FAQ - How to use the Wii Saves on your Wii Console

Before you waste your time trying any of this, make sure you update to the latest firmware or at least up to version 2.0U (if you've updated since the Wii was released, chances are you have it). We're not sure if future firmware updates will cause any errors with older saves, but we'll keep this section updated if any issues are found.
You need an SD card and something that will read an SD card on your computer to do any of this.

Where can I buy a Nintendo Wii SD Card / What kind of SD card do I need?
Most SD cards will work just fine. The official Nintendo Wii SD Card is a bit more expensive than what you can find at Newegg or any other major online retailer. They both do the same exact thing and work the same exact way, one just has Nintendo printed on it.

If you don't have an SD card or an SD card reader, this combo should work great for you:

Kingston TravelLite Reader w/512MB* Secure Digital Card - Secure Digital (SD) Card

It's so cheap that it's worth it just to buy that combo package even if you already have an SD card reader.

»While in game, can I just load the save straight from the SD card?
No, you must transfer the save from the SD card to your Wii internal memory in order for the game to recognize it.

»How do I backup / transfer my saves to an SD card from my Wii?
From your Wii main menu: Wii Options > Data Management > Save Data > Wii. You'll see all of your Wii saves that are currently on your internal memory. Select the save you want to backup / transfer and select 'Copy' (you need to have an SD card in).

The save is now on your SD card.

»The save is on my SD card. How do I upload my save to Wii Save?
Short version: Zip it with the file structure in-tact, register on Wii Save, upload.

Long version: First, put your SD card in your computer (you'll need either an SD card reader built in to your computer or a USB SD card reader). When you have your computer reading the SD card, you'll see a folder named 'private' on your SD card, zip this folder (in winXP) by right clicking on it > send to > Compressed (zip) folder. Note: If you had multiple saves on your SD card, open up that new zip that you created and delete all the games that you don't want included in that zip. If you have more than one in there and don't know which saves are which, just refer to the game code list.

You'll then need to register an account. After registering and logging in, you'll have a new option at the top right called 'Upload Save'. Click that, fill out the form, and it should work. Please make sure you test your download after uploading it to the site, sometimes it gets corrupted on upload. If this happens, just delete and re-upload it through your User CP. We're still trying to figure out if that's us or just wonky saves.

»How do I use someone else's save?
After downloading a save, you'll either get a plain old data.bin or a zipped file.

If you have a data.bin, you have to place it in a folder structure on your SD card like so: \private\wii\title\GAME\data.bin (replacing GAME with it's corresponding game code from the game code list).

If you get a zipped file, it most likely has all of it's folder structure in tact, so all you have to do is extract it to your SD card so it shows up like the above folder structure.

Once you have the file in place on your SD card, you can then put the SD card in to your Wii and go to your saved game(s) on your SD card (Wii Options > Data Management > Save Data > Wii > SD card tab), select the saved game that you want and select Copy. Keep in mind that if you already have a save on your Wii that you're trying to replace, it wont overwrite it, so you'll have to backup your save, then delete it off your Wii internal memory to be able to transfer the new one on.

»Can I use foreign saves?
We're nearly positive you can't use foreign saves on your Wii. We're still looking in to a way to do it, but so far, it's not looking good. You'll most likely have to stick to your own region when swapping saves, but Wii Save allows saves from all regions, so don't worry!

A little more to note on this: The PAL region is everyone who isn't in the USA(E) or Japanese(J) regions, so users with PAL Wii's from all over the world should be able to share amongst each other. This means that an Australian save can be used on a French Wii.

»I'm looking at my /private/wii/title/ folder and I don't know which game is which!
Just refer to the Game Code List!

Game Identifiers:
1st letter = System (R = Wii) (N = N64)
2nd letter = Game Name (Z for Zelda)
3rd letter = Game Name (D for Zelda)
4th letter = Region Identifier \ Language(E = English \ North America)

»I did all that and it doesn't work!
Check and make sure your 4 letter game code is correct in your folder structure. If everything still looks correct, then it might just be a bad save.

Try posting a comment about it for more help.

»Can I share Virtual Console saves too?
Yes, but it doesn't work for all VC games. It's on a game-to-game basis.

»Can I edit a save that I uploaded to Wii Save?
Yes, it's all in your User Control Panel.