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Dolphin · GameCube and Wii

Where Dolphin keeps your saves.

Dolphin keeps everything in one User folder: GameCube memory cards, the Wii's system memory (where Wii saves live), and save states. Find that folder and you've found your saves.

Save folders on each platform

Windows

User folder
%AppData%\Dolphin Emulator

Older installs keep Documents\Dolphin Emulator, which Dolphin still uses if it exists. The portable build (portable.txt next to Dolphin.exe) uses a User folder next to the program.

Mac

User folder
~/Library/Application Support/Dolphin

Linux

User folder
~/.local/share/dolphin-emu

Settings are in ~/.config/dolphin-emu. An old ~/.dolphin-emu folder is used instead if it exists.

Linux Flatpak

User folder
~/.var/app/org.DolphinEmu.dolphin-emu/data/dolphin-emu

Steam Deck with EmuDeck

Saves
~/Emulation/saves/dolphin/GC~/Emulation/saves/dolphin/Wii~/Emulation/saves/dolphin/StateSaves

Links to the Flatpak's folders.

Steam Deck with RetroDECK

GameCube
~/retrodeck/saves/gc/dolphin/
Wii
~/retrodeck/saves/wii/dolphin/
States
~/retrodeck/states/dolphin/

RetroDECK names the region folders US, EU, and JP, where Dolphin uses USA, EUR, and JAP.

Android

User folder
Android/data/org.dolphinemu.dolphinemu/files

Android deletes this folder when you uninstall Dolphin. Export your data first (the app's User Data screen).

Inside the User folder

  • GameCube, GCI folder (the default for slot A): GC/USA/Card A/, one .gci file per save. EUR and JAP for other regions.
  • GameCube, memory card file: GC/MemoryCardA.USA.raw.
  • Wii: Wii/title/00010000/<game ID>/data/. Each game's save is that whole folder.
  • Save states: StateSaves/<game ID>.s01 to .s10.

Open it from Dolphin

On a computer, File, Open User Folder. Tools has the Memory Card Manager, Import Wii Save, and Export All Wii Saves. On Android, the User Data screen opens, imports, and exports the folder.

Moving saves between devices

  • A GCI folder and a .raw memory card are different formats. Use the same kind on every device, or convert in the Memory Card Manager.
  • The region folder must match the game's region.
  • Save states often break between Dolphin versions. Rely on in-game saves to move between devices.

Sync Dolphin saves between devices

The SaveSync app for Windows, Mac, Linux, Steam Deck, and Android will watch Dolphin's save folders and sync them when you close a game. It is coming next.

Today, if you play GameCube and Wii games in RetroArch with its Dolphin core instead, RetroArch's built-in Cloud Sync syncs them with SaveSync on every device. See how to set it up.

SaveSync keeps the newest 20 versions of every save, so a bad sync or an overwritten slot is one click to undo.

Questions

Where are Dolphin's GameCube saves?
In the User folder's GC folder: GC/USA/Card A/ as .gci files with the default GCI folder setting, or GC/MemoryCardA.USA.raw if you use a memory card file.
Where are Dolphin's Wii saves?
In the User folder at Wii/title/00010000/<game ID>/data/. Tools, Export All Wii Saves copies them out in the Wii's own format.
Why did my saves disappear after updating Dolphin on Windows?
New installs use %AppData%\Dolphin Emulator, but Dolphin keeps using Documents\Dolphin Emulator when that exists. If you removed or renamed one, move your GC and Wii folders into the one Dolphin now opens (File, Open User Folder).

Checked against Dolphin's documentation and source in October 2026: UICommon.cpp (dolphin), CommonPaths.h (dolphin), NandPaths.cpp (dolphin), EmuDeck's setup script, RetroDECK's setup.

Pick up where you left off.

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