how to delete steam cloud saves

Many PC gamers love Steam, as it lets them organize their games in one app for convenience. The service also backs up your game's files to the cloud, making playing these titles on any computer possible. However, the cloud doesn't have unlimited space, and it'll fill up one day.

How To Delete All Steam Cloud Saves

The solution to this problem is to delete your Steam Cloud saves. Once you do, you can add new games. Keep on reading to find out how the process works.

Steam: Delete All Cloud Saves

Before we get into the methods, let's discuss how Steam's cloud backup system works. Learning about it will help you understand the reasoning behind deleting cloud saves. In addition, you'll learn how to enable backups too.

What Is Steam Cloud?

Steam Cloud is a service that allows Steam users to save game files to the company's servers. Anyone with Steam Cloud can download their games on another computer and continue from the last time they logged on to the platform. For example, you can play Portal 2 on your primary gaming PC and continue the same save file on a travel laptop if you wish.

As you have to enable Steam Cloud synchronization to make playing the same save possible, here's how to enable it. Not all games support Steam Cloud, and you'll have to check each title you own.

Launch Steam on your PC.
Find the game you want to back up to Steam Cloud.
Right-click the game.
Select "Properties."
Click "General."
Move to the bottom of the window and check "Enable Steam Cloud Synchronization" for the game.

Once this option is enabled, you can play the game on multiple computers and still make progress. Storage space is limited, and it would be best if you only back up your favorite titles to Steam Cloud.

Deleting Steam Cloud Saves

Once you enable Steam Cloud synchronization, Steam will automatically back up files to the servers. If you don't clear your storage regularly, you end up with plenty of unwanted files and backups taking up space. Without enough space, you might not get to save new games to the server anymore.

The following complicated steps also completely wipe out your saved files. Make sure you back your games up on a hard drive or other storage location before proceeding. You can always restore them on your PC later.

Here's how to delete all your cloud saves and wipe the storage space clean:

Check if Your Enabled Steam Cloud Synchronization

Launch Steam.
Go to the settings.
Click on "Cloud."
Confirm if "Enable Steam Cloud Synchronizations for The Applications Which Support It" is enabled.
Go to your Steam Library.
Right-click on a game.
Select "Properties."
Go to "General."
Check if Steam Cloud synchronization is enabled.

If the answer is yes, your games are indeed backed up on the Cloud. You can then proceed to wipe it clean.

Delete the AppID Folders

First, you need to Steam's directory on your PC.
Open "userdata."
Look for the folder that matches your Steam ID.
Find the AppIDs of the games you want to delete.
Delete the game folders that are backed up to Steam Cloud.
Restart your PC.
Launch Steam and play the games for each deleted folder.
Check if the AppID folders are back.
If yes, you can move on.

Trigger a Steam Cloud Conflict Dialog

Open your Task Manager.
End any processes related to Steam.
Go to Steam's folders and open "userdata."
Open the folder corresponding with your Steam ID and then the folder corresponding to the game you want to delete.
Right-click "remote."
Select "Open PowerShell Window Here."
Copy and paste "clc –path "C:Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\SteamID\AppID\remote\*"" without the first and last quotation marks.
Press "Enter" to execute it.
Open Steam and launch the game.
You'll get an error message, but don't do anything about it yet.

Delete the Stored Cloud Files

Head back to the game's folder.
Delete "remote" and "remotecache.vdf" in the folder.
Go back to the conflict window.
Select "Upload To The Steam Cloud."
Steam will sync an empty file to the cloud, effectively deleting your files there.
The game will start immediately.
If you don't want Steam to back the game up to the cloud anymore, head to the Steam Launcher.
Go to "Settings."
Select "Cloud."
Uncheck the option that enables Steam Cloud synchronization.
Close your game and Steam.
Delete that game's folder again.

You'll have to repeat the steps if you have multiple games backed up to the cloud. Once you do so, Steam Cloud will be ready for new backups. If you don't want to use Steam Cloud anymore, you can keep the synchronization unchecked.

However, those who want to back their games up to the cloud must keep it checked. You can enable Steam Cloud synchronization for individual games. Doing so will prevent other games from occupying precious storage space on the server.

Why Would I Delete My Steam Cloud Saves?

Other than freeing up space on Steam Cloud, other reasons make deleting cloud saves necessary. Here are the most common examples:

Corrupted game files

Sometimes, game files become corrupted. If Steam backs these files to the Cloud, you won't get to play the game at all. The only way to solve this is to delete the Cloud saves.

Losing progress

If there are file conflicts, it's likely the latest computer you played the game in didn't manage to sync to the Cloud. You can delete the older files on the Cloud and choose to upload the latest progress. This action may not be possible on older games or if you can't access the older machine.

Additional FAQs

Is There a Way to Disable My Steam Cloud Save?

If you don't want to take advantage of Steam Cloud synchronization, you can permanently disable it. To do so, follow these instructions:

1. Launch Steam.

2. Go to the settings at the top-left corner.

3. At the left side of the screen, click on "Cloud."

4. Uncheck the box labeled "Enable Steam Cloud Synchronization for Applications That Support It."

5. Once you check this option, Steam will no longer back your files up to the cloud.

Where Are My Steam Cloud Saves?

Your cloud saves are on Valve's servers. To access these files, you can log into Steam on your preferred Browser. Here's what happens next:

1. Go to your account.

2. Select "View Steam Cloud."

3. Here, you'll see all the games that have files on the cloud.

4. You can click on "Show Files" to view each title's files.

Time to Clean Things Up

Deleting your Steam Cloud saves not only gets rid of unwanted files and useless saves, but you can also avoid corrupted files. Once your Steam Cloud is empty, you can upload new games and play them on any computer. Of course, you'll have to download them first.

How many games do you have on Steam Cloud? Do you clear your saved files frequently? Let us know in the comments section below.