Where apps hide your files

Finding RimWorld saves, mods and Player.log

Updated 2026-10-28 · 5 min read

RimWorld keeps your colonies as .rws files in a hidden Library folder, Workshop mods in Steam's folder, and hand-installed mods inside the app itself. Here is how to find each one and what to copy before you reinstall.

The save folder

On a Mac, RimWorld keeps your colonies here:

~/Library/Application Support/RimWorld/Saves

Each colony is one .rws file named after the save you typed in the game. Beside Saves in the same RimWorld folder are Config (settings and your mod list) and folders for things you export, such as scenarios. PCGamingWiki gives ~/Library/Application Support/RimWorld/ as the Mac data folder, and Steam's cloud settings for RimWorld map the game's Windows folder to exactly this one on macOS.

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

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/RimWorld

The game can also take you there: the Options screen has an Open save data folder button, and current versions have a matching one for the log file folder. A Mac player on Ludeon's forum reported trouble finding it, so the path above is the fallback.

If that folder is not there

Old builds wrote elsewhere. Players on Ludeon's forum reported saves under ~/Library/Caches/RimWorld/Saves years ago, which fits how the game builds its path: it takes the folder above Unity's data folder and adds RimWorld, and very old Unity versions used ~/Library/Caches. These commands only list names:

ls ~/Library/Application\ Support | grep -i rimworld
ls ~/Library/Caches | grep -i rimworld
find ~/Library -name "*.rws" 2>/dev/null | head

The last one prints up to ten save files wherever they are. You can also start the game with the -savedatafolder=<path> option to choose a folder yourself; the game logs "Save data folder overridden" when it does.

What the files are

Item	What it holds
Saves/*.rws	One colony per file
Config/ModsConfig.xml	Which mods are active and in what order
Config/Prefs.xml, Config/KeyPrefs.xml	Game settings and key bindings
Config (other files)	Per-mod settings and a record of the last version played
Scenarios/*.rsc	Scenarios you saved

Newer expansions add their own exports (Steam's cloud list includes ideoligion, xenotype and mod list files), so list the folder to see yours. Do not edit .rws files in a text editor and save over them. They are readable XML, but one wrong character can stop a colony loading.

Where the mods are

Mods are not in the data folder. There are two places.

1. Steam Workshop subscriptions. Steam stores these under its own folder, one numbered folder per mod, in RimWorld's folder (294100 is RimWorld's Steam app ID):

~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/workshop/content/294100

Steam adds and removes these when you subscribe or unsubscribe, so manage them in Steam.

1. Manual mods. On a Mac the Mods folder is inside the game's app. In your Steam library, right-click RimWorld and choose Manage > Browse local files, right-click RimWorldMac.app, choose Show Package Contents, and open Mods. For a Steam install that is:

~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/RimWorld/RimWorldMac.app/Mods

Each mod goes in its own folder there. Because it is inside the app, reinstalling or verifying the game can touch it, so keep a copy of hand-installed mods elsewhere.

Finding Player.log

RimWorld is a Unity game, and Unity writes Player.log under ~/Library/Logs on a Mac. For current Unity versions the folder is named after the developer and product, which for RimWorld would be Ludeon Studios/RimWorld by Ludeon Studios, but no Ludeon page confirms that, so list it:

ls ~/Library/Logs | grep -i -e unity -e ludeon -e rimworld

Or use the log file folder button on the Options screen. Send Player.log, not your save, when a modder asks for a log.

Backing up and moving to a new Mac

1. Quit RimWorld.
2. Copy the whole RimWorld data folder to a safe place. It is small compared with most games.
3. On the new Mac, install the game, start it once and quit, then put Saves and Config back.
4. Reinstall your mods, then check the mod list in the game before loading an old colony. A save made with a mod that is now missing may refuse to load or lose that content.

Steam Cloud covers RimWorld on Steam: it syncs the .rws saves and some exported files in the data folder, but not Config or mods. If you restore an older save by hand, turn off Keep game's saves in the Steam Cloud in the game's Steam Properties first, or copy it in under a new file name. GOG Galaxy has cloud saves for the game too.

Why a normal search misses these

Spotlight and Finder searches leave out ~/Library, so typing a colony name into either shows nothing. Mods inside the app bundle are hidden from those searches as well.

Finding a colony again

If you remember what you called a save, type part of that name into Everywhere and it lists the .rws file with its folder, which settles where your Mac really keeps them. Typing ModsConfig or Player.log finds those files directly, and ⌘Y previews one before you open anything. These folders sit in Application Support, Logs and the Steam app bundle, all scanned without extra permission, and it matches file names only, not the text inside a save.

Common questions

Where are RimWorld saves on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Application Support/RimWorld/Saves, one .rws file per colony. Very old builds used ~/Library/Caches/RimWorld/Saves, so run find ~/Library -name "*.rws" 2>/dev/null | head if yours are missing.

Where do RimWorld mods go on a Mac?

Hand-installed mods go in the Mods folder inside RimWorldMac.app (right-click it, Show Package Contents). Steam Workshop mods are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/workshop/content/294100.

How do I back up a RimWorld save on Mac?

Quit the game, then copy the Saves and Config folders, or the whole ~/Library/Application Support/RimWorld folder, to another location. Copy hand-installed mods separately, since they live inside the app.

Where is the RimWorld Player.log on a Mac?

Under ~/Library/Logs, as for other Unity games; current Unity versions use a folder named after the developer and product. The Options screen also has a button that opens the log file folder.