Android emulator save file location

Save data on Android lives in more than one place, and which one you get depends on where the emulator was allowed to write. That is the whole reason “where are my saves” has no single answer — and why copying a game folder across phones sometimes arrives with no progress in it.

Where the saves actually are

PPSSPP writes PSP save data as a SAVEDATA tree plus per-game folder structure. If you never pointed it at a custom folder, the saves are sitting in app-scoped storage, which is exactly the copy that disappears when you uninstall.

Move saves to a path you control

1. Set the save directory inside the emulator first
   Use the emulator's own storage settings to choose a folder on internal storage rather than on a removable card. Writes to a removable path are refused on some Android builds — the tracker has a report where a valid microSD path was rejected outright — so a card-based save directory can silently fail to store new saves. That is a permissions restriction, not a corrupt card.
   The emulator reports the new directory and a test save appears there in a file manager.
2. Copy the whole save tree, not individual files
   PSP saves are one folder per game with several files inside. Copying only the visible data file usually leaves the game offering an empty slot. Move the entire save directory in one operation.
   The folder count on the new path matches the old one.
3. Put the copy back at the identical path on the new phone
   Emulators look up saves by their configured directory. Restore to the same folder name and point the new install at it, rather than dropping saves wherever there is space.
   The game's load screen lists your existing save with the right play time.
4. Export a backup before wiping the old phone
   Copy the save tree to a PC or cloud folder as a second copy. Uninstalling the emulator clears app-scoped storage immediately, and there is no recycle bin for it.
   The backup opens on the PC and contains the same folders.

Known limits in the tracker

• Save directory cannot be pointed at a removable card: PPSSPP #9573
• SD card path refused for Memory Stick saves (reported on MIUI): PPSSPP #12651
• Request to type a save directory path manually: PPSSPP #20509
• Save manager freezes when sorting by date: PPSSPP #14922
• One game’s auto-save does not load after an update: PPSSPP #22007

Related

If the save exists but the pad will not drive the game, that is a different layer — start with Android emulator controller not working. Moving a whole emulation setup between devices is covered in migrating EmuDeck to a new SD card, and the Switch-on-phone storage caveats are in running Switch games on Android.