Installation

SaveVault ships as a desktop app plus a full command-line interface. There are three ways to get it:

Steam. Install from your Steam library; Steam handles updates.
Direct download from savevault.app. Signed Windows and macOS installers, with an in-app updater.
Free GitHub build from GitHub Releases. Unsigned, built from the same source, with the same in-app updater as the Direct download.

Or build it from source. Every channel covers Windows, macOS, and Linux, including native arm64 on Linux. Pick the platform you play on.

The default (full) build bundles everything you need. GitHub and Direct downloads also come as a Lite build on Windows, macOS, and Linux, which leaves out rclone so you can supply your own for cloud backup (or use Download & Install in the Off-site backup section of Settings). Lite installer names add -lite before the extension. The Steam edition is full-only.

System requirements

Platform	Requirement
Windows	Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
macOS	macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later, Apple Silicon or Intel
Linux	A glibc-based distribution, x86_64 or arm64

Installer file names, where <version> is the release number:

Platform	File
Windows	`SaveVault_<version>_x64-setup.exe`
macOS	`SaveVault_<version>_universal.dmg`
Linux x86_64	`SaveVault_<version>_amd64.AppImage` or `SaveVault_<version>_amd64.deb`
Linux arm64	`SaveVault_<version>_aarch64.AppImage` or `SaveVault_<version>_arm64.deb`

Windows

For the Steam edition, install from Steam. For a Direct download or a GitHub build, run the installer, SaveVault_<version>_x64-setup.exe.

macOS

Download the .dmg, open it, and drag SaveVault to Applications. One universal build covers Apple Silicon and Intel.

Linux & SteamOS

Use the AppImage for a portable, self-contained binary, or install the .deb. SaveVault’s UI is built to Valve’s Deck Verified checklist — gamepad-navigable, touch-friendly, and sized for 1280×800. AppImage installs update in-app. There is no apt repository, so on a .deb install the app shows a Download Update link when a new version is out, and you install the new .deb yourself.

A native arm64 build covers the Steam Frame and other aarch64 Linux machines. It is available on every channel: the Steam edition, the Direct download, and the GitHub builds.

Steam edition

Install from your Steam library like any game. Updates arrive through Steam, and the Linux depot carries both x86_64 and arm64 builds, so a Steam Deck, a Steam Machine, and a Steam Frame each run the native one.

The command-line tools

Every install includes three executables next to the app (full builds also ship a fourth sidecar, rclone, used for cloud backup; Lite builds leave it out):

Binary	Purpose
`savevault-cli`	The full CLI — see the CLI reference.
`savevault-wrap`	The silent launch wrapper for Steam launch options and other launchers.
`savevault-scheduled`	The headless runner Windows Task Scheduler fires for scheduled backups. On Linux and macOS, systemd and launchd run `savevault-cli schedule-run` directly, so this binary is unused there.

Where they live depends on how you installed:

Install	Location
Windows	SaveVault’s install folder
macOS	Inside the app bundle, `SaveVault.app/Contents/MacOS/`
Linux `.deb`	`/usr/bin` (already on your `PATH`)
Linux AppImage	Inside the image — unpack it with `--appimage-extract`, or use the `.deb` instead
Steam, Windows	`steamapps/common/SaveVault`
Steam, Linux	`steamapps/common/SaveVault/x86_64/usr/bin/` (Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and desktop) or `steamapps/common/SaveVault/aarch64/usr/bin/` (Steam Frame)

Add that folder to your PATH or call the tools with a full path. The CLI and the app share one config, database, and backup folder.

Build from source

SaveVault is open source (GPL-3.0). You need:

Rust 1.96 or newer (the repository’s rust-toolchain.toml pins it, and rustup installs it automatically) and your platform’s C toolchain (MSVC on Windows, gcc or clang on Linux and macOS).
Windows: CMake on your PATH (the controller-chord backend builds SDL2 from source; MSVC Build Tools ships a copy).
Linux: libudev-dev on Debian and Ubuntu, or your distribution’s udev headers.
For the desktop app: Node.js 18 or newer and the Tauri CLI.

git clone https://github.com/multimediality/savevault.git
cd savevault
cargo build --release

The CLI lands at target/release/savevault-cli. To build the desktop app as well:

cd crates/savevault-gui/frontend
npm install
cd ../../..
cargo install tauri-cli --version "^2.11.0"
cd crates/savevault-gui
cargo tauri build

Installers land in target/release/bundle/. The repository README covers the Steam edition and the development workflow.

Next steps

Once installed, run your first scan and backup:

savevault-cli scan
savevault-cli backup

Then read your first backup.