How to Fix Steam Cloud Sync Unable to Sync Save Files Not Syncing on Windows

If you open Steam and notice that Steam shows Out of Sync, Unable to sync, a cloud conflict warning, or your latest save is missing on another Windows PC, treat it as a save-protection warning first. Steam is telling you that the local files and the cloud copy may not match. How you deal with the situation is really important because it is possible to accidentally overwrite your most recent file.

What Is Steam Cloud Sync Unable to Sync Save Files Not Syncing?

A Steam Cloud Sync problem usually comes down to one of four things:

• The game does not support Steam Cloud,
• Sync is disabled in Steam,
• Another device has the newer save but never uploaded it, or
• The local Windows copy no longer matches the cloud version.

If you are having issues with slow cloud sync, check this guide out: The Reason For Slow Steam Cloud Sync and How to Fix it.

How to Fix Steam Cloud Sync Unable to Sync Save Files Not Syncing on Windows

Not every Steam game uses Steam Cloud, though the vast majority of them do, and even supported games can fail to sync if cloud saving is disabled globally or for that specific title. It can also bug out sometimes, especially if Steam or the game force closes randomly.

• Open the game’s Steam Store page and check that Steam Cloud is shown as a feature.
• If it is, go to Steam > Settings > Cloud and enable Steam Cloud sync for supported applications. (It should be on by default)

• In your Library, right-click the game, select Properties, and make sure its own Steam Cloud option is enabled. (Again, it's usually on by default)

• If you use another PC, laptop, or Steam Deck, check the settings there as well.
• Restart Steam or the device.

Fix Cloud Conflicts Before Launching the Game

A cloud conflict means Steam sees different save data locally and in the cloud. This happens if you are switching between devices, playing in Offline Mode, or closing Steam before it finishes uploading the save data. Some games have pretty big save files to, so you might be closing Steam before they have had a chance to fully upload. Baldur's Gate 3 is a good example of this.

• If Steam shows a cloud conflict window, compare the timestamps on the local and cloud versions.
• Choose the copy that matches your most recent real save, not just the option that sounds safer.
• Close the game and Steam on any other device before retrying on the current device.
• If Steam shows Out of Sync next to Play, click the cloud status and use Retry Sync before launching.

Note: If your latest progress is still missing, go back to the device where you last saw that save. Load that save file, and wait a minute or so for the game to process things. Then exit the game and wait for Steam to upload the data.

Upload the Newest Save From the Older Device First

If you moved to a new Windows PC, the newest save may still be sitting on the older machine and never uploaded.

• Go back to the older PC, laptop, or handheld that still has the newest save.
• Connect it to the internet and open Steam.
• Make sure Steam is not in Offline Mode.
• Only start the game if you need to confirm the save is still there, then close it normally.
• Wait for Steam to finish syncing before shutting down or opening the game elsewhere.

Here's a guide on Downloading Steam Cloud Saves.

Check Steam’s Local Cloud Files and Logs for the Game

If one game keeps failing while the rest of Steam syncs normally, the problem is usually tied to that title’s local cloud data. As we mentioned in another step, the game saves might be huge, so give it time to upload before closing everything. If you have a slow Internet connection, this will make things even slower...

• Close the game.
• Open your Steam install folder, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
• Open userdata, then find your Steam ID folder and the affected game’s appID folder.
• Copy that appID folder somewhere safe as a backup.
• Open Steam\logs\cloud_log.txt and look for recent entries tied to the affected game or appID.
• If the game is also acting unstable, right-click it in Steam, open Properties > Installed Files, and run Verify integrity of game files.