Where apps hide your files

Finding Factorio's saves and mods folders

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Factorio stores saves, mods, logs and settings in one user data folder under Application Support, separate from the game. Here is the path, the layout, and how to back it up.

The location

~/Library/Application Support/factorio

That is Factorio's user data directory on a Mac, according to the official Factorio wiki, and it holds saves, mods, logs and settings. The two folders most people want are:

~/Library/Application Support/factorio/saves
~/Library/Application Support/factorio/mods

~/Library is hidden in Finder. Choose Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G), paste the path and press Return, or from Terminal:

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/factorio

The folder name is lowercase factorio. It is separate from the game itself, which the wiki puts at /Applications/factorio.app for the standalone download and inside Steam's folder for the Steam version.

What is in the user data folder

The wiki lists these items for the user data directory:

Item	What it holds
saves	Your saved games, one zip file each
mods	Mods you have installed, as zip files
script-output	Files written by mods, scenarios and commands such as /screenshot
scenarios	Local scenarios
config/config.ini	Your game settings
factorio-*.log	Game logs, useful when reporting a crash
factorio-dump-*.dmp	Crash dumps

Saves are zip files and the game reads them as zips, so do not unzip a save and copy the contents back. Mods are the same: the wiki says to copy a mod's zip into mods without unzipping it. Autosaves go into saves with names beginning _autosave. Since version 0.18 the game will not save over an autosave or let you start your own save name with _autosave, so to keep one, load it and save it under another name.

Installing and managing mods

The wiki calls the Mods section of the game's main menu the best way to get mods: it downloads from the mod portal, checks installed mods for updates, and switches them on and off.

To install a mod by hand, download its zip from the mod portal at mods.factorio.com, copy the zip as it is into mods, restart the game and check the Mods list.

mods also holds mod-list.json, the game's record of which mods are switched on. The wiki notes you can edit it in a text editor, but the Mods screen is the safer way to change it.

Steam and standalone differ in two places

The wiki gives one user data folder for the Mac and separate game folders for the two versions:

• Standalone: /Applications/factorio.app/Contents
• Steam: ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Factorio/factorio.app/Contents

The Steam version also keeps some files in Steam's own folder, ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata/<user number>/427520/remote. Per the wiki, that folder can hold config.ini, achievement files, player-data.json and a compressed copy of blueprint storage. It is Steam Cloud's copy, so leave it to Steam.

Backing up saves and moving to a new Mac

The simplest complete backup is the whole factorio user data folder: quit the game and copy it. If you only want the essentials, take saves, mods and config/config.ini. To be sure of your blueprints, export the ones you care about as blueprint strings from the in-game library as well, since the wiki's Mac section only names a blueprint file in the Steam folder.

A save made with mods needs the same mods to load on the new Mac, so copy mods along with saves, or let the game download what is missing. A save from a newer version of Factorio generally will not load in an older one, so update the game first if loading fails.

Moving the data folder

The wiki describes two ways to change where Factorio writes on a Mac. The simpler one edits the app bundle: a config-path.cfg file at the top level of factorio.app, plus the write-data entry under [path] in factorio.app/Contents/config/config.ini. The wiki warns that Gatekeeper notices changes inside the bundle and macOS may then refuse to run the app. The other way leaves the app untouched and starts it with configuration files placed around it; it is more involved, and the wiki points to a forum thread for the steps. If you only want space back, deleting old saves is the easier fix.

Space

Saves grow with the size of the factory, from small files for a new map to tens of megabytes for a large base. Old autosaves and abandoned maps are the usual savings. Quit the game, and move saves you are sure about to the Trash. Leave config and mods alone unless you mean to reset them.

Why searches miss these

The data folder is in ~/Library, which Finder hides, and Spotlight and Finder searches leave Application Support out. The saves are zip files named after your map, so the names are all you have to go on.

Finding a save or mod again

Typing a save's name, or part of a mod's name, into Everywhere finds the zip in saves or mods even though it sits in the hidden Library, and ⌘↵ reveals it in Finder. Typing _autosave lists the autosaves together. It matches file names only, so it cannot show which mods a save needs; Application Support is indexed without any extra permission.

Common questions

Where are Factorio saves on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Application Support/factorio/saves, one zip file per save. Library is hidden, so use Go to Folder (⇧⌘G).

Where is the Factorio mods folder on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Application Support/factorio/mods. Copy mod zips in without unzipping them, or install through the Mods section of the game's main menu.

Is the Factorio save location different for Steam?

The user data folder is the same. The game folder differs, and Steam also keeps some files, such as config.ini and player-data.json, in its own userdata/<number>/427520/remote folder.

Can I move the Factorio data folder on Mac?

The wiki describes two ways: edit files inside factorio.app (a config-path.cfg plus the write-data entry in its config.ini), which Gatekeeper may then block, or a more involved setup that leaves the app unmodified.