Where is my Balatro save file?
Balatro keeps its saves in a Balatro folder with one numbered subfolder per profile
(1, 2, 3). Your current run is save.jkr inside the profile you
play on. Here's where that folder is on each system.
Save folder by platform
- Windows
%APPDATA%\Balatro\- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/Balatro/- Linux (Proton)
~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/2379780/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Roaming/Balatro/- Steam Deck
/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/2379780/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Roaming/Balatro/
These are the Steam versions. On Linux, 2379780 is Balatro's Steam app ID. If Balatro is installed
on another drive or SD card, the steamapps folder is on that library instead. With the Flatpak
Steam, start from ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/.
Open it quickly
Windows
Press Win + R, paste %APPDATA%\Balatro and press Enter.
macOS
In Finder press ⌘ + Shift + G, paste
~/Library/Application Support/Balatro and press Return.
Linux and Steam Deck
In the file manager, turn on hidden files (Ctrl + H) and follow the path above. On Steam Deck, do this in Desktop Mode.
What's in the folder
The run you're in the middle of: money, the current blind, hand levels, jokers, consumables and your deck. It only exists while a run is in progress.
Profile stats and progress: high scores, career stats, and deck and stake wins.
What you've unlocked and discovered: jokers, vouchers, decks and the rest of your collection.
Game settings. It sits in the top Balatro folder and is shared by all profiles.
The .jkr files are compressed Lua data, so they look like gibberish in a text editor. The folders
1, 2 and 3 are your three profiles.
Back up and restore
Back up
Close Balatro, then copy the whole Balatro folder somewhere safe. That covers every profile,
your unlocks and your settings. To keep just one profile, copy its numbered folder.
Restore
Close Balatro and copy your backup back over the folder. If Steam Cloud says your local files don't match the cloud, choose to keep the local files, or Steam will put the old ones back.
Want to change your run?
Balatro Save Editor finds this folder by itself and edits save.jkr: set your money, beat the
current blind, change hand mult, raise slot limits and edit jokers. It makes a backup before every save.
Questions
There's no save.jkr in my profile folder
Balatro only keeps save.jkr while a run is in progress, and deletes it when the run ends. Start
a run and go back to the main menu; the game writes it then. Make sure you're looking in the profile folder
you actually play on.
Which numbered folder is my profile?
Folder 1 is the first profile in the game's profile menu, 2 the second and
3 the third. If you've never switched profiles, you're on 1.
Does Steam Cloud back up my saves?
Yes, Steam Cloud syncs the Balatro folder for the Steam version. It keeps one copy, though, not
a history, so a local backup is still worth having before you change anything.