Where are Paralives save files? Windows, Mac and Steam Deck

On Windows, Paralives keeps its saves in C:\Users\(your name)\AppData\LocalLow\Paralives\Paralives\MySavedGames.mod. Each save is a folder in MySavedGames.mod. The saves are not in the Steam install folder.

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Paste %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Paralives\Paralives and press Enter.
3. Open MySavedGames.mod. If the folder is not there, start the game, make or load a save once, and look again.

The Windows path comes from the official fix page and from an officer post in the Steam bug forum. You read this on the LifeSim blog. We make a free life sim in the browser, and we say where our game does not fit.

The households that you save to the library go in MyPremadeHouseholds.mod. This folder is next to MySavedGames.mod, in the same Paralives folder. A cache guide on Steam lists each folder and what it holds:

The same guide says that you must not delete these folders by hand. Remove households, lots, and outfits in the game. The guide also says that you can delete AssetReimportInfo.txt and the two log files. The game makes them again.

Households from the Workshop also land in this folder. Read our guide to Paralives mods and the Workshop before you add more of them.

Two players on Steam give the same Mac folder: ~/Library/Application Support/com.Paralives.Paralives. No official page that we opened gives a Mac path. The official fix page shows only the Windows path.

1. Open Finder.
2. Choose Go, then Go to Folder.
3. Paste ~/Library/Application Support/com.Paralives.Paralives and press Return.
4. Look for MySavedGames.mod and MyPremadeHouseholds.mod.

Some guides give a different Mac folder, ~/Library/Application Support/Paralives/Paralives. We found no source that we could open to confirm it. Check both folders on your Mac. The Steam store page says the Mac version needs Big Sur or newer and an Apple processor. Our page on Paralives on a Mac has more.

Yes, now it does. The patch of July 2, 2026 added it. The patch notes say: “Save files can now be synced on Steam Cloud to easily continue playing on a different computer.” The Steam store page also lists Steam Cloud in the features.

At launch in May 2026, the game had no cloud saves. Players on Steam said so in the thread “Same saves across computers?”. Some guides still say that the game has no cloud saves. TheGameSlayer says this on a page with an update date of September 11, 2026. The patch notes and the store page are newer evidence, so we trust them.

The same patch made new saves smaller: about 30MB, not 500MB. It also made the autosave keep the last 3 versions of each save. See all the changes in our Paralives patch notes.

Cloud sync is not a backup. If a save breaks, Steam can sync the broken save too. Keep your own copy as well.

Copy the whole Paralives folder, not one save. Every guide that we opened says this. The game keeps all saves in one folder.

Back up the saves

1. Close Paralives.
2. Open %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Paralives.
3. Copy the Paralives folder in it. Do not cut it.
4. Paste the copy on another drive, a USB stick, or a cloud folder.
5. Give the copy a date in its name, such as Paralives_Save_Backup_2026-11-05.

Make a backup before you add mods, after a big update, and before you fix a crash. Early Access updates can break old saves.

Restore a backup or move it to a new PC

1. Install Paralives on the new PC. Start it once, then close it.
2. Open %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Paralives on the new PC.
3. Move the Paralives folder that is there to another place. Keep it until the new save works.
4. Paste your backup folder in its place.
5. Start the game and load the save.

Players on Steam moved saves this way with a USB stick and with OneDrive. One player moved a save from a Steam Deck to Windows. Another player said that some profile pictures did not show after the move. With Steam Cloud on, you can also let Steam sync the saves.

To move only a household, copy its files in MyPremadeHouseholds.mod. Paste them in the same folder on the other device. The household guide on Steam warns that a household in the wrong folder does not load.

Read the log, find the broken file, and repair it. The Paralives team gives these steps on its fix page. Back up the save first. The page says that a save can break because of a bug, or when the game closes or crashes during a save.

Find the error

1. Start Paralives and try to load the broken save.
2. If the game stays on the loading screen, close it with Alt + F4.
3. Open C:/Users/(your name)/AppData/LocalLow/Paralives/Paralives/.
4. Open Player.log in a text editor.
5. Go near the end of the file. Look for “JSON parse error” or “Could not read meta file”.

Fix a JSON parse error

1. Open each file that the error names, in a text editor.
2. Go to a JSON repair site. The page names jsonlint.com/json-repair and codebeautify.org/json-fixer.
3. Paste the text of the file in the left box. The repaired text shows in the right box.
4. Copy the repaired text and paste it over the old text of the file. Save the file.
5. Fix all the files that the log names. Then start the game again.

Fix a meta file error

1. Open each file that the error names. The page says that the file is probably empty or full of NUL characters.
2. For a file that ends in .saved.meta, replace all of its text with the five lines below.
3. For another .meta file, such as gamestats.meta, delete the file.
4. Start the game again.

GUID:4513815259518700000
Type:301
CreationTime:0
LastSaveTime:0
Playtime:0

Since the July 2 patch, the autosave keeps the last 3 versions of each save. Sims Community says that you can go back to one of them from the Load Game menu. If you use Paralives cheats or mods, back up the save before you change files.

TheGameSlayer says that Photo Mode puts photos in a folder on your desktop: Desktop > Paralives Photos. Steam screenshots are a different thing. Steam keeps them in its own folder.

1. Open Paralives in your Steam library.
2. Scroll down and find Recordings & Screenshots in the right panel.
3. Right-click a screenshot and choose Show on Disk.

We found only one source for the Photo Mode folder. We list it as a gap at the end.

On a Steam Deck, the game runs through Proton. A player on Steam gives this folder: /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1118520/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/LocalLow/Paralives.

1. Switch the Deck to Desktop Mode.
2. Open the Dolphin file manager.
3. Show the hidden folders, then go to the path above.

The Steam compatibility report gives Paralives the Unsupported rating for the Steam Deck. The reason it gives is graphics performance. Our guide to Paralives on the Steam Deck covers how the game runs.

LifeSim can import a household, not a full save. Our Paralives import page takes a Paralives household folder or a .zip of it. The people of the household become people of your life in a real city.

LifeSim does not fit here for the rest. It does not load your town, your lots, your build, or your save from MySavedGames.mod. It does not fix a broken Paralives save.

LifeSim is a different game. You make a character, pick a real city, and live one life there, a day at a time. Every person in the city is an AI character with a job, a home, friends, and goals. They answer what you type, and they remember you. It is free, with no ads and nothing to buy. Paralives is a paid game; read is Paralives free for the details. If you also play The Sims, see where The Sims 4 keeps its saves.

• The Mac path. Only two players on Steam give it. No official page that we opened gives a Mac path. We could not confirm ~/Library/Application Support/Paralives/Paralives either.
• The Steam Deck path. Only one player gives it.
• The Photo Mode folder on the desktop. Only TheGameSlayer gives it, and it gives no Mac folder.
• How Steam Cloud handles a save that you copied by hand. The patch notes do not say.
• The Prima Games guide on the save location. The site blocked us, so we did not use it.

• What is Paralives?
• Paralives pregnancy: how to have a baby
• Is Paralives free?
• Paralives build mode
• Paralives character creator
• Paralives release date
• Is Paralives worth it?
• Paralives system requirements
• Paralives on Mac
• Paralives on Steam Deck
• Is Paralives on PS5, Xbox, or Switch?
• Does Paralives have multiplayer?
• Does Paralives have DLC?
• Pets in Paralives
• Paralives cheats
• Paralives mods
• Does Paralives use AI?
• Paralives jobs and careers
• Paralives vs The Sims 4
• inZOI vs Paralives
• Games like Paralives
• Is Life by You cancelled?

• Paralives: How to fix corrupted save files (June 4, 2026)
• Steam: Paralives store page (features list)
• Steam Community, Paralives Bug Reporting: Troubleshooting: Startup, Loading and Save Issues (officer post)
• Sims Community: Paralives Update, Official Patch Notes (July 2nd, 2026)
• Steam Community: [GUIDE] Windows: How to manually backup and restore saves (LadyMiska)
• Steam Community: [Guide] How to Clear Paralives Cache Files (LadyMiska)
• Steam Community: How to transfer Households between devices, a quick guide (CrimsonAngel)
• Steam Community: Same saves across computers? (Paralives General Discussions)
• Steam Community: file path to mods folder on mac? (Paralives General Discussions)
• Steam: Steam Deck compatibility report for Paralives
• Magic Game World: Paralives Save File Location, Where to Find Your Saves on Windows (May 25, 2026)
• TheGameSlayer: Paralives, Save File and Photos Location (updated September 11, 2026)