Open ESS files in your browser
The save of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Open one right here to see who it is, where they stand and the mods it needs, without the game. Nothing leaves your device.
Or drop it anywhere on this page
What you'll see
Your file opens on a page of its own, with what it holds in plain words.
- What it holds • In plain words, from the file itself
- What's locked • Said plainly, never decrypted
- Nothing in it runs
- Read, never changed
About ESS
Skyrim saves each game as an .ess file in Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves, and Skyrim Special Edition in a Saves folder of its own, with a .skse file beside it when the Script Extender is installed.
An .ess starts with TESV_SAVEGAME and a header of what the load menu shows: the character's name, level, race and sex, where they are, the in-game time, when it was saved and a screenshot. Then come the plugins the game was played with, masters and mods and, in Special Edition, light plugins, and the state of the world. Special Edition packs everything after the screenshot with LZ4, or zlib.
Filepeek reads the header, the screenshot and the plugin list, unpacking Special Edition's LZ4 or zlib on your device, so you can see which mods a save needs before you load it. The state of the world isn't shown.
Skyrim save
.ess
Format
- MIME type
- application/octet-stream
- Made by
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Released
- 2011
Inside the file
- Header
- Name, level, race and location
- Screenshot
- RGB, or RGBA in Special Edition
- Plugins
- Masters, mods and light plugins
- Packing
- LZ4 or zlib in Special Edition
Opens in every browser
Filepeek reads an ESS in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari. On their own, browsers only download it.
- YouChromeOpens through Filepeek
- YouEdgeOpens through Filepeek
- YouFirefoxOpens through Filepeek
- YouSafariOpens through Filepeek
Apps that open ESS
- WindowsSkyrim loads it • ReSaver, from Fallrim Tools, reads and cleans it
- MacNo app opens it
- iPhone and iPadNo app opens it
- AndroidNo app opens it
Questions
How do I see which mods a Skyrim save needs?
Drop the .ess on this page or choose Peek an ESS. Its page lists every plugin the save was played with, masters first, then mods and light plugins, so you can match your load order before you load it.
Why does Skyrim say a save relies on content that is no longer present?
A plugin the save was played with isn't active anymore. Its page here names each plugin the save expects, so you can find the one that's missing.
Does it open Special Edition and Anniversary Edition saves?
Yes. They pack what follows the screenshot with LZ4, which Filepeek unpacks on your device, and list their light plugins (.esl) apart.
Can it edit or clean a save?
No. Filepeek only reads it, and the file stays as it was.