Restoring a save with JKSV replaces the current progress for a title with the contents of a backup, so it deserves care. This guide explains each step, the safety option that backs up your current save before restoring, and the checks to run afterwards so you know the restore actually took effect in the game.
Understand what a restore does
A restore overwrites the live save data for the selected user and title with the backup you choose. Any progress made after that backup was created will be lost unless you preserve it first. That is why naming backups clearly and keeping several dated copies matters, especially for long games.
JKSV offers an option to automatically back up the current save before a restore. Leave this option enabled unless you have a specific reason to disable it. If a restore turns out to be the wrong backup, the automatic pre-restore backup is often the only way back.
Prepare the backup file
If your backup is stored on a PC or in cloud storage, copy it back to the correct location first. Backups live under /JKSV/ on the SD card, in the subfolder for the game. Keep the folder structure exactly as JKSV created it. Manually reassembled folders are a common source of restore errors, including missing metadata problems covered in our troubleshooting section.
If you use cloud features, note that cloud backups must be in ZIP format. Google Drive and WebDAV uploads in JKSV require ZIP exports, so a folder export will need to be handled accordingly before it can be used as a cloud backup.
Restore step by step
- Launch JKSV with Title Override for full memory access.
- Select the same user profile that owns the save you want to replace.
- Select the title, open its backup list, and highlight the backup you want.
- Confirm the restore and wait for JKSV to report completion without interrupting it.
Double-check the user, title, and backup name on the confirmation screen. Restoring another user’s backup or an older backup than you intended are the two most common restore mistakes, and both are preventable with a five-second check.
After the restore
Close JKSV and launch the game normally. Load the save inside the game and confirm the progress, inventory, or settings match what you expect from that backup. Some games keep additional data in other save types, such as Device-Shared or BCAT data, so if only part of your progress looks wrong, consider whether a second save type is involved.
If the game does not recognise the restored save, do not immediately restore again at random. Work through the usual causes — wrong user, mismatched title, or a backup taken from a different context — which we cover in detail in the linked troubleshooting guide.
Safety habits for every restore
Never restore a save you downloaded from a stranger or a heavily modified save into a profile you use online without understanding the risk. Restoring other people’s saves or modified saves, especially for online games, carries a ban risk. JKSV itself does not promise protection from detection, and no honest guide can promise that either.
Keep your pre-restore automatic backup until you have played for a while and confirmed everything is correct. Deleting it immediately removes your safety net for no benefit, since backup files are small compared with most SD cards.
Next steps and related guides
This guide is part of our hub collection. Before you start, get the current build from the download page. You may also find these guides useful: how to back up Switch saves and fix saves not appearing after restore.
JKSV is JK’s Save Manager by developer J-D-K, released under GPL-3.0 for Nintendo Switch 1 with Atmosphère. The current release is the date-based tag 12/02/2025. Always keep a second copy of important backups on your PC or in cloud storage, and test a restore on a non-critical save before you rely on a backup for a game you care about.