Saves & config

Mass Effect 2 Save File Location

Mass Effect 2 keeps its saved games in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\Save on Windows. Copy the whole folder to back a save up; paste it back to restore it.

Save games

1

Windows

The original release. The Legendary Edition uses its own folder under Documents\BioWare.

Paste a path straight into the address bar of File Explorer — the %APPDATA% style variables expand to your own account, and it works even though AppData is hidden.

Backing a save up properly

Close the game first. A save folder copied while the game is running can catch a file mid-write, and the copy then loads as a corrupt save weeks later when you need it.

If the game uses Steam Cloud, close Steam entirely before restoring an old folder. Steam compares timestamps on launch and offers a choice between the local files and the ones on its servers; restoring while Steam is open often means the cloud copy quietly wins and the folder you just put back is overwritten.

These paths are written by hand rather than imported, and a game update can move them. If one is wrong on your machine, tell us and it will be corrected.

Quick answers

Mass Effect 2 saves

Where are Mass Effect 2 save files stored?
On Windows they are in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\Save. Paste that path into the address bar of File Explorer and it will open the folder — the environment variables in it expand to your own user folder.
How do I back up my Mass Effect 2 save?
Copy the entire save folder somewhere else — an external drive, or cloud storage. Do it while the game is closed, or you may copy a file mid-write. Restoring is the same operation in reverse: close the game, then put the folder back.
Will Steam Cloud overwrite a save I put back?
It can. If the game uses Steam Cloud and the copy on Steam's servers is newer than the one you restored, Steam offers you a choice on next launch and it is easy to pick the wrong one. The safe order is: close Steam entirely, restore the folder, then start Steam and keep the local files when it asks.
I cannot see the folder in the path
AppData and LocalLow are hidden by default on Windows. In File Explorer, open the View menu and tick Hidden items, or just paste the full path into the address bar, which works whether or not the folder is visible.