How will this help?
You can take a backup of your data and restore it easily anytime on BlueStacks 5. Secure your precious data as you'll now be able to create and restore backups of installed apps, game controls, user data, macros, settings, and all other instances without worrying about losing your data.
You can do this using two different methods, depending on the version you’re using. Click on the links below to learn more:
- How to back up and restore data on the latest version of BlueStacks 5
- How to back up and restore data on older versions of BlueStacks 5
How can I back up and restore data on the latest version of BlueStacks 5?
If you are using BlueStacks 5.10 and above, you can use the built-in backup and restore feature available within the App Player. This method is the safest and recommended way to back up and restore your data.You can back up your data in two ways:
- Using the Backup and Restore functionality in BlueStacks 5
- Manually, by copying the Data.vhdx file for your instance
Back up and restore through BlueStacks 5
To back up:
Launch BlueStacks 5 and click the gear icon on the side toolbar to open Settings.
Select User data → Backup and restore → Create backup → Start
Select the folder where you want to take the backup and click on "OK".
Once the backup is complete, you will get a confirmation message with the details of the location where the backup has been saved.
NOTE: The backup process may take a few minutes to complete.
To restore:
Launch BlueStacks 5 and click the gear icon on the side toolbar to open Settings.
Select User data → Backup and restore → Restore backup → Restore anyway
Select the location where the backup is saved and click on "OK".
The process of restoring data will begin, and once it is done, you will get a pop-up confirming that your data was restored successfully.
NOTE: 1. A backup taken on a new version of BlueStacks 5 cannot be restored on an older version.
2. If you wish to restore a backup from an older version to a new version of BlueStacks 5, it may
not be successful.
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Manually back up and restore app data
If your BlueStacks instance cannot start normally or the backup tool fails, you can manually back up app data by copying the Data.vhdx file.
To back up:
Close BlueStacks completely and stop all instances from the Multi-instance Manager.
Press Windows + R, type %ProgramData%\BlueStacks_nxt\Engine, and press Enter.
Open the folder of the instance you want to back up (for example, Pie64).
Copy the file named Data.vhdx to a safe location, such as another drive or cloud storage.
To restore:
After reinstalling the same version of BlueStacks 5, open the same folder path as above.
Replace the new instance’s Data.vhdx file with your backed-up copy.
Launch BlueStacks 5 to access your restored app data.
NOTE: 1. Restoring data across different BlueStacks versions is not supported.
2. This method only preserves app data (game progress, saved data), and personalized settings such as
keymapping, macros, and instance configurations will not be saved.
How can I back up and restore data on older versions of BlueStacks 5?
If you are on a version older than BlueStacks 5.10, you’ll need to manually back up your files by following the steps below.
To back up manually:
Close BlueStacks 5 completely and go to: "C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks_nxt"
Copy the entire Engine folder and the "bluestacks.conf" file to another safe location on your desktop/laptop
To restore:
- Reinstall the same version of BlueStacks that the backup was taken on.
- Copy the files you had saved earlier and paste the files here: "C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks_nxt"
- Select "Replace the files in the destination" in the pop-up that appears
You can now launch BlueStacks 5 and pick up right where you left off without missing out on a thing!
NOTE: Manual backup and restore on older versions should only be used as a last resort. Compatibility between different versions is not guaranteed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. My BlueStacks files and backed-up data are on different drives. Will I be able to restore my data?
A. Yes, you can restore data backed up on a different drive than your BlueStacks files.
Q. Can I restore a backup taken on BlueStacks 5.10 on BlueStacks 5.8?
A. No, a backup taken on a new version of BlueStacks 5 cannot be restored on an older version.
Q. Can I restore a backup taken on BlueStacks 5.8 on BlueStacks 5.10?
A. You can try restoring a backup from an older version to a new version of BlueStacks 5, but it may not be successful.
Q. Can I restore a backup from BlueStacks 4 to BlueStacks 5?
A. This is not possible as BlueStacks 5 is built fundamentally differently from BlueStacks 4. However, you can move your apps and your game progress to BlueStacks 5. To do this, you must:
1. Transfer your apps and their data from BlueStacks 4. With this method, you won't need to reinstall your apps on BlueStacks 5 and your game progress will be transferred as well, if it was saved locally on your PC.
2. Link your in-game progress to a social media account. If the game allows you to do this, then your in-game progress will be restored every time you log in with a linked account.
Thank you for choosing BlueStacks 5. We hope you enjoy using it. Happy Gaming!