Troubleshooting & FAQ
Where are my backups?
Section titled “Where are my backups?”In your configured backup_dir (set under Settings or via savevault-cli config). List
them any time with savevault-cli list.
A game wasn’t detected
Section titled “A game wasn’t detected”SaveVault detects games from the community-maintained PCGamingWiki / Ludusavi save-path database, so the most durable fix is one that helps everyone:
- Rescan first. After installing a new launcher, run
savevault-cli roots rescan(or Settings → Install Roots → Rescan & Add Roots) and confirm the game’s folder is covered by an install root. - Add or update the game on PCGamingWiki. If the
title is missing, or its Save game data location is wrong or incomplete, edit that
section on the game’s wiki page. Those paths feed the Ludusavi manifest that SaveVault
uses — so once your edit is published, every SaveVault user detects the game, not
just you. Then pull the refreshed database with
savevault-cli update-manifest(or the in-app update). The manifest is regenerated periodically, so allow a little time after editing. - Add a custom game as a fallback. For an instant local fix — or for private and unlisted titles — add a custom game pointing at the save path. Even then, contributing it upstream in step 2 is worth it: it survives reinstalls and follows you to new machines.
Is restoring safe?
Section titled “Is restoring safe?”Yes — preview anything first with savevault-cli explain <archive> or restore --dry-run,
which write nothing. See Restoring.
A restored save got overwritten
Section titled “A restored save got overwritten”The game probably uses launcher cloud sync (Steam, GOG, Epic…). Close the launcher or disable that game’s cloud before restoring; SaveVault warns when this risk applies.
Cloud backup says rclone is missing
Section titled “Cloud backup says rclone is missing”You’re on a Lite build — use Download & Install in Settings, or point SaveVault at an existing rclone. Full builds bundle it. See Cloud backup.
Do scheduled backups run when the app is closed?
Section titled “Do scheduled backups run when the app is closed?”Yes. schedule enable registers a job with your OS scheduler (Task Scheduler, systemd
timer, or launchd). See scheduled backups.
How do updates work?
Section titled “How do updates work?”The direct (DRM-free) build checks for updates in-app and installs them manually; the Steam edition updates through Steam. All features are identical either way.
It’s open source — can I build it myself?
Section titled “It’s open source — can I build it myself?”Yes. SaveVault is GPL-3.0, so you can build from source for free. Buying a signed build (Steam or direct) saves you the toolchain and supports development.
Verifying integrity
Section titled “Verifying integrity”Every backup carries BLAKE3 checksums, verified on creation and restore. Verify any archive manually:
savevault-cli verify path/to/backup.zip