Find Your Schedule I Save File in 30 Seconds — Then Back It Up Before You Lose Progress

You’ve put serious hours into building your Schedule I empire. One crash, one accidental overwrite, or one forced-to-restart update can wipe all of it. The good news: your save files are accessible, copyable, and take three minutes to back up properly — as long as you know where to look. This guide gives you the exact file path, a step-by-step backup method that keeps multiple restore points, and what to do if a save gets corrupted before you set up a backup.

Verified on Schedule I Early Access (April 2026). File paths may change with updates.

Find Your Save File: 30-Second Quick Start

1. Press Win + R, type %appdata%, press Enter.
2. In the File Explorer address bar, click AppData (the breadcrumb), then open LocalLow.
3. Navigate to TVGS > Schedule I > Saves.
4. Open the folder named with your Steam numeric ID.
5. Your save slots appear as SaveGame_1, SaveGame_2, etc.

The full path and backup method are below. If you’re new to the game, the Schedule I beginner’s guide covers everything else you need to get started.

The Exact Save File Path — and the Mistake Half the Forum Gets Wrong

Your saves live here:

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\LocalLow\TVGS\Schedule I\Saves\[SteamID]\

The critical detail: LocalLow, not Roaming. Searching AppData\Roaming returns nothing — a mistake that has tripped up dozens of players in the Steam forums [1]. Schedule I is built on Unity, which defaults persistent save data to LocalLow on Windows — a different subfolder from where most apps store their data.

Inside your Steam ID folder, each save slot gets its own subfolder. SaveGame_1 is your first slot, SaveGame_2 is the second, and so on [3]. Each slot is a collection of plain JSON files tracking your money balance, products list, quest states, and property data — human-readable text you can inspect, copy, and (carefully) edit.

How to Access the Save Folder (Two Methods)

Method 1: Run Dialog (Fastest)

1. Press Win + R.
2. Type %appdata% and press Enter. This opens AppData\Roaming — not the right place yet, but the fastest way in.
3. In the File Explorer address bar, click AppData in the breadcrumb trail.
4. Open LocalLow → TVGS → Schedule I → Saves.

Method 2: Show Hidden Folders

AppData is hidden by default. To navigate there manually:

1. Open any File Explorer window.
2. Windows 10: Click the View tab and check Hidden items. Windows 11: Three-dot menu → Show → Hidden items.
3. Navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\LocalLow\TVGS\Schedule I\Saves.

Method 1 is faster for a one-time visit. Method 2 is better if you want to pin the Saves folder to Quick Access for regular backups [4].

How to Back Up Your Schedule I Save File

The game has no in-game backup button. Manual backup takes under three minutes and costs nothing.

Manual Backup

1. Navigate to ...\Schedule I\Saves\[SteamID]\.
2. Right-click your save slot folder (e.g., SaveGame_1) and select Copy.
3. Create a folder at Documents\Schedule1_Backups.
4. Inside it, create a dated subfolder — format YYYYMMDD, e.g., 20260417 [2].
5. Paste the save folder into the dated subfolder.

Repeat after each major session. The dated naming lets you keep multiple restore points and know exactly when each was made. Always back up before editing any save files manually — a JSON formatting error (missing comma, mismatched bracket) corrupts the entire save slot.

For off-site protection, upload the entire Saves folder to Google Drive or Dropbox after your local backup [3]. A local copy doesn’t protect you if the drive fails.

Automated Backup: Windows File History

If you’d rather not remember to copy files manually, Windows File History can back up the Saves folder on a set schedule:

1. Connect an external drive or a network location.
2. Windows 10: Settings → Update & Security → Backup. Windows 11: Settings → System → Storage → Backup Options.
3. Add your Schedule I Saves folder to the backup set.
4. Set the interval to 1 hour or less for long sessions.

This is especially worth setting up once your operation is well established — the more time you’ve invested in automating your Schedule I production line, the more painful it is to lose that progress to a corrupted save.

Restoring From a Backup

1. Close Schedule I completely before restoring. The game writes to save files on exit — restoring while it’s running can corrupt both copies.
2. Navigate to ...\Schedule I\Saves\[SteamID]\.
3. Rename the problematic save folder (e.g., SaveGame_1_bad). Don’t delete it yet.
4. Copy your backup folder into the Saves directory.
5. Rename the restored folder to match the original slot name (SaveGame_1).
6. Launch Schedule I and confirm the save loads correctly.

If the restore succeeds, delete the _bad folder. If it doesn’t load, try an older dated backup — corruption sometimes occurs during the save process itself, meaning your most recent backup may already contain the damaged state [2].

Steam Cloud: Useful as a Second Layer, Not a Replacement

Schedule I supports Steam Cloud sync, but it has a documented quirk: each save generates over 1,000 individual files, which Steam syncs separately rather than as a single compressed archive. This causes noticeably long upload times and occasional sync failures. Developer TVGS acknowledged the problem and partially addressed it in a May 2025 update — which also added a save export/import feature accessible from the main menu.

To check or restore a Steam Cloud save:

1. Right-click Schedule I in your Steam library → Properties → General → confirm Cloud Sync is enabled.
2. For a sync conflict: temporarily disable Cloud Sync, remove any corrupted local save files, then re-enable and let Steam re-download the cloud version [6].

Keep Cloud Sync enabled as a safety net, but don’t treat it as your only backup — sync failures happen without warning and aren’t always visible in the Steam client.

Fixing a Corrupted Save Without a Backup

If corruption hit before you set up a backup, try these two options before accepting the loss:

Option 1: Delete the MixingStation folder. One of the most common Schedule I corruption patterns involves mixing station data. Inside the affected save slot folder, locate and delete the MixingStation subfolder. This resets mixing station state but leaves your money, rank, properties, and quest progress intact [6].

Option 2: Restore from the automatic backup file. Look inside your save slot folder for a file named savegame.bak or savegame_back.json. If one exists, rename the corrupted main file (append _corrupted to its name) and rename the .bak file to match the original filename [6].

You might also find save file location helpful here.

If neither option works: use the Steam Cloud disable/re-enable method above to pull down an older cloud version. As a last resort, a Windows System Restore point created before the corruption occurred may restore the save folder to a working state.

FAQ

Can I transfer my Schedule I save to another PC?

Yes. Copy your save slot folder from ...\Schedule I\Saves\[SteamID]\ on the source machine to the same path on the target. If you’re switching Steam accounts, the Steam ID folder name will differ — create a folder with the correct ID on the destination first [1].

Can I edit my Schedule I save file?

The files are plain JSON, editable in any text editor. Money.json stores your currency values. Quest states are recorded as integers: 0 = not started, 1 = active, 2 = completed [2]. Any formatting error corrupts the entire save slot, so always back up before making changes.

Why is Steam Cloud sync so slow for Schedule I?

Each save produces 1,000+ individual files, and Steam syncs each one separately. This multiplies upload/download time significantly compared to games that use a single compressed save file. The May 2025 update improved compatibility but didn’t eliminate the delay entirely.

Sources

• [1] Save file location? — Steam Community Discussion
• [2] Guide: Backup & Fix Corrupt Save Files — Steam Community
• [3] How to find your Schedule 1 save file location — Dexerto
• [4] Schedule I Save File Location: How to Access & Back Up — MiniTool
• [5] Schedule 1 Save File Location on PC — Game Rant
• [6] How to Fix Corrupted Save Files in Schedule I — MiniTool

Michael R.

I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.