows reset and your 100-hour base is gone. This guide shows exactly where saves live, how to back them up, and what the 1.0 update changed about save compatibility.

Scrap Mechanic save files
Scrap Mechanic save files

Where Saves Live

Scrap Mechanic stores user data under your Windows user profile:

%LocalAppData%\Axolot Games\Scrap Mechanic\User\User_<id>\Save

Inside the Save folder you'll find:

  • World save files (.db files) — one per world
  • Blueprints folder — your saved creations (every Garage build)

Also relevant: the settings.json in the same User folder holds video/config — deleting it resets settings and fixes black-screen/resolution bugs.

Close the game before copying

Copy save files only with the game closed. Copying mid-session risks a torn .db that Steam Cloud then syncs back over your good copy.

How to Back Up (The 5-Minute Habit)

  1. Close Scrap Mechanic
  2. Copy the entire Save folder (including Blueprints) to another drive
  3. Label it by date — e.g. ScrapMechanic-Save-2026-08-12
  4. Restore by copying back into the same path before launching

Do this before every major update and before reinstalling Windows. For co-op groups, one player's machine hosts the world — that player's backup is the whole group's safety net.

Steam Cloud & Backups

Scrap Mechanic uses Steam Cloud — good for single machines, risky in edge cases:

  • Cloud sync can overwrite a local rollback with a newer (broken) cloud copy
  • Disable cloud sync for this game if you manage manual backups and want full control

The 1.0 Save Situation (Important)

  • Creative worlds — carry over to 1.0 cleanly
  • Survival saves — do not carry over; the surface world was reworked. They only work after rolling back to the previous version via Steam's beta branch
  • Official advice — Axolot recommends starting fresh in 1.0

If you're mid-campaign in an old survival save and don't want to restart: roll back to the pre-1.0 branch, finish, then decide. Full context in the 1.0 & Drilling Thunder guide.

FAQ

Where is the Scrap Mechanic save file? %LocalAppData%\Axolot Games\Scrap Mechanic\User\User_<id>\Save (world .db files + Blueprints folder).

Can I transfer saves to another PC? Yes — copy the Save folder to the same path on the new machine. Steam Cloud does it automatically if enabled.

Do I lose my survival save in 1.0? Survival saves don't transfer to 1.0 (surface rework); use the beta branch to roll back and keep playing, or start fresh.

What's the Blueprints folder for? Your saved creations — back it up with the saves or every build you've made is gone too.

Official resources: Steam store page · Official Scrap Mechanic Wiki · Steam Cloud support · Wikipedia · IGN game page

Last Updated: August 12, 2026