Checkpoint VS GodMode9

If you have a 3DS with custom firmware, it's easy. Just used Checkpoint, it's designed for exactly this: https://github.com/BernardoGiordano/Checkpoint

Save manager app, if you used 3DS.hacks.guide to homebrew it should be already installed (flag icon). Otherwise find it here

I can't remember if this specific method also copies your save game for you, so if the save game doesn't appear on the digital copy, you can use Checkpoint or JKSM to copy your save game from the cartridge to the installed version. You won't lost your save data.

For DS/3DS, you can use Checkpoint on a 3DS to backup saves from carts.

3DS with CFW, using the Checkpoint homebrew. You want the .cia version. DS cartridges sometimes take up to 20 seconds to appear, but always show up at the top left of the icon grid. Backup and restore behave exactly how they do for 3DS games. This is the best and easiest way, do it if you can.

On a 3DS with official carts you can use [Checkpoint](https://github.com/BernardoGiordano/Checkpoint) to back up *and restore* your DS & 3DS saves.

If you have a hackable switch that will get you going in the right direction. Then you need to use Checkpoint to dump the saves.

A quick web search proves this wrong. If you own the hardware and have physical access to the data, you can always make your own backups of it. (And you should, if the data is important. Never, ever, ever trust a cloud provider to backup your data properly.)

To get checkpoint, go here and download the cia file. Put it somewhere on your sd card (it doesn’t matter where as long as you remember where it is) and then open FBI on your console. Click SD and from there find where you put the file. When you get to it press A and select “install an delete cia.” This will install it your home menu and then delete the cia so it doesn’t clutter your sd card (once it’s installed the cia isn’t needed).

GodMode9 is basically a Swiss army knife file browser for the 3DS. In fact, there's also a version for NDS consoles as well. After going through the guide, systems normally continue to boot using the boot.firm Luma3DS file on the SD card root -- there's no reason to remove it. If people followed the big guide, they should not run into a situation where they cannot boot without an SD card inserted. 🤷‍♂️ GodMode9 can dump 3DS and NDS cartridge data, install .cia files, among many other things. It's an extremely important tool to have!

Was it the newest version of god mode 9 you used? Maybe try replacing the payload files with one of the older versions here?

Download the latest gm9 zip: https://github.com/d0k3/GodMode9/releases/latest

That is GodMode9, a powerful full-access file browser for the Nintendo 3DS. Did your console boot to that when you turned it on? What happens when you press START?

Download https://github.com/d0k3/GodMode9/releases/download/v2.1.1/GodMode9-v2.1.1-20220322194259.zip

I found a {thread from a year ago with about the same issue](https://github.com/d0k3/GodMode9/issues/694). They found that the issue was the system was brand new. I've been using this same 3ds since 2015. I doubt that's it. I did just buy a new SD card, but I copied everything over to my new one.

Here for GodMode9