README

!Logo Ludusavi
Ludusavi is a tool for backing up your PC video game save data,
written in Rust.
It is cross-platform and supports multiple game stores.

 Features
 Ability to back up data from more than 19,000 games plus your own custom entries.
 Backup and restore for Steam, GOG, Epic, Heroic, Lutris, and other game libraries.
 Both a graphical interface and command line interface for scripting.
  Tab completion is available for Bash, Fish, Zsh, PowerShell, and Elvish.
 Support for:
   Saves that are stored as files and in the Windows registry.
   Proton saves with Steam.
   Steam screenshots.
 Available as a Playnite extension:
  https://github.com/mtkennerly/ludusavi-playnite
 Works on the Steam Deck.

This tool uses the Ludusavi Manifest
for info on what to back up for each game.
The data is primarily sourced from PCGamingWiki,
so please contribute any new or fixed data back to the wiki itself,
and your improvements will be incorporated into Ludusavi's data as well.

If you'd like to help translate Ludusavi into other languages,
check out the Crowdin project.

 Demo



 !GUI demo of previewing a backup

 Installation




Download the executable for Windows, Linux, or Mac from the
releases page.
It's portable, so you can simply download it and put it anywhere on your system.


If you prefer, Ludusavi is also available via
Winget, Scoop, Flatpak, and Cargo.

Note:

 Windows users may see a popup that says
  "Windows protected your PC",
  because Windows does not recognize the program's publisher.
  Click "more info" and then "run anyway" to start the program.
 Mac users may see a popup that says
  "Ludusavi can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer".
  To allow Ludusavi to run, please refer to this article,
  specifically the section on If you want to open an app [...] from an unidentified developer.

 Usage





















Detailed help documentation is available for several topics.

 General
 Backup automation
 Backup exclusions
 Backup retention
 Backup validation
 Cloud backup
 Custom games
 Duplicates
 Filter
 Game launch wrapping
 Redirects
 Roots
 Selective scanning
 Transfer between operating systems

 Interfaces
 Application folder
 Backup structure
 Command line
 Configuration file
 Environment variables
 Logging

 Other
 Troubleshooting
 What if my saves aren't found?

 Community

The community has created some additional resources you may find useful.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list
and that these projects are not officially affiliated with Ludusavi itself:

 Secondary manifests:
   https://github.com/BloodShed-Oni/ludusavi-extra-manifests
   https://github.com/hblamo/ludusavi-emudeck-manifest
   https://github.com/hvmzx/ludusavi-manifests
     This has an example of using a scheduled GitHub workflow
      to generate a manifest that adds more paths to the primary manifest's entries.
 Plugins for other applications:
   Decky Loader on Steam Deck:
     https://github.com/GedasFX/decky-ludusavi