How Can I Transfer Steam Deck Save Data and Apps to My PC?

Most Steam games use cloud saves, so often you don’t need to worry about manually transferring save files. But if you want direct access, a solid way is to use SSH to connect from your PC to the Steam Deck. You just need to set up SSH on the Deck (usually a couple terminal commands), and then use an SSH client like WinSCP on Windows or SCP on Linux to browse and copy files. It’s pretty straightforward once set up, and way faster than trying to mess with USB file transfers which aren’t straightforward between the two.

Warpinator (or Winpinator on Windows) is a great tool for wireless file sharing between your Steam Deck and PC. It’s designed for quick, easy transfers without the hassle of complicated settings. You just fire it up on both machines and can send files back and forth pretty smoothly. It’s ideal if you want a simple GUI option without manually messing with SSH or network shares.

Honestly, the Steam Deck is basically a PC itself, so instead of thinking about just a “cable” connection, think about connecting the two devices over your local network. You can share folders over the network or use tools like WinSCP, Syncthing, or even set up network shares to move files around. Trying to do this directly over USB can be complicated since it won’t show up like a regular external drive.

If you want the full manual control route, use SSH or SSHFS on Linux. SSH lets you connect securely to your Deck and browse or move files easily. Unfortunately, save data isn’t located in one fixed spot—it varies by game and programs, so you might need to research where each game keeps its save files. Same with any non-Steam apps or emulators. So you’ve basically got two challenges: connecting PC and Deck to access the files, and figuring out where the saves live for each app you care about.

I started using Syncthing to keep files synced between my Steam Deck and PC, including mods and save data. It just keeps everything updated automatically whenever both devices are online, so no manual transfers needed. Might be a handy tool if you want seamless syncing without fussing with cables or manual copying.