Saves
Does demo progress transfer?
Yes. Official posts say Melvor Idle 2 demo progress carries into Early Access automatically. Melvor Idle 1 saves are a different case: no official post says they import.
Demo to Early Access
The 19 October 2026 demo announcement says saves are forward-compatible. The 29 October Early Access post repeats that demo progress transfers. The pinned Steam FAQ, written by a community manager, says the same and adds the backup path: Melvor Cloud if you are logged in, and Steam Cloud.
The 29 October announcement explicitly says no action is needed and the save will be ready to load in Early Access. It does not publish an item-by-item exception list or instructions for moving between unrelated accounts. These official pages are one source family, not independent migration tests.
A manual backup if you want one anyway
The same FAQ describes a clipboard export: on the character select screen, open the gear next to load, then “Copy save string to clipboard”, and store that text yourself. That is the documented manual copy, not a third-party save editor.
The Known Issues post gives Windows, macOS and Linux data paths for the cloud-login cache jwt.dat. It does not identify the character-save files or establish that copying that cache backs up a character. The save-file-location page preserves this distinction; the clipboard export is the documented portable backup.
Alpha saves, and the first game
The 20 November 2025 progress post says alpha saves are not being wiped. Patreon alpha and the public demo are different cohorts, but both have an official “your progress stays” line aimed at Early Access.
The cited announcements do not promise an import from Melvor Idle 1. Automatic transfer from the sequel demo and support for the sequel Alpha must not be extended to first-game saves.
| From | To Early Access | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Steam demo | Yes, automatic | Demo post, EA post, Steam FAQ |
| Patreon alpha | Officially kept | 20 Nov 2025 progress post |
| Melvor Idle 1 | Not announced | No official sentence found |
| Manual text backup | Clipboard save string | Steam FAQ |
Editorial notes
The demo announcement, Early Access announcement and pinned FAQ support automatic demo transfer. They are one official source family, not independent migration tests. The Alpha promise and the absence of an announced MI1 import are kept separate.
Questions
Do I have to export my demo save on 16 November?
Official posts say the transfer is automatic. The clipboard string is an optional backup, not a required step.
Does Steam Cloud cover it if I switch PCs?
The FAQ says saves back up to Steam Cloud and to Melvor Cloud when you are logged in. Local paths are still worth knowing if cloud login fails.
Will my Melvor Idle account level import?
Nothing official says it will. Treat the sequel as a new save until a post says otherwise.
Keep reading
- Local data and backups — Documented cache paths versus a portable character export.
- Release timeline — 17 November is Early Access, not the full 1.0 release.
- Demo — What the free build contains before you invest the hours.
- Early Access — The build those saves are moving into.
- Alpha, demo, playtest — Which cohort you are actually in.
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
Source status: game facts rely on the developer's public material and its Steam listings unless an independent source is explicitly named below. Studio posts and Steam mirrors count as one source family. Several official URLs alone do not establish independent corroboration. Unknown values and conflicting statements remain identified in the text.
- Demo announcement — Forward-compatible saves
- EA announcement — Demo progress transfers
- Pinned Steam FAQ — Melvor Cloud, Steam Cloud, clipboard export
- Known Issues post — Cloud-login cache directories and jwt.dat, not actual character-save filenames
- Progress update, 20 Nov 2025 — Official Alpha no-wipe promise, separate from demo transfer