Where Does EmuDeck Store ROMs and Saves?
EmuDeck builds an Emulation folder with roms, bios, and saves, plus its own config under ~/.config/EmuDeck.
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EmuDeck is scripts plus a folder contract. The Emulation folder (home or SD card, your install choice) holds roms per system, a mostly flat bios folder, and a saves tree with per emulator saves and states. App settings live separately in .config/EmuDeck, while emulator binaries come from Flatpak or AppImage installs.
The saves tree mixes real folders and symlinks into Flatpak data dirs. That design keeps backups one folder deep, but only when you resolve links first. BIOS naming is case sensitive throughout, so trust the cheat sheet over habit.
Where EmuDeck stores this, by platform
~/Emulation
roms per system, flat bios, saves with symlinks into Flatpak data. Resolve links before archiving or backups come back empty.
~/.config/EmuDeck
EmuDeck app settings and helper state. Emulator binaries live in Flatpak data or Applications, never here.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up my EmuDeck library?
Back up the Emulation folder, since saves, states, roms, and bios all live below it. Emulator apps themselves reinstall from Discover or the script.
Why is my backed up save empty?
Follow the symlink to its target and back that up. Several systems link Emulation saves into Flatpak data dirs, and copying links alone saves nothing.
BIOS files are present but games still fail. Why?
Read the cheat sheet filename column exactly, including case. BIOS in subfolders only works where the sheet says so; elsewhere files must sit flat.
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