Stardew Valley is a good example of why backing up a folder is safer than hunting for a single extension. A farm lives in its own directory, and the directory contains multiple related records. That makes the folder boundary the practical unit for backups. On Windows, macOS, and Linux the path is well documented and easy to copy once hidden application-data folders are visible. Before a major mod change or a manual save operation, copy the entire farm directory to a location outside the live Saves folder and give the copy a date.
Start with the least destructive explanation
When Stardew Valley progress appears missing, first verify the active PC location: Windows: %APPDATA%StardewValleySaves | macOS: $HOME/.config/StardewValley/Saves/ | Linux / Steam Play: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/StardewValley/Saves/ (normally ~/.config/StardewValley/Saves/). Expected files/folders: <FarmName>_<unique-id>
SaveGameInfo. Many apparent save failures are actually profile, storefront, path-redirection, or cloud-selection problems rather than damaged game data.
Preserve every surviving copy
Copy the whole farm folder, not only one file. This preserves the main save, SaveGameInfo, and any paired backup files that may be useful for recovery. Before renaming, moving, replacing, or opening candidate backups, copy them outside the live directory. Do not use the only surviving file as the test specimen for repair or editing.
Check launcher and cloud state
Storefront context: Steam, GOG Galaxy, Xbox / Microsoft Store. The normal desktop save folder is shared by Windows builds that use the standard StardewValley application-data path, while Microsoft Store/Xbox packaging and cloud behavior can differ. Do not assume a console or mobile save can be copied directly into the desktop folder. Cloud notes: Steam Cloud and GOG Galaxy cloud support are documented. Cloud sync is convenient but should not replace a dated offline copy before mods, save editing, or migration. A sync client can reintroduce an older or newer version after a manual restore, so recovery work should keep local and cloud copies conceptually separate until the wanted progress is confirmed.
Use format and compatibility clues
Each farm is stored as a folder. Standard desktop saves include the main farm save and SaveGameInfo; the main data is XML text even though the primary file normally has no conventional extension. Desktop saves are structured farm folders. Modded saves may depend on content or IDs provided by installed mods, so restoring the file without the same mod set can change behavior. If the file exists but is ignored, compare the complete directory structure, slot/profile naming, game edition, mods/DLC, and any companion metadata. Do not assume an extension change or generic checksum tool can repair a game-specific container.
Game-specific troubleshooting
If a farm disappears from the load menu, compare the folder name, the main save filename, and SaveGameInfo. Keep the original folder intact before trying older backup copies. If a known-good backup works, preserve it and create a fresh in-game save before further experiments. If no copy works, prefer read-only inspection and source-backed game-specific tooling over repeated writes.
Verification context: Desktop save paths and cloud services were reviewed against current PCGamingWiki coverage. File-structure notes are limited to the standard farm-folder layout; no arbitrary XML rewrite is performed by this Game Hub.