Change Game Save Location?

[Krux1015]

I feel like what I'm trying to do is a very simple thing, yet I can't find a way to do it. Nothing in my google searches either.

 

SkyrimSE saves to my default Documents folder (not the root, but you know where it is). I want to save to a different drive entirely, to pick my own location.

How?

[Krux1015]

To put it another way: The game is installed on one drive, and the default save location is on a different drive. I want the game to save in the same drive that the game is installed in.

Only thing I see that links the location to the game saves is the fact that it's in the profile's documents folder. (My docs folder is a slower drive, the game is on an ssd and game saves take a long time probably for this reason)

[TollHouseBookie]

This can probably be done through some setting in the ".ini" files, but I usually manage this sort of thing in Windows with a junction, since the save folder for games is almost always unique to each game. It's usually faster and easier for me to open a Command Prompt window and type out a single command than it is to dig up instructions for each game or service.

 

Using a junction, Skyrim (or another application) can point at whatever folder it pleases, on whichever local hard drive it pleases, and Windows will redirect to where you actually want to keep the files, all without the game having to worry its pretty little head about it.

 

Some pointers on how to create a junction using the "mklink" command in Windows can be found here (note that if you're dealing with different hard drives on the same machine, and it sounds like you are, your best bet is probably a junction rather than the other options presented there).

[Krux1015]

This can probably be done through some setting in the ".ini" files, but I usually manage this sort of thing in Windows with a junction, since the save folder for games is almost always unique to each game. It's usually faster and easier for me to open a Command Prompt window and type out a single command than it is to dig up instructions for each game or service.

 

Using a junction, Skyrim (or another application) can point at whatever folder it pleases, on whichever local hard drive it pleases, and Windows will redirect to where you actually want to keep the files, all without the game having to worry its pretty little head about it.

 

Some pointers on how to create a junction using the "mklink" command in Windows can be found here (note that if you're dealing with different hard drives on the same machine, and it sounds like you are, your best bet is probably a junction rather than the other options presented there).

 

Thanks, wish there was a way to upvote or something on this forum - this is what I already ended up doing, you're right that it seems like the only way to go about it.

I didn't like the idea of junctions but I suppose this is a real use case for them.

[TollHouseBookie]

 

This can probably be done through some setting in the ".ini" files, but I usually manage this sort of thing in Windows with a junction, since the save folder for games is almost always unique to each game. It's usually faster and easier for me to open a Command Prompt window and type out a single command than it is to dig up instructions for each game or service.

 

Using a junction, Skyrim (or another application) can point at whatever folder it pleases, on whichever local hard drive it pleases, and Windows will redirect to where you actually want to keep the files, all without the game having to worry its pretty little head about it.

 

Some pointers on how to create a junction using the "mklink" command in Windows can be found here (note that if you're dealing with different hard drives on the same machine, and it sounds like you are, your best bet is probably a junction rather than the other options presented there).

 

Thanks, wish there was a way to upvote or something on this forum - this is what I already ended up doing, you're right that it seems like the only way to go about it.

I didn't like the idea of junctions but I suppose this is a real use case for them.

 

You're welcome. FWIW I'm not a fan of the way Windows handles that stuff either, but that's the neverending story of Windows.

[tsteele93]

This is a tangent question. I have a hard drive that wonât boot. I can mount it via command prompt.

 

I cannot find the saves for Skyrim.

 

This may be because I am not logged in since I am just mounting the C: drive from a bootable USB.

 

Thatâs my main goal is to recover my save files before trying to reformat the drive.

 

Is there a way to find where the save files are located without having logged into windows.

 

It is amazing what I CAN access vs why I cannot access a simple game save. So it is hard to see how this is a security feature.

 

Thank you in advance.

[Krux1015]

This is a tangent question. I have a hard drive that wonât boot. I can mount it via command prompt.

 

I cannot find the saves for Skyrim.

 

This may be because I am not logged in since I am just mounting the C: drive from a bootable USB.

 

Thatâs my main goal is to recover my save files before trying to reformat the drive.

 

Is there a way to find where the save files are located without having logged into windows.

 

It is amazing what I CAN access vs why I cannot access a simple game save. So it is hard to see how this is a security feature.

 

Thank you in advance.

What I've found in my experience is that Skyrim's game save is pointing to the user environment's documents path \ Documents. So if your library documents location as is defined by explorer is C:\Users\username\Documents, than your saves will be there under \My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Saves

 

But.. if you wanted to change your game save location, you'd have to start a Documents folder in your other targeted drive and establish it as your default Documents location for your explorer's library to point to. Rather ridiculous, i know.. I hadn't dug around the registry yet to see if the environment path can be changed to something static.