How to Transfer Your Fallout 3 Save to a New PC
Last verified: 2026-09-15
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Fallout3\Saves
Copy the whole Saves folder — the .fos files are your saves and there is no cloud backup.
Before you move anything, make a full backup of every Fallout 3 save on the OLD PC in one command. Press Win+R (or open Command Prompt), paste this, and hit Enter:
robocopy "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Fallout3\Saves" "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\Fallout3-save-backup" /E /COPY:DAT /R:1 /W:1
/E mirrors the whole save tree (every profile sub-folder and slot) to a backup folder on your Desktop without touching the originals. Copy that folder to the new PC, then restore by swapping the source and destination paths.
Switching computers? Here's exactly which Fallout 3 save files to copy, where they live, and how to make sure your progress loads on the new PC.
Where the files live: see the full Fallout 3 save file location guide for every platform path (PS5, Xbox, Steam Cloud).
How to transfer your Fallout 3 save to a new PC
- On the old PC press Win+R, type %USERPROFILE%\Documents and press Enter.
- Open My Games > Fallout3 > Saves and copy all the .fos files to a USB drive or cloud folder.
- Install Fallout 3 on the new PC and launch it once, make a save so the folder is created, then close the game.
- Open %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Fallout3\Saves on the new PC and paste your .fos files in.
- Launch the game and load a save to confirm it worked before deleting the backup.
Does cloud sync move it for you?
No — Fallout 3 does not use Steam Cloud, so the .fos files live only on your PC. You must copy them by hand; nothing is backed up automatically.
Common mistakes
- Assuming Steam Cloud has a copy — it does not; if you wipe the old PC first, the saves are gone.
- Copying saves from an older Games for Windows Live install path instead of My Games\Fallout3.
FAQ
How do I move my Fallout 3 save to a new PC?
Copy the save folder at %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Fallout3\Saves from the old PC to the exact same path on the new PC, then launch the game. Use a USB drive, cloud storage, or a network share to move the files.
Will Fallout 3 cloud saves transfer automatically?
No — Fallout 3 does not use Steam Cloud, so the .fos files live only on your PC. You must copy them by hand; nothing is backed up automatically.
Where is the Fallout 3 save folder on the old PC?
It's at %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Fallout3\Saves. Paste that into the File Explorer address bar (or Win+R) to open it. See our full location guide for every platform.
Do I need to copy any other files?
Copy the whole save folder, not just one file — Fallout 3 may store settings, backups, or profile subfolders alongside the main save. Copying the entire folder avoids missing anything.
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Need another game or a quick backup? Use the Save Location Finder — pick any game to get its exact save path plus a ready-to-run backup command.