How to Convert a Save File Between SRM and SAV Formats

Updated

Save File Converter (savefileconverter.com) handles SRM-to-SAV and SAV-to-SRM conversions for retro console saves, along with many other formats. To convert, back up your original file, open the site in a JavaScript-enabled browser, upload the save, pick the matching conversion direction, download the result, then rename and place the file where your target device or emulator expects it. The exact steps below apply to SRM and SAV, but the same workflow covers the other formats the site lists.

Before you start

  • Back up the original save. Copy it somewhere safe before touching anything. Conversion is a one-way operation on the file you upload, and a bad rename or overwrite can cost you the save.
  • Know your source format and your target format. SRM and SAV are not interchangeable names for the same thing — they belong to different emulators and devices. Confirm which one your current setup produced and which one your destination needs.
  • Enable JavaScript. The site does not function without it; you will see a message asking you to enable JavaScript instead of the converter.
  • Have a way to move files. You will need to get the save off the original hardware, flash cartridge, or emulator folder, and back onto the target.

Converting SRM to SAV

  1. Locate the .srm file. It is usually in your emulator's save or battery folder, or on the flash cartridge's storage.
  2. Copy it to a working folder so the original stays untouched.
  3. Open savefileconverter.com in a browser with JavaScript enabled.
  4. Upload the .srm file to the converter.
  5. Select the conversion that outputs SAV (the site groups conversions by source and target format).
  6. Download the converted file.
  7. Rename it to match what your target device or emulator expects, keeping the correct extension.
  8. Copy it into the target's save location, replacing the existing file only after you have confirmed the backup is intact.

Expected result: the target device or emulator recognizes the save and loads your progress instead of starting a new game.

Converting SAV to SRM

The process is the same in reverse:

  1. Back up the .sav file.
  2. Upload it to Save File Converter.
  3. Choose the conversion that outputs SRM.
  4. Download the result.
  5. Rename it to the filename your emulator or flash cartridge uses for battery saves.
  6. Place it in the correct save folder.

Common pitfalls

  • Wrong direction. Uploading a SAV and asking for SAV output, or picking the reverse of what you need, produces a file your device will not read. Check the source and target labels before converting.
  • Filename and extension mismatches. Many emulators and flash carts only load a save if the filename matches the ROM and the extension is exactly what they expect. A correct conversion with the wrong name still fails.
  • Overwriting the only copy. Never let the converted file replace your original until you have verified it loads. Keep the backup until then.
  • Assuming the site is the only step. Conversion changes the format; it does not move the file to your hardware. You still need to copy it to the cartridge, memory card, or emulator directory.
  • Skipping the JavaScript check. If the page shows a JavaScript warning, nothing else on the page will work until you enable it.

Related formats the same workflow covers

Save File Converter also lists conversions involving GameShark (SPS and GSV), PS1, GameCube, N64, DexDrive, Action Replay, Dreamcast, Sega Saturn, Saroo, Sega CD, Nintendo Switch Online, Retron 5, Wii Virtual Console, various flash cartridge formats, and save states from online emulation sites. It also decrypts PSP saves and provides help with downloading saves, erasing cartridge saves, and copying saves to and from original hardware. If your source or target is one of these, the same sequence applies: back up, upload, choose the correct direction, download, rename, and place the file.