Hollow Knight: How to Sync and Recover Cross-Platform Steam Cloud Saves

Back up the local save folders before syncing

Before moving progress between Windows, macOS and Linux, make a backup of the relevant local save folder. Team Cherry’s cross-platform announcement explicitly asks players to back up before attempting Steam Cloud synchronization. Use the local paths below to find the progress that already exists on each computer; keep those copies before deciding which cloud version should become the shared one. The announcement was updated to say the cross-platform changes had been applied. [1]

Steps

1. Copy the existing save folder to a separate backup location before proceeding with the sync. [1]

Locate the saves for each native desktop version

On Windows, the documented folder is %USERPROFILE%/AppData/LocalLow/Team Cherry/Hollow Knight. On macOS, use ~/Library/Application Support/unity.Team Cherry.Hollow Knight. On Linux, use ~/.config/unity3d/Team Cherry/Hollow Knight. These are the publisher’s three listed local save locations. Match the path to the version whose progress you are trying to preserve, rather than assuming that an empty folder on one system proves every copy of the save has disappeared. [1]

Load the existing save, then save and quit to trigger upload

To make a save synchronize properly, the developer says you may need to open that save in the game once, then save and quit so Steam triggers the upload. Start with the copy containing the progress you want to carry over. The migration note specifically says macOS and Linux users need to play once for Steam to upload existing local saves. It says Windows users normally need no action, apart from possible cross-platform file conflicts. [1]

Steps

1. Open the desired existing save in Hollow Knight, then save and quit to trigger its Steam upload. [1]

Choose carefully when Steam offers to keep or overwrite files

If you previously migrated saves manually between platforms, Steam may show conflicting files. Team Cherry warns that the correct keep-or-overwrite choice depends on your own situation. Use your backups to preserve the available copies while determining which contains the progress you want. The instructions do not designate one universal choice for every conflict, so avoid applying another player’s overwrite choice without checking which files your prompt refers to. [1]

Check the local folder before downloading the cloud copy

If a save appears missing, first confirm whether it is present in the listed local folder. The publisher then provides a second recovery route: manually download the save files from the Steam Cloud website and place them in the relevant local location. Check the local and cloud copies in that order, keeping the earlier backup available. This addresses the documented appearance of missing saves after synchronization; it does not establish that a cloud copy exists for a file that was never uploaded. [1]

Steps

1. If the local copy is absent, download the available save from Steam Cloud and place it in the matching documented folder. [1]