How to Copy Save Files To and From Original Hardware

Updated

Save File Converter's help content covers three hardware-related tasks: downloading save files, erasing cartridge saves, and copying saves to and from original hardware. The site itself is a browser-based converter for retro console save formats (MiSTer, srm/sav, GameShark sps/gsv, PS1, GameCube, N64, DexDrive, Action Replay, Dreamcast, Sega Saturn, Saroo, Sega CD, Nintendo Switch Online, Retron 5, Wii Virtual Console, emulators, flash cartridges, and online emulation save states), and it also decrypts PSP saves. Copying saves to and from real hardware is a separate physical process: the converter changes the file format, but you still need a way to move data between the cartridge or console and your computer.

Note: the site requires JavaScript enabled to function, so plan to use it in a normal desktop browser rather than a stripped-down viewer.

What you need before starting

  • A way to read and write the cartridge or memory card. This is usually a dedicated cartridge dumper/flasher (for N64, Game Boy family, SNES, Genesis, and similar), a memory card reader for consoles that use memory cards (PS1, PS2, GameCube, Dreamcast VMU, Sega Saturn), or a softmodded/homebrew-enabled console that can copy saves over a network or SD card.
  • A save file in a format the converter recognizes, or a target format the converter can output.
  • A backup copy of the original save, kept untouched, before you write anything back.

Exporting a save from original hardware

  1. Identify the storage medium. Cartridge-based saves live in battery-backed SRAM or flash inside the cartridge; disc-console saves live on memory cards or the console's internal storage.
  2. Connect the appropriate reader. For cartridges, use a dumper that supports that cartridge's save chip. For memory cards, use a reader the console's format supports, or copy through the console's own save-management menu if it has one.
  3. Dump the raw save. The output is typically a .srm, .sav, or a console-specific raw file. Keep this as your master copy.
  4. If the dump is encrypted or in a proprietary container (PSP saves, some GameShark formats), run it through Save File Converter to get a usable format.

Expected result: a file on your computer that matches the save data currently on the hardware. Verify by checking the file size and, where possible, loading it in an emulator before doing anything else.

Writing a converted save back to hardware

  1. Convert the save to the format your hardware expects. For example, an emulator .srm may need to become a .sav, or a GameShark .gsv may need to become a raw format the cartridge accepts.
  2. Confirm the target format matches the hardware exactly. A save that works in an emulator is not automatically valid on a cartridge — the byte layout and any header/checksum must match what the console expects.
  3. Write the file with the same tool you used to dump. Follow that tool's write procedure rather than improvising.
  4. Test on the hardware. Boot the game and confirm the save loads. If it does not appear, the format or the write step is the likely cause, not the converter.

Erasing cartridge saves: risks and cautions

Erasing a cartridge save is destructive and usually irreversible unless you already have a verified backup.

  • Always dump and back up the existing save before erasing, even if you intend to replace it.
  • Some cartridges use battery-backed SRAM; if the battery is dead or dying, the save may not persist after writing, regardless of format.
  • Erasing is sometimes necessary to clear a corrupt or incompatible save so the game will initialize a fresh one. Do this only after confirming the backup is readable.
  • Do not assume an erase tool and a write tool behave identically across cartridge types — the procedure is specific to the dumper and cartridge.

Common failure points

Symptom Likely cause
Save not detected on hardware after writing Wrong target format, or header/checksum mismatch
Save works in emulator but not on cartridge Emulator accepts layouts the console rejects
Save disappears after power-off Dead or weak cartridge battery
Converter output rejected by dumper Dumper expects a different raw format than the one produced

Where Save File Converter fits

Use the converter for the format-translation step: srm to sav, sav to srm, GameShark sps/gsv, PS1, GameCube, N64, DexDrive, Action Replay, Dreamcast, Sega Saturn, Saroo, Sega CD, Nintendo Switch Online, Retron 5, Wii Virtual Console, emulator formats, flash cartridge formats, and save states from online emulation sites. It also decrypts PSP saves. The physical export, write-back, and erase steps depend on your dumper or console, not on the website.