Frontends
EmulationStation
I’ll speak to Emulation Station, since I haven’t found a reliable way for Daijisho or others to be fully moved to a new device. When you first setup Emulation Station, it asks you where to put your data, and if you chose to create an ES-DE folder on your SD card, which is also where your ROMs should be, then you can keep moving that SD card and those ROMs across any Android device since it all stays the same. If you didn’t do that and your ES-DE lives on your internal storage, you could copy the ES-DE folder from your internal storage, to your SD card.
To restore on a new device, install ES-DE and during setup it’ll ask you to create an ES-DE folder, so just select the one on your SD card and it’ll ask where your ROMs are, so select your ROMs folder that you previously used, and you should have everything back as you had it. You can keep ES-DE on your SD card and use it with multiple devices.
Looking for an EmulationStation Setup Guide? I have you covered.
Emulators
RetroArch
Let’s start with RetroArch. For RetroArch on Android, all of the files are stored in the Internal Storage/RetroArch folder. RetroArch will be one we’ll have to re-setup on the new device and then move our files over to after.
Let’s head into the RetroArch folder on the internal storage and you want to backup a few things.
- Cheats folder: Useful if you’re using custom cheats, otherwise the built-in cheat downloader in RetroArch can replace this.
- Config folder: Has any custom core configurations you’ve done, so maybe you’ve set color correction to on for mGBA, that would be here and so on. There’s also remaps for any button remaps you’ve done, but generally, that won’t work across devices because different devices have different button codes so be careful with that one.
- Saves folder: Has your saves.
- States folder: Has your save states.
Then, to restore to a new device, you would install RetroArch as normally would using the 64-bit option on their website, and go through the normal setup following one of my setup guides (RetroArch Setup Guide here) – then you can copy over your cheats, config, saves and states folders all over from your backup and you’re all set.
DuckStation Standalone
Super easy with Duckstation, there’s a built-in importer/exporter. Click the three lines top left, Transfer Data, Export, choose your Downloads folder or a folder on your SD card, and create a folder called Duckstation, and select use this folder. You’ll see a popup asking what you want to export – BIOS files, saves, all of it. Select it all and then Export.
To restore on a new device, install Duckstation, and you can skip through all the setup prompts. Head back to Transfer Data, Import, select that folder we created and backed up and import. It’ll ask what to Import, select what you want and do so. It won’t restore controller mappings, or your PS1 game directory, you’ll have to do that yourself, but it will restore saves, bios files, game settings, save states and so on.
Dolphin
Dolphin actually has a built in user data exporter and importer because all of its data is behind Android’s data section, which in unrooted or newer Android’s, is hard to access. Some devices like the Odin 2 series or Retroid’s have no problems accessing the actual files though, but to be safe, this works with everything. Open Dolphin, Settings cog top right, Config, User Data, Export User Data, choose your Download folder and it will export into a dolphin-emu.zip file. This will export literally everything – saves, configs, all of it, it’s great.
To restore on a new device, it’s the same steps. Install Dolphin from the Google Play Store, head to Settings, Config, User Data, Import User Data and the select the zip file you exported.
Looking for a Dolphin Setup Guide? I have you covered.
PPSSPP
When you first setup PPSSPP, as long as you followed my guide or basically anyone who’s worth their salt, you would have created a PPSSPP folder on your internal storage and that has all your PSP files. Sometimes it’s called PSP, or a variation of it. Easy way is just to backup that entire folder, everything we need is in there, but let’s get specific so you know what to actually restore.
- Cheats folder: Self explanatory, has all of your downloaded cheats.
- PPSSPP_STATE folder: Has your save states.
- SAVEDATA folder: Has your saves.
- TEXTURES folder: Has your HD texture packs, if you’ve installed any.
To restore to a new device, install PPSSPP from the Google Play Store, set it up following one of my guides which also includes creating that PPSSPP folder once again (PPSSPP Setup Guide here). Then, you can just move your folders back into that PPSSPP folder and replace.
DraStic
When you first opened DraStic, it tells you it’s going to save data in the Android/data section and that’s no good. So, head to Options, General, System Directory, and change it to Scoped Storage Folder, create a folder called DraStic on the internal storage, and select it. Restart Drastic, and click OK, it’ll copy your files over to the new location and you can delete the source files if you want. Now if you head into that Drastic folder on the internal storage, all your data is here, backup this folder.
To restore to a new device, install DraStic from the Google Play Store, then head to the same section so Options, General, System Directory and change it to Scoped Storage Folder, create a folder called DraStic on the internal storage and select it. Restart and click OK and delete the source files. Then, just grab your backed up folder, and copy over the specific folders inside that you need. Cheats, saves and so on.
MelonDS Standalone
For MelonDS, open it and head to three buttons top right, Settings, Save Files and the default is it saves in your ROM directory. Now if you’ve been using MelonDS like this, all your saves are in your Nintendo DS ROMs folder, wherever you keep it, so you can back it all up that way manually unfortunately. Saves are unfortunately all you can backup with MelonDS.
But, to restore saves, install MelonDS from the Google Play Store and then I’d suggest turning that option off, select Save file directory, and create a MelonDS folder on your internal storage, then use this folder. Now all your saves will be in that MelonDS folder going forward.
That also means, you can now just copy all your backed up Nintendo DS saves, and just put them right into that MelonDS folder.
Looking for a MelonDS Standalone Setup Guide? I got you covered.
Redream
Redream’s save files are behind Android’s Data section, in the io.recompiled.redream folder, files, saves. Once again depending on your device, you might be able to grab these saves, but not restore them. Nothing you can do here.
To restore, you would just re-install Redream from the Google Play Store, and then try and copy the saves back into the folder, but for a lot of devices, this just won’t work.
Looking for a Redream Setup Guide? I got you covered.
Flycast Standalone
If you must use a Dreamcast emulator instead of RetroArch cores, I’d suggest Flycast standalone and this does have an import/export function. You can open Flycast, Settings top right, Export, create a folder in your Downloads folder called Flycast Backup, use that folder.
To restore, just choose import your data after installing Flycast from the Google Play Store and select that backed up folder.
AetherSX2/NetherSX2
AetherSX2/NetherSX2 is easy, like Dolphin and Duckstation, there’s a built-in importer/exporter. Click the three lines, Transfer Data, Export, choose your Downloads folder and create a folder called PS2 Backup or whatever you want, and select use this folder. You’ll see a popup asking what you want to export – BIOS files, saves, all of it. Select it all and then Export.
To restore, install NetherSX2, you can skip through all the setup prompts, head back to Transfer Data, Import, select that folder and import. It’ll ask what to Import, select what you want and do so. It won’t restore controller mappings or your PS2 ROM directory, you’ll have to do that yourself, but it will restore saves, bios files, game settings, save states and so on.
Looking for a NetherSX2 Setup Guide? I got you covered.
Lime3DS/Citra
Doesn’t matter which 3DS emulator, they are all running off Citra so it’s all the same. When you setup Lime3DS, you would have had to create a folder somewhere to house your user data, if you follow my guides, it’s just called Lime3DS on your internal storage. Inside of that, there’s a few folders you can backup, but I also suggest just backing up the entire Lime3DS folder.
- Cheats folder: Cheats, obviously.
- load/textures folder: Has your HD textures, if you installed any.
- sdmc folder: Has your saves.
To restore, install Lime3DS once again from the Google Play Store, create a Lime3DS folder once again when it asks about a user folder and use it, go through setup as usual and then, you can move back the folders you want. Controller mappings and other things have to be re-done again on the new device.
Looking for a Lime3DS Setup Guide? I got you covered.
M64Plus FZ
You guessed it, this one has an Import/Export feature too. Head to the three lines, Tools, Import/Export Data, export Game Data, then create a folder called M64Plus in your Downloads folder and use this folder. You can also do Cheats and Profiles.
To restore, install M64Plus FZ from the Google Play Store, head to three lines, Tools, Import/Export Data and Import the GameData folder that is in the folder we created previously. M64Plus will restore your saves, configs and all of that, but a lot of the internal emulator settings won’t be.
Looking for a M64Plus FZ Setup Guide? I got you covered.
Vita3K
In Vita3K, during setup, you get a choice of choosing where you want to store Vita3K’s files. I’m hoping you chose this yourself, otherwise I’d reinstall and choose a location on your internal storage or SD card and name it Vita3K (just be aware that reinstalling will delete all your saves etc.) Head inside, then inside ux0, user, 00, savedata and inside here is all your saves. Back this folder up.
To restore, install Vita3K as normal, and once again choosing to create a Vita3K folder on the internal storage, then you can go ahead and copy the saves back to the same location.
Looking for a Vita3K Setup Guide? I got you covered.
CEMU
CEMU doesn’t have built in transferring right now, and you will be limited by your device here on if you can restore these files. But if you go to Android/Data/info.cemu.cemu/files/mlc01, usr, save folder, you can see your saves there. Back the folder up and if your device allows, you can try restoring. If you don’t see Files, your device doesn’t allow access unfortunately.
Switch
Switch is last. Doesn’t matter which Switch emulator, they all are running off Yuzu so it’s all the same. But, guess what has an Import/Export data function yet again. Head to Settings, Manage data, and if you select Export user data, then your Downloads folder, it will export everything.
To restore, install your Switch emulator, head to Settings, Manage data, and Import user data then select that zip file.
