Baldur’s Gate 3 makes the folder boundary important: each save folder contains the .lsv archive and related slot context. Backing up the whole folder avoids separating the main payload from supporting files. Campaigns can also be sensitive to mods, so SaveEditor.com treats mod compatibility as part of restoration rather than calling every failed load corruption. Larian cross-save is useful for recent saves, but a complete local archive is still the better long-term backup.
Identify the exact save you intend to edit
The researched Baldur's Gate 3 PC save location is Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%Larian StudiosBaldur's Gate 3PlayerProfilesPublicSavegamesStory | macOS: $HOME/Documents/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public/Savegames/Story/ | Linux / Steam Play: $XDG_DATA_HOME/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/Public/Savegames/Story/. Known file/folder pattern: <save-folder><save-name>.lsv. Storefront context: Steam, GOG Galaxy. The same Larian profile hierarchy is used across desktop platforms, with OS-specific base directories. Steam also exposes a remote cloud area. Do not edit a similarly named file from a different profile, edition, or cloud cache.
Make an untouched backup first
Copy the entire Story directory or selected complete save folders. For heavily modded campaigns, also keep the mod configuration required by that campaign. Keep that copy outside the live save directory and do not overwrite it with later experiments. Cloud context: Steam Cloud is documented. Larian account cross-save can synchronize a limited set of recent saves across supported PC storefronts/platforms. If a launcher can synchronize the save, prevent it from silently replacing either the original or edited copy while testing.
Understand the format boundary
Each campaign save is stored in its own folder and includes an .lsv archive. Preserve the whole save folder rather than extracting only the archive when making a normal backup. File-extension context: .lsv Compatibility note: An .lsv can be structurally valid but still depend on mods or game versions that are not present on the destination system. These facts help identify the save but do not automatically reveal every field, checksum, encryption rule, or version-specific structure inside it.
Use only a Tool whose claim matches the file
Generic viewers and diff tools can inspect bytes without claiming game-specific semantics. A game-specific editor should be used only when its Tool page explicitly lists Baldur's Gate 3, a matching supported version/container, and a Verified operational runtime. A planned URL or Game Hub is not evidence that an editor exists.
Test the edited copy safely
Write to a new output file when the Tool supports it, keep the original backup, restore the edited copy into the correct profile/storefront location, and launch the game only after the file operation finishes. If the game rejects it, When a campaign save fails after migration, check the exact save folder, mods, and profile before assuming the archive is damaged. Cloud cross-save only covers supported recent saves, not every local backup. Return to the untouched backup before trying another change.
Verification context: Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam remote/cloud, and Larian cross-save notes were reviewed against current PCGamingWiki coverage.