How to Use Fallout Shelter Save Editor

Complete step-by-step guide to editing your vault save files

⏱️ Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

📚 Complete Tutorial

Step 1

Locate Your Save File

Before using the Fallout Shelter Save Editor, you need to find your vault save file. The location varies by platform:

  • PC/Launcher: Documents\My Games\Fallout Shelter
  • Steam: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\FalloutShelter
  • Android: /storage/sdcard/Android/data/com.bethsoft.falloutshelter/files
  • iOS: Requires iTunes backup extraction (see Platform Guides)
💡 Tip: Your save files are named Vault1.sav, Vault2.sav, or Vault3.sav. For detailed platform-specific instructions, visit our comprehensive platform guides.
Step 2

Backup Your Save File

Always create a backup before using any save editor:

  1. Navigate to your save file location
  2. Copy the .sav file (e.g., Vault1.sav)
  3. Paste it in a safe location (e.g., Desktop or Documents)
  4. Rename the backup (e.g., Vault1_backup.sav)
⚠️ Important: Always keep a backup! This allows you to restore your original vault if something goes wrong.
Step 3

Upload to Save Editor

Open the Fallout Shelter Save Editor and upload your save file:

  • Visit the Fallout Shelter Save Editor homepage
  • Drag and drop your .sav file into the upload area
  • Or click "Choose File" to browse and select manually
  • Wait for the save editor to decrypt and load your vault data
💡 Tip: Large save files may take a few seconds to load. Be patient!
Step 4

Navigate the Editor Interface

The vault editor interface has several tabs:

🏛️ Vault Tab

Edit vault resources (caps, Nuka-Cola Quantum), food, water, energy, Stimpacks, RadAway, lunchboxes, and Mr. Handies. Change vault mode and theme.

👥 Dwellers Tab

Edit individual dweller stats including SPECIAL attributes, health, happiness, radiation, level, name, gender, and equipped items.

👤 Others Tab

Edit other characters in your vault (pets, special NPCs).

🗺️ Wasteland Tabs

Edit dwellers and characters currently exploring the wasteland, including their inventory, health, and exploration time.

⚙️ Extras Tab

Access additional tools and information about the save editor.

Step 5

Make Your Edits

Now you can modify your vault save file with the Fallout Shelter editor:

  • Click on any tab to access different editing options
  • Modify values by typing in the input fields
  • Use quick action buttons for common edits (Max Stats, Unlock All, etc.)
  • Changes are previewed in real-time
💡 Tip: Start with small changes to ensure everything works correctly before making major modifications.
Step 6

Download Modified Save

After making your edits in the save editor:

  1. Review all your changes carefully
  2. Click the "Save" button at the bottom of the editor
  3. Your browser will download the modified .sav file
  4. The file will have the same name as the original
Step 7

Replace Original Save File

Replace your original Fallout Shelter save file:

  1. Close Fallout Shelter if it's running
  2. Navigate to your save file location
  3. Delete or rename the original .sav file
  4. Move the downloaded file to the save location
  5. Ensure the filename is exactly Vault1.sav, Vault2.sav, or Vault3.sav
⚠️ Important: Make sure Fallout Shelter is completely closed before replacing the save file!
Step 8

Launch and Verify

Test your edited vault save:

  • Launch Fallout Shelter
  • Load your vault
  • Verify that your changes appear correctly
  • Check dweller stats, resources, and unlocked items
💡 Success! If everything looks good, you've successfully edited your vault save file!

🖥️ Platform-Specific Guides

Quick overview of save file locations. For comprehensive guides with screenshots and troubleshooting, visit our detailed platform guides page.

Finding Your Save Files

  1. Open File Explorer (Windows Key + E)
  2. Navigate to: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\My Games\Fallout Shelter
  3. You'll see Vault1.sav, Vault2.sav, and/or Vault3.sav

Using the Save Editor

Simply drag the .sav file into the Fallout Shelter Save Editor on the homepage, make your edits, download, and replace the original file.

Tip: If you can't find the folder, press Windows Key + R, type %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Fallout Shelter and press Enter.

Finding Your Save Files

  1. Open File Explorer
  2. Navigate to: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\FalloutShelter
  3. Look for Vault1.sav, Vault2.sav, or Vault3.sav

Steam Cloud Sync

Steam automatically syncs your saves to the cloud. To use the save editor:

  1. Close Steam completely
  2. Edit your save file using the vault editor
  3. Replace the original file
  4. Launch Steam and Fallout Shelter
Warning: Steam Cloud may overwrite your edited save. Consider disabling Steam Cloud for Fallout Shelter in Steam settings.

Requirements

  • File manager app (e.g., Files by Google, Solid Explorer)
  • Access to internal storage

Finding Your Save Files

  1. Open your file manager app
  2. Enable "Show hidden files" in settings
  3. Navigate to: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.bethsoft.falloutshelter/files
  4. Find your .sav files

Editing Process

  1. Copy the .sav file to an easily accessible location (e.g., Downloads)
  2. Transfer to PC or use mobile browser to access the save editor
  3. Edit and download the modified save
  4. Transfer back to the original location
  5. Replace the original file
Tip: Some Android devices may require root access to access the game's data folder. Check your device's file manager capabilities.

Requirements

  • iTunes or Finder (macOS Catalina+)
  • iPhone/iPad backup extraction tool (e.g., iMazing, iBackup Viewer)
  • Computer with iTunes installed

Extracting Save Files

  1. Connect your iOS device to computer
  2. Create an unencrypted backup using iTunes/Finder
  3. Use a backup extraction tool to browse the backup
  4. Navigate to Fallout Shelter app data
  5. Extract the .sav files

Editing and Restoring

  1. Edit the save file using the Fallout Shelter Save Editor
  2. Use the backup tool to replace the file in the backup
  3. Restore the modified backup to your device
Advanced Users Only: This process is complex and requires technical knowledge. Incorrect steps may cause data loss. Always backup your device first!

✏️ Editing Techniques

💪

Editing SPECIAL Stats

Use the save editor to modify dweller SPECIAL attributes:

  • Strength - Melee damage and resource production
  • Perception - Critical hit chance and accuracy
  • Endurance - Health points and radiation resistance
  • Charisma - Breeding success and radio station
  • Intelligence - Crafting and laboratory work
  • Agility - Attack speed and evasion
  • Luck - Finding rare items and critical hits
Best Practice: Keep stats between 7-10 for balanced gameplay. Maxing everything to 10 removes challenge.
💰

Modifying Resources

Edit vault resources in the Vault tab:

  • Caps: Main currency (recommended max: 999,999)
  • Nuka-Cola Quantum: Premium currency
  • Food/Water/Energy: Essential resources
  • Stimpacks/RadAway: Medical supplies
  • Lunchboxes: Reward containers
  • Mr. Handies: Automation robots
Warning: Excessive values (millions) may cause game instability or crashes. Keep it reasonable!
🔓

Unlocking Content

Use quick action buttons in the vault editor:

  • Unlock All Rooms: Access all room types instantly
  • Unlock All Recipes: Get all crafting recipes
  • Remove Rocks: Clear obstacles from your vault
  • Unlock Themes: Access seasonal vault themes
Tip: These are one-click actions. Just click the button and save!
🗺️

Editing Wasteland Explorers

Modify dwellers exploring the wasteland:

  • Time Spent: Adjust exploration duration (in seconds)
  • Return Duration: Change return trip time
  • Health/Radiation: Heal explorers instantly
  • Inventory: Add items to their collection
  • Resources: Give them caps, Stimpacks, RadAway
Pro Tip: Set return duration to 0 to bring explorers back instantly! For advanced manual editing, try our save decryption tool.

🔧 Troubleshooting

❌ Save File Won't Load in Editor

Possible Causes:

  • File is corrupted or not a valid .sav file
  • File is from an incompatible game version
  • Browser doesn't support required features

Solutions:

  1. Verify the file is a .sav file (not .txt or other format)
  2. Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge recommended)
  3. Check if the file size is reasonable (typically 100KB-5MB)
  4. Try uploading a backup copy of the save

❌ Edited Save Won't Load in Game

Possible Causes:

  • Incorrect filename (must be exactly Vault1.sav, Vault2.sav, or Vault3.sav)
  • File in wrong location
  • Game was running when file was replaced
  • Excessive values causing corruption

Solutions:

  1. Verify filename is exactly correct (case-sensitive on some systems)
  2. Ensure file is in the correct save location for your platform
  3. Close game completely before replacing save file
  4. Try editing with more conservative values
  5. Restore your backup and try again with smaller changes

❌ Game Crashes After Loading Edited Save

Possible Causes:

  • Resource values too high (millions of caps)
  • Invalid item IDs or equipment
  • Corrupted dweller data

Solutions:

  1. Restore your backup save file
  2. Edit again with more reasonable values (caps under 999,999)
  3. Avoid editing too many things at once
  4. Test changes incrementally
  5. Verify all dropdown selections are valid options

❌ Changes Don't Appear in Game

Possible Causes:

  • Edited wrong vault slot
  • Steam Cloud restored old save
  • Didn't save changes in editor

Solutions:

  1. Verify you edited the correct vault (Vault1, 2, or 3)
  2. Check you clicked "Save" button in the editor
  3. Ensure you replaced the correct file
  4. For Steam: Disable Steam Cloud sync for Fallout Shelter
  5. Try editing again and verify the download completed

Still Having Issues?

If you're still experiencing problems with the Fallout Shelter Save Editor:

  • Check the FAQ section for more answers
  • Visit our GitHub Issues page
  • Search for similar problems reported by other users
  • Create a new issue with detailed information about your problem

🎥 Video Tutorials

▶️

Video Tutorial Coming Soon

Complete Walkthrough

Full video guide showing every step of using the Fallout Shelter Save Editor

▶️

Video Tutorial Coming Soon

Platform-Specific Guides

Separate videos for PC, Steam, Android, and iOS users

▶️

Video Tutorial Coming Soon

Advanced Editing Tips

Pro tips and tricks for getting the most out of the save editor

Community Tutorials

Have you created a tutorial video? Let us know and we'll feature it here!

📚 Related Resources

📂 Platform Guides

Detailed instructions for finding save files on PC, Steam, Android, and iOS

🔓 Save Decryptor

Advanced tool for manual JSON editing of save files

❓ FAQ

Frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips

Ready to Edit Your Vault?

Now that you know how to use the Fallout Shelter Save Editor, start editing your vault save files!

🎮 Go to Save Editor