Transfer Kenji-NX Saves to a New Phone Without Losing Progress
Upgrading phones is the number one way people lose a 100-hour save file. Since 2.1.0-pr.1, Kenji-NX ships a built-in Save Manager with export/import as .zip — which makes moving saves between phones straightforward if you do it before wiping the old one. Follow this guide in order and your progress comes with you.
Method 1: Save Manager .zip Export (Recommended)
This is the official path and works on pr.1 and newer, no root required:
- On your old phone, open Kenji-NX and go to the Save Manager.
- Select the game, choose Export — your saves are packed into a .zip file.
- Copy the .zip to your new phone (USB cable, Nearby Share, or a cloud drive).
- On the new phone, install Kenji-NX and set it up with your own dumped prod.keys and firmware (see our firmware & keys guide).
- Open Save Manager on the new phone, choose Import, and select the .zip.
- Launch the game and confirm your save loads before you wipe the old phone.
Repeat for each game — exports are per-title.
Method 2: Manual Copy (Advanced)
Saves live inside the app’s private data, and Android’s scoped storage makes manual copying fiddly without root or ADB. The .zip method above exists precisely to avoid this. Only go manual if you are comfortable with ADB pull/push and know exactly which title IDs you need.
Before You Wipe the Old Phone: Checklist
| Back up | How | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Save .zips | Save Manager export per game | Your actual progress |
| Mods & cheats | Mod/Cheat Manager export or copy files | Re-downloading and reconfiguring is tedious |
| Controller profiles | Screenshot or export input settings | Custom mappings are easy to forget |
| Graphics settings | Screenshot per-game settings | Problem games needed specific tweaks |
Verify every .zip actually contains files (non-zero size) before the old phone gets wiped or traded in.
Keep an Off-Phone Backup
A save that exists only on one phone is one accident away from gone. After exporting, stash the .zips somewhere off-device. I keep mine in pCloud — the files are tiny, so even the free tier swallows a whole library of saves, and they are there when a phone is lost, broken, or reset. Disclosure: that is an affiliate link — I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Prefer not to use cloud storage? A USB stick or your PC works fine too. The important part is: two copies, two places.
Updating Kenji-NX Without Losing Saves
Installing a newer Kenji-NX APK over the old one does not wipe saves — but “does not” is not “cannot.” Export your most precious saves before any update anyway; it takes thirty seconds. The full safe-update flow is in our update guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does updating Kenji-NX delete my saves?
Normally no — saves live in app data that survives an APK update. Still, export a .zip first; thirty seconds of caution beats a hundred lost hours.
Can I move saves to a different emulator, like Eden?
Not directly. Kenji-NX (Ryujinx-family) and Eden (Yuzu-family) use different save formats. Conversion is unreliable — expect to start fresh when switching emulator families.
Can I move saves from Kenji-NX on Android to Ryujinx on PC?
Often yes, since they share the Ryujinx save layout — copy the save data into the desktop Ryujinx save folder for that title ID. Back up first; title IDs must match exactly.
The import says success but the game shows no save — what went wrong?
The usual culprits: wrong title ID (different game version/region), or the game was never launched once on the new phone to create its save folder. Launch the game once, then import.
Do mods and cheats transfer with the save .zip?
No — the .zip contains saves only. Move mods and cheats separately through the Mod/Cheat Manager.
How big are save backups?
Tiny — usually kilobytes to a few megabytes per game. That is why cloud backup is painless; a free storage tier holds years of saves.