Quick answer
Close Silksong and Steam. Copy the entire Silksong save folder to a new folder on your Desktop and put today’s date in its name. Reopen Silksong, select the missing profile, and check Auto Saves first. If no usable Auto Save appears, return to the copy you made and look for user1.dat.bak1, user2.dat.bak1, or the number matching the empty slot. Never rename the only .bak1 file: duplicate it, rename the duplicate to userX.dat, and test that copy.
Do these six steps before you rename anything
- Close Silksong, Steam, and any launcher that may synchronize the folder.
- Copy the complete Silksong save folder to a new folder named, for example, Silksong-backup-2026-09-12. Do not delete anything from the live folder.
- Open Silksong, choose the affected profile, and press Auto Saves. Restoring one overwrites that slot, so make the folder copy before pressing it.
- If Auto Saves cannot help, compare userX.dat and userX.dat.bak1 for the same slot inside your preserved copy.
- Test only a duplicate: keep the original extension-visible files untouched, copy the candidate, and give the copy the expected userX.dat name.
- Launch the game, inspect the playtime and location, save normally, close, and open it once more before calling the recovery successful.
What the whole-folder copy preserves
An empty slot does not tell you which file disappeared. You may be looking at the wrong Steam ID folder, an older cloud copy may have replaced the local one, or the last write may have stopped halfway through. Renaming files in the live folder makes those possibilities harder to separate.
The folder copy keeps user1.dat through user4.dat, their .bak1 companions, shared files, and their modification times together. The editor can inspect a .dat file that still exists; it cannot recreate a file that is gone from the computer, Steam Cloud, and every backup.
How to test a .bak1 without sacrificing it
- Make file extensions visible so user1.dat.bak1 does not accidentally become user1.dat.dat.
- Match the number to the missing slot; do not place a slot 2 backup over slot 1 by accident.
- Rename a copy, never the only backup file.
- Keep Steam Cloud from immediately replacing the test file with a different copy.
- If the profile opens, compare its playtime, last bench, and visible progress with what you remember.
- Save normally, quit to desktop, and open the profile again. A file that opens once but fails this second launch is not a completed recovery.
When the editor can and cannot help
The editor can decode a readable userX.dat, show save-aware checks, and download an untouched copy of the file you uploaded. It cannot search your disk, restore deleted filesystem data, or decide which cloud version is newer.
If you recover a readable file but the only problem is a defeated Steel Soul state, use the dedicated verified recovery action. Do not combine several speculative edits while you are still determining which backup is healthy.
Preserve the original before testing
Work on copies, change one thing at a time, and keep the original until the chosen save opens, saves normally, closes, and opens again.
How to Recover a Deleted or Missing Silksong Save FAQ
Is userX.dat.bak1 guaranteed to contain my newest progress?
No. It is a candidate backup, and its age and contents can differ. Preserve it, test a copy, and compare the in-game profile before replacing anything.
Should I delete the current userX.dat first?
No. Move or copy the entire live folder to a safe location first. Deleting the current file removes your easiest rollback path.
Can the editor recover a file that no longer exists?
No. It can process a readable file you select, but it cannot recover files removed from the disk or cloud.
Sources and evidence
Official guidance defines the safe baseline. Community links document real player cases, but a successful report is not a universal or version-independent fix.
Official: Team Cherry: Auto Save recovery and PC save locations Community case: Reddit: a missing PC profile recovered from a .bak1 copy Community case: Reddit: save loss after a power interruption