EmuDeck migration to a new SD card
Move EmuDeck to a new SD card without redownloading. Copy the Emulation folder, swap the card, then run the installer again.
What actually moves
EmuDeck keeps everything user-owned in one top-level Emulation folder: roms, bios, saves, screenshots, and per-emulator config. The emulators themselves are installed system-wide (Flatpaks on SteamOS, programs on Windows) and are not part of that folder.
That split is why migration is a copy job rather than a reinstall. Copy the folder, point the new location at it, and the emulators pick up where they left off.
Two migration routes
| Route | When to use it | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Copy to a bigger card | You are replacing the card, same Deck | Low — copy and swap |
| Move to a second drive | Internal to SD, or SD to internal | Low, but paths change |
Both fail the same way when only part of the folder is copied. BIOS files in a partial copy produce “missing firmware” errors that look like a broken install.
Copy it safely
- Shut the Deck down properly — not sleep — so nothing is mid-write.
- Put the old card in a reader on a PC and copy the entire Emulation folder to the new card. Copy, do not move, until the migration is confirmed.
- Keep the folder structure intact. EmuDeck looks for exact subfolder names, and a renamed
romsfolder is invisible to it. - Insert the new card in the Deck and boot to Gaming Mode.
- Run the EmuDeck installer once and choose the update/re-run path. This rewrites paths and shortcuts to the new card without reinstalling emulators.
Fix the paths afterwards
Shortcuts created by Steam ROM Manager store absolute paths. After a card change they point at the old mount, so games appear in the library and fail to launch. Re-run Steam ROM Manager, clear the old entries, and regenerate — this is the step people skip, and it produces “the game vanished” reports.
On Windows handhelds the equivalent is EmuDeck’s own shortcut updater plus a rescan in your launcher.
Verify before deleting the old card
Launch one game per system you care about, check that saves load, and confirm save states appear. Only then format or retire the old card. Keep it for a week — BIOS and per-game config files are the two things people discover missing last.