Is there any way to reduce the save file size?

[VvMICHELvV]

So I play skyrim using mods of course and usually install more mods as i go along my world. On my new character, i have already reached level 30 and now realize that the game takes longer than usual to save the game and loading screen times.

The game now takes 30 seconds to load and around 25 - 30 seconds to save the game (this is not the end of the world, but i wish to fix it). I checked the save file size and it says the file size is 85,000 KB (rounded). That is a lot imo and my save files never used to be this high.

I used to use a mod called 'Populated skyrim Civil War' and it made the game have big battles against the two factions. Now at first when i got this mod i did not care about file size, cause this in the very beginning of the play through. The mod resulted in leaving a s*** ton of dead bodies around Skyrim, but i already disabled this mod way before my save file size has reached 85 MB. Other than that, i dont know what would be causing it to be so big.

I went back to the game and started to try to clean up some things. I stopped tracking all of my quests, i unfavorited a lot of things i was not using (I am a mage as this character and had many spells favorited), I had around 2000 arrows on my character, so i dropped them and disabled them through the console. Other than those small things, i dont really know what to do to reduce the save file size. I have tried using programs such as, "SKYRIM save cleaner"

but nothing much changed.

Is there anyway I can reduce the save file significantly? Anyway to remove all of the things left on the ground? (Bodies, weapons, etc.)

My Load Order:

(0) Skyrim.esm

(1) Update.esm

(2) Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp

(3) Dawnguard.esm

(4) Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp

(5) HearthFires.esm

(6) Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp

(7) Dragonborn.esm

( :cool: Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp

(9) ApachiiHair.esm

(10) ImmersiveBountyHunting_Bandits.esm

(11) JSwords.esm

(12) SkyMoMod.esm

(13) Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm

(14) breezehomelightfix.esp

(15) killthemgenerals.esp

(16) Chesko_Frostfall.esp

(17) Better Dynamic Snow.esp

(18) Immersive Sounds - Aural Assortment.esp

(19) Auto Unequip Ammo.esp

(20) Birdsofskyrim.esp

(21) Chesko_WearableLantern.esp

(22) Hunterborn.esp

(23) Hunterborn_Dawnguard-Patch.esp

(24) Immersive Battles.esp

(25) Immersive Brigands.esp

(26) Immersive Dawnguard.esp

(27) Immersive Factions.esp

(28) Immersive Mercenaries.esp

(29) Immersive Patrols.esp

(30) Immersive Travelers.esp

(31) Immersive Werewolves.esp

(32) ImmersiveBountyHunting.esp

(33) Populated Forts Towers Places.esp

(34) Populated Lands Roads Paths.esp

(35) skyBirds - Airborne Perching Birds.esp

(36) Skyrim Immersive Creatures.esp

(37) Skyrim Immersive Creatures - DLC2.esp

(38) SkyUI.esp

(39) ezio's armor.esp

(40) Hothtrooper44_Armor_Ecksstra.esp

(41) Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation.esp

(42) Immersive Weapons.esp

(43) LFArmors.esp

(44) Lore Weapon Expansion.esp

(45) throwing_weapons_redux.esp

(46) Unique Uniques.esp

(47) zz_GDRAHoods.esp

(48) Dr_Bandolier.esp

(49) AesirArmor.esp

(50) BetterDarkBrotherhood.esp

(51) hunting in skyrim.esp

(52) quest_pitfighter.esp

(53) quest_pitfighter_dlc01.esp

(54) the void walker.esp

(55) Undeath.esp

(56) armored-horses.esp

(57) No Empty Tag on Containers.esp

(58) tavesolitude.esp

(59) whiteruninenhanced.esp

(60) Populated Cities 2.esp

(61) sos - the wilds.esp

(62) sos - civilization.esp

(63) EnhancedLightsandFX.esp

(64) RealisticNeedsandDiseases.esp

(65) RND_Dawnguard-Patch.esp

(66) RND_HearthFires-Patch.esp

(67) RND_Dragonborn-Patch.esp

(68) Hunterborn_RND-Patch.esp

(69) Random Vampire Attacks in Towns Disabled.esp

(70) bearmusicianeng.esp

(71) the dance of death.esp

(72) private_nokillblur_test.esp

(73) dD-No Spinning Death Animation.esp

(74) No NPC Greetings.esp

(75) AmazingFollowerTweaks.esp

(76) Purewaters.esp

(77) WATER.esp

(78) WATER Plants.esp

(79) WATER DG.esp

(80) WATER DB.esp

(81) killablechildren.esp

(82) Omegared99-GalleryOfArmor.esp

(83) Immersive Sounds - Footsteps.esp

(84) RND_AnimalLoot.esp

(85) The Vassal Skyrim.esp

(86) ImperialStormcloakRangerSet.esp

(87) Real Roads.esp

(88) JKs Whiterun.esp

(89) Farm Animals.esp

(90) Animated Enchantments.esp

(91) Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp

(92) 360WalkandRunPlus-RunBackwardSpeedAdjust.esp

(93) Long lost smelters by Hyralux.esp

(94) BFSEffects.esp

(95) ImmersiveSpells.esp

(96) winterhold_improvements.esp

(97) Apocalypse - The Spell Package.esp

(98) Phenderix's Magic Evolved.esp

(99) MidasSkyrim.esp

(100) dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp

(101) dD-DG-DB-Immersive Creatures EBT Patch.esp

(102) dD-Larger Splatter Size.esp

(103) posesivecorpses.esp

Thanks.

[0Pathwalker0]

Check out Papyrus Data Transfer, which allows you to do several different savefile fixes.

[VvMICHELvV]

Thanks for the reply :) i will try this

[DurtyNelly]

If you have SKSE 1.7 you can add a line to it's ini which will clean invalid registrations from your save left by mods you no longer use and shrink it over time.

 

[General]
ClearInvalidRegistrations=1

[Patrick8899]

How does one add that ini to SKSE 1.7 and what is the line?

[Hyacathusarullistad]

85MB save size at level 30 is crazy. What mods are you using? Have you done a lot of removing/re-installing along the way?

 

As for the SKSE.ini question:

 

• Navigate to Steam > SteamApps > Common > Skyrim > Data > SKSE.
  
• Open the SKSE.ini file therein. Depending on your Windows settings, the .ini file extension may be hidden and the file will just be called SKSE.
  
• Add the line(s) posted by Patrick above and save the file.

 

If you don't have an SKSE.ini file, it might be easier to just download and install the version found here. You can install it with NMM if you like, or install it manually. I do the latter, myself.

[VvMICHELvV]

85MB save size at level 30 is crazy. What mods are you using? Have you done a lot of removing/re-installing along the way?

 

As for the SKSE.ini question:

 

 

• Navigate to Steam > SteamApps > Common > Skyrim > Data > SKSE.

   

   

• Open the SKSE.ini file therein. Depending on your Windows settings, the .ini file extension may be hidden and the file will just be called SKSE.

   

   

• Add the line(s) posted by Patrick above and save the file.

 

 

If you don't have an SKSE.ini file, it might be easier to just download and install the version found here. You can install it with NMM if you like, or install it manually. I do the latter, myself.

 

I have removed some small mods during this character and added some smaller mods, the huge mods were all installed before the play through and throughout the character i added some small mods, and enb. but would doing things like this drastically increase the size? It has come to the point were it is pretty unplayable.

 

I also have used Papyrus Data Transfer to try to fix some things and i just checked and my 85mb went down to 83mb, so ill try the SKSE.ini stuff and when i do this the file size should decrease over time?

[Hyacathusarullistad]

It could decrease over time. There's no guarantees, of course.

 

You might want to look into a save cleaner. Follow the steps given in the mod description. I've had saves go from ~30MB to ~18MB just by running that tool, though that was caused by a mod I installed - and then removed - incorrectly. This one has also helped me in the past, not with save size so much as with the kind of latent scripts that can cause CTDs and such.

[eleventyhundred3]

It could decrease over time. There's no guarantees, of course.

 

You might want to look into a save cleanersave cleaner[/url]. Follow the steps given in the mod description. I've had saves go from ~30MB to ~18MB just by running that tool, though that was caused by a mod I installed - and then removed - incorrectly.

So uh, 6 years later but what was the link to the mod that got it from 30 mb to 18? it isn't showing up and im kinda desperate since i have 600 mb save files...