Hollow Knight provides four clear profile files and also creates useful backup copies, making it a strong candidate for careful manual recovery. The key is to keep the entire LocalLow folder rather than only user1.dat: each slot can have a .bak file, older-version backups may appear after patches, and some global preferences/unlocks live elsewhere. SaveEditor therefore describes both the slot files and the boundary of what they do not contain, which avoids misleading a user who restores progress but still sees old global settings.
Identify the exact save you intend to edit
The researched Hollow Knight PC save location is Windows: %USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowTeam CherryHollow Knight ; Microsoft Store progress can also involve the package WGS area documented by PCGamingWiki.. Known file/folder pattern: user1.dat through user4.dat; user#.dat.bak1 backup files and older-version copies may also exist.. Storefront context: Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store. The main Windows profile files are under LocalLow. Some preferences/unlocks are stored separately, so replacing user1.dat does not necessarily reset every game-wide flag. Do not edit a similarly named file from a different profile, edition, or cloud cache.
Make an untouched backup first
Back up the entire Hollow Knight LocalLow directory, not only one user#.dat. Keep the corresponding .bak files so the game-created recovery copies remain available. Keep that copy outside the live save directory and do not overwrite it with later experiments. Cloud context: Steam Cloud, GOG Galaxy, and Xbox Cloud are documented. If a launcher can synchronize the save, prevent it from silently replacing either the original or edited copy while testing.
Understand the format boundary
The four player profiles are individual user#.dat files. The game also keeps automatic backup/older-version files, while some unlock/preferences data lives outside the main save files. File-extension context: .dat, .bak Compatibility note: A profile file is not the whole application state. Steel Soul/Godseeker-style unlocks and settings can be stored outside the slot file, so slot restoration may not reproduce or erase those flags. 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 Hollow Knight, 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, If a profile is corrupt or missing, try the matching game-created .bak only on a copy and preserve the current directory first. Verify the slot number before renaming files. Return to the untouched backup before trying another change.
Verification context: Reviewed against current PCGamingWiki Hollow Knight data plus the Hollow Knight Wiki Save Data page for user#.dat and .bak naming.