How to Restore Lost Save Files in Citra MMJ: Complete Guide
If, after updating Citra MMJ, reinstalling the emulator, or playing the game on another Android device using this emulator, you load your game again and suddenly realize that it starts from the beginning instead of your saved point, your first thought may be that all your progress is gone.
In fact, the save files are still stored on your device, but Citra MMJ may not be loading them from the correct location.
Difference Between Save Files and Save States
Before moving to troubleshooting or restoring the saved files, let’s first make it clear that there is a difference between save files and save states, because many users consider them the same thing.
A save file is created by saving the game using the Save option in the game’s menu. This file is created by the game itself and stores your progress according to the game’s save system.
For example, while playing Pokémon, you save your game at a Pokémon Center. The next time you open the game, it will start from where your character was standing in that Pokémon Center.
Whereas a save state is different from the game’s save system. It’s like the emulator takes a snapshot of your game, capturing the exact frame, including all the tiny details.
For example, you save the state of your game when your HP is 1, and you are in mid-air about to jump. When you load the save state, you will be in exactly the same state, mid-air with low HP.
Both are stored separately, so if the save file is missing, the save state will still be available. Losing one doesn’t mean that you have lost the other as well.
Unlike Citra Nightly and the official Citra for Windows, Citra MMJ does not support save states.
Why Your Saved Files Don’t Show Up
There could be any of the following reasons why your saved files don’t appear.
The first reason could be that you uninstalled the older version of Citra MMJ before installing the new version. When you uninstall the app, its data is removed, and the save files are also deleted if they were stored in the app’s data folder.
The second reason could be that you installed Citra MMJ on a new Android device, and your saved files are stored on the old phone. If you have not copied the save folder from the old phone, the new installation of Citra MMJ will start with empty save data.
Another reason could be that Citra MMJ is looking in the wrong folder. This happens when you switch between different versions of Citra MMJ and your save files are stored in a different folder, but the app is searching for them in the wrong folder.
The last reason could be that Android is hiding the save folder where Citra MMJ stores the save files. Newer versions of Android restrict access to different folders for security reasons, and it is possible that your save files are still on your phone, but you can’t see them because Android is blocking the file manager from showing you the folder.
How to Restore Lost Save Files in Citra MMJ
1. Locate the Folder Where Citra MMJ Stores Save Files
If the game is starting from the beginning, don’t panic. Before reinstalling the app or starting the game over, just hold on and check the folder where Citra MMJ stores your save files. If your save files are still there, it means your game progress has not been lost.
But the next question is, where does Citra MMJ actually store your save files? Let’s figure that out in the next section.
Where Does Citra MMJ Store Your Save Files?
Citra MMJ commonly stores save data in one of these locations:
citra-emu/sdmc/3ds/
or
Android/data/org.citra.emu/files/citra-emu/sdmc/3ds/
Inside these folders, every game has its own save data directory. This is where your in-game progress is stored.
It is necessary to know these locations because if you are moving your save files from another phone or another emulator, you should place them in the correct folder. If you put them in the wrong folder, Citra MMJ will not find them, and it will act as if your saved progress has been lost.
What If You Can’t Find the Save Folder?
Here is another issue where some users cannot even open the folder where Citra MMJ stores the save files. The culprit here is not Citra MMJ. As we discussed above, newer versions of Android do not allow you to freely open and browse the Android/data folder. Because of this, the default file manager built into your phone simply cannot show you that folder at all. If this happens to you, the solution is simple.
Just download a file manager app that can open and browse the Android/data folder. Once you can see the folder, check whether your game save files are still there before doing anything else, such as reinstalling the app or starting the game over.
2. Restore Save Files After Updating Citra MMJ
If, after updating the app, you are facing the save files missing issue, there is nothing to worry about because installing a newer version of Citra MMJ over the existing installation does not remove your in-game save files. Make sure that your save files are in the folder used by the currently installed version of Citra MMJ.
3. Restore Save Files If You Reinstalled Citra MMJ
Reinstalling Citra MMJ is different from updating it. If you did not back up your save files and blindly uninstalled the app before reinstalling it, the save files will no longer be available because uninstalling the app also deletes all emulator data, and you cannot restore the save data.
Similarly, if you install Citra MMJ on another device, you must copy the save folder from the old phone to the new phone. Installing Citra MMJ on the new phone does not automatically transfer your save files.
If you have backed up the save folder or you still have the old phone where Citra MMJ is installed and your save files are stored, copy the save folder to the correct Citra MMJ save location on the new device. Then, when you open Citra MMJ, your game progress will appear.
If the old phone or the backup is not available, the save files cannot be restored because they were never transferred to the new device.
How to Prevent Save Loss
The simple tip is to create regular backups. Whether you need to update the app or reinstall it, the proper way is to first take a backup of all your save files and then proceed with either the update or the reinstallation.
In case you want to switch devices, copy both your save files and save states before moving everything to the new phone.
Conclusion
In most cases, the save files are not lost. They are still present on your device, but either Citra MMJ is searching the wrong folder or Android is hiding the save folder. Things become much simpler if you know where Citra MMJ stores the save data. You can check that location to see whether your save data is still there or has actually been deleted.
Moreover, if you are not getting your game progress after updating or reinstalling the app, make sure that you have taken a backup of all your save files first. If you have not taken a backup and deleted the app before reinstalling it, restoring the save files will not be possible.
