3DS:Moving SD Cards: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:51, 19 December 2024

This guide is for moving to another SD card to be used in the same 3DS, as the data is encrypted per-console. If you intend to transfer your content to a different 3DS, see 3DS:System Transfer.

This page in a nutshell:

If the SD card is above 32GB, it must be formatted first: Formatting an SD card
Don't use the SD card in the 3DS prior to copying data to it, or games and other applications may not appear.
Copy all the files over to the new card.

Transferring your data to a new SD card (for example, if you would like more space) is relatively easy, but there are a few things that you should take note of:

The 3DS can only read SD cards formatted as FAT/FAT32 (not exFAT or NTFS). SD cards 64GB and larger ship as exFAT, so if your card is of that size then you will need to reformat your SD card.
- Formatting your SD card will delete all data on it, so if there is any important data on it, make a backup of it first.
Due to cluster issues, the 3DS runs into weird issues on SD cards 200GB and larger (in particular, custom themes no longer stay applied and GBA VC has screen wraparound issues). Loading time also gets exponentially longer the larger the card is.
SD cards do not currently exist in capacities above 2TB. If you bought a card of such a size, you've been scammed. You should not use the card to save any important data (including 3DS data) due to data integrity concerns.

Assuming you've taken the things above into account, just copy and paste everything from the old SD card onto the new SD card and everything will be transferred.

Troubleshooting

There are a few reasons as to why this may happen:

The SD card is not being read; try reinserting the SD card and ensuring that there is no dust or moisture
The SD card is not formatted as FAT32
You have used this SD card in this 3DS before and it created a new data folder to avoid accidental data merging

In the final case, navigate to Nintendo 3DS -> (32-character-ID / ID0). If you have multiple 32-character IDs inside of this folder, delete the smaller one of the two.

Your SD card isn't being read and/or you don't have boot.firm on internal memory for some reason. Ensure your SD card is formatted as FAT32 and that there is no dust or moisture in the slot. If all else fails, you may want to check your SD card for errors.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{warning|<translate nowrap>Do not put the new SD card in the console before moving all your data to it.</translate>}}
+{{warning|<translate nowrap><!--T:1--> This guide is for moving to another SD card to be used in the same 3DS, as the data is encrypted per-console. If you intend to transfer your content to a ''different'' 3DS, see [[3DS:System Transfer]].</translate>}}
+{{nutshell|<translate nowrap><!--T:2--> If the SD card is above 32GB, it must be formatted first: [[Formatting an SD card]]|Don't use the SD card in the 3DS prior to copying data to it, or games and other applications may not appear.|Copy all the files over to the new card.</translate>}}
+<translate>
+<!--T:3-->
+Transferring your data to a new SD card (for example, if you would like more space) is relatively easy, but there are a few things that you should take note of:
+<!--T:4-->
+* The 3DS can only read SD cards formatted as FAT/FAT32 (''not'' exFAT or NTFS). SD cards 64GB and larger ship as exFAT, so if your card is of that size then you will need to [[Formatting an SD card|reformat your SD card]].
+** Formatting your SD card will delete all data on it, so if there is any important data on it, make a backup of it first.
+* Due to cluster issues, the 3DS runs into weird issues on SD cards 200GB and larger (in particular, custom themes no longer stay applied and GBA VC has screen wraparound issues). Loading time also gets exponentially longer the larger the card is.
+* SD cards do not currently exist in capacities above 2TB. If you bought a card of such a size, you've been scammed. You should not use the card to save any important data (including 3DS data) due to data integrity concerns.
-First, ensure the new SD card is in the FAT32 format. The following pages guide you through this:
+<!--T:5-->
-{{warning|<translate nowrap>Formatting will erase all data on the card. Make a backup first.</translate>}}
+Assuming you've taken the things above into account, just copy and paste everything from the old SD card onto the new SD card and everything will be transferred.
+</translate>
-* [[Formatting an SD card/Windows]]
+== Troubleshooting ==
-* [[Formatting an SD card/Mac]]
+<tabber>
-* [[Formatting an SD card/Linux]]
+|-|<translate nowrap><!--T:6--> Everything disappeared after the copy</translate>=
-Once the new card is in FAT32, move all your content from the old SD to the new SD.
+<translate>
+<!--T:7-->
+There are a few reasons as to why this may happen:
+* The SD card is not being read; try reinserting the SD card and ensuring that there is no dust or moisture
+* The SD card is not formatted as FAT32
+* You have used this SD card in this 3DS before and it created a new data folder to avoid accidental data merging
+<!--T:8-->
+In the final case, navigate to <code>Nintendo 3DS</code> -> <code>(32-character-ID / ID0)</code>. If you have multiple 32-character IDs inside of this folder, delete the ''smaller'' one of the two.
+</translate>
+|-|<translate nowrap><!--T:9--> 3DS does not boot after the copy</translate>=
+<translate>
+<!--T:10-->
+Your SD card isn't being read ''and/or'' you don't have <code>boot.firm</code> on internal memory for some reason. Ensure your SD card is formatted as FAT32 and that there is no dust or moisture in the slot. If all else fails, you may want to [[Checking_SD_card_integrity|check your SD card for errors]].
+</translate>
+</tabber>
+[[Category:Nintendo 3DS guides]]