Find the destination’s actual save before planning the copy
Use a separate test setup to observe the ordinary save filename and directory your destination runtime creates. Preserve existing progress first. Record the game build, emulator/core and launch route; do not guess the save folder from the game’s display name.
For RetroArch mGBA, Libretro documentation separates ordinary cartridge saves in the frontend’s Save directory from states in its State directory. This planner asks you to establish the category; it cannot infer the internal format from a filename.
| Check | What establishes it | What does not |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary game save | Source runtime’s documented save/export route | Renaming a state to .sav or .srm |
| Game compatibility | Evidence for the exact game, build and edition transition | Same game family or a newer version number |
| Accepted runtime format | Destination’s documented import support | A matching extension |
| Destination name and folder | An observed save from that runtime and launch setup | A guessed folder or frontend title |
How to use the fictional example
The example fills two made-up filenames. It deliberately leaves compatibility unconfirmed. It is a way to see the checks, not evidence that any particular v1 save works in v2. Even when you confirm all prerequisites, the result is a proposed copy-and-test sequence. Continue and a second in-game save/relaunch establish the outcome for your working configuration.
Check an unchanged copy before launching
The local file comparison answers one precise question: does this selected copy contain exactly the same bytes as this selected source? It reads the files in your browser, compares their byte lengths and contents, and optionally calculates SHA-256 fingerprints. Different names can contain identical bytes; identical names can contain different bytes.
| Situation | What the comparison establishes | What still needs checking |
|---|---|---|
| You only copied or renamed a backup | Whether its contents stayed unchanged | Correct source progress, runtime format and destination game |
| You saved again in the destination | Whether the selected files now differ | Recognizable progress through Continue; a difference may be expected |
| You used a documented converter | Whether the output differs from the original | The converter's accepted formats and the destination's import result |
| Both selected files are identical but wrong | Only that they match each other | Find the intended adventure in the preserved source setup |
Example: Adventure.sav and a renamed Adventure.srm compare identical. Renaming preserved bytes; it did not convert their format. Keep the runtime-format prerequisite unresolved unless the destination's documentation accepts those contents. This check never changes a planner confirmation automatically.
Record what the destination actually opens
The Continue observation record is the second phase. It stays disabled until the preparation prerequisites are confirmed. Record your exact game/build transition, source and destination runtime, expected progress and the instructions you consulted. Then distinguish a normal start from an emulator state, and record both Continue checks.
| Your observation | What the report says | Next decision |
|---|---|---|
| Only the first Continue matches | Outcome not fully recorded | Save in-game, close normally and check the same entry again |
| Either Continue is missing or different | Investigate the difference | Preserve both copies; inspect game identity, filename, folder and launch route |
| Both checks match but setup is unnamed | Outcome not fully recorded | Identify the game, runtime and checkpoint to make the result useful |
| All named checks are reported complete | Two matching Continue checks reported | Retain the backup; this describes your attempt, not universal compatibility |
Example: a title screen appears after copying a file, but Continue opens a different trainer. Record different progress; do not call the transfer complete. If the expected adventure later opens, update that attempt's observations and repeat the second launch. Changing the preparation or setup entries clears previous test answers. Download a record before leaving the page, because this tool does not retain it.
Follow your device’s import instructions
- Onion: missing Continue, filenames and old states
- Retroid: ordinary GBA saves in RetroArch mGBA
- Steam Deck: separate game and save copies in mGBA
- Check game release and migration requirements
Reference: Libretro mGBA directories documentation, checked 7 Oct 2026. Device guides retain their own source dates. The checklist is original editorial planning logic, not a tested save converter or a recovery guarantee.