Right-click on SOTTR.exe or the game’s shortcut → → Compatibility → Check “Run this program as an administrator” → Apply → OK.
Right-click Shadow of the Tomb Raider in your Steam Library. Select > General . Uncheck Enable Steam Cloud synchronization .
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Shadow of the Tomb Raider\ \ Back Up the Folder
Shadow of the Tomb Raider requires unrestricted write permissions to your Documents folder. If Microsoft Defender or Controlled Folder Access is blocking the .exe , the game will launch but immediately fail to load or create save data. This is a common cause of being unable to save games at all. To resolve this: shadow of the tomb raider failed to load profile
The "Failed to load profile" error in Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a common glitch, often caused by a corrupt profile.dat
While less common on consoles, profile loading errors still occur due to system cache build-ups or interrupted cloud syncing. For Xbox (One / Series X|S)
Before jumping into the fixes, it helps to understand why this specific crash happens. The primary culprits behind the profile loading failure include: Right-click on SOTTR
Copy the entire numbered folder and paste it on your desktop just in case you need a backup.
: Navigate to Documents\Shadow of the Tomb Raider\[Long String of Numbers] . Copy the entire folder to your desktop as a safety backup.
: In the original folder, find and delete only the profile.dat file. 2. Disable Cloud Synchronization Uncheck Enable Steam Cloud synchronization
: Conflicts between your local save files and the cloud backup can cause data mismatches. Direct Solutions to Fix the Error
: Microsoft OneDrive’s automated Documents backup can lock game data folders, causing instant read/write failures when the game attempts to boot.
Right-click this folder, select , and paste it safely onto your Desktop as a backup.