Almost every day someone asks how to convert Gamecube .gci, .gcs, or .sav save files into RAW memory card files. If someone asks you how to do that, then please link them to this thread.

Here is a detailed tutorial about how to convert .gci, .gcs, or .sav saves into .raw memcards:

1: Install Dolphin emulator from here.
2: Open Dolphin.exe.
3: Under "Tools", click "Memcard Manager (GC)".
4: Select the left "Browse" button.
5: Select a blank .raw memory card file. (If you don't have one, there is one included in the attachment.)
6: Select "<- Import GCI".
7: Select your .gci, .gcs, or .sav save file.
8: Close the "Memcard Manager" window.

If you want to use your new .raw file with Nintendont, then follow these steps:
1: Rename your .raw file to "<4_letter_game_id>.raw". (Example: "blankcard.raw" with Lugi's mansion should be named "GLME.raw".)
2: Place this .raw file in "<Drive_with_GCN_games>\saves\<4_letter_game_id>.raw".
NOTE: Make sure you place the .raw file on the same drive as your Gamecube ISOs. This is not necessarily the same drive that Nintendont is running from.
3: Set "Memcard Emulation" to "On" and "Memcard Multi" to "On".
NOTE: The settings in USB loaders may be different.

Attached are:
- A blank 8MB .raw Gamecube Memory Card: "blankcard.raw"
- A .gci save from Luigi's Mansion that I know works with this process: "GLME.gci" (In the save game, everything is completed except the final battle with King Boo.)
- A .wmv video of me demonstrating the process: "gci2raw_demo.wmv"

NOTE: The attached .rar file is actually in .7z format. (GBAtemp won't allow me to upload 7z files. ) If you don't have 7zip, then you can get it here.

 

[Graphiceye1821]

I'm having a problem with GC Prince of Persia SOT RAW save, I played it on my PC and now I'm trying to to copy the save, rename it to the 4 digit game code and put in the folder, but when I try to load it in Nintendont it wants to format it. Please Help.

 

[sray3000]

OP hasn't posted in 2 yrs

How do you know what to name the file into 4 letters?
Do you convert each game save into their own raw file?

Hope someone can answer.

 

[SteinerLiner]

I run Dolphin 5.0-8309 and it doesn't detect any GCI save files I get from GameFAQS

 

[ImFreddyFazbearYT]

hi, i know this article is from 2015. but how do you do it if you have a version that is on 5.0?

 

[MushGuy]

Have you tried this to see if it works too? It takes GCI and GCS and makes a memory card from it.

http://www.emutalk.net/threads/38901-New-Dolphin-Memory-Card-Maker

Where's the download link?

 

[Thirdeyechai]

For those who are having the same problem, if you play a game in the nintendont they'll create a .raw file. Repeat the same process described by op but instead of using the blank raw use the raw created by the Nintendont. After that, don't close the manager just yet.

Left click on the entry you've made (the game that will appear on the memorycard manager) and click on "Fix the checksum". Now you can close.
There you go. It worked smooth for me.

I had started playing Fire Emblem on Dolphin in the form of a .gcz file and after setting up Nintendont wanted to transfer my file to my WiiU so I could play on my gamepad. I followed the above instructions and they worked perfectly for me! The save file created by my Nintendont was called ninmem.raw or something and I simply imported the correct save and fixed the checksum. Thanks so much for these instructions! Playing FE on my gamepad is unreal!

 

[reddragon105]

3: Set "Memcard Emulation" to "On" and "Memcard Multi" to "On".

Are you sure that "Memcard Multi" shouldn't be set to off in order to use separate cards for individual games?

Pretty sure, but as long as you back up your files, you can try both without any problem.

I know it's been a few years, but I was just using this guide to transfer some save games from a GC memory card to Nintendont on my Wii U and I can now clarify this - you do need to have 'Memcard Multi' set to 'Off' if you want to use separate files/cards for each game, so unfortunately the instructions in the first post are incorrect.

It's an ambiguously worded setting, so it's easy to see where the confusion came from, but basically with this option off you get multiple memory cards, as in one memory card for each game (individual files named XXXX.raw, where XXXX is the title ID of the game), and with this option on you get a multi memory card, as in one memory card for multiple games (a single file named ninmem.raw that every game uses).

I must have had it set to 'On' because all my existing Nintendont save games were in a single ninmem.raw file, and when I injected my old GC saves into individual files it was just ignoring them. I've changed it to 'Off' to use individual files for each game - this will make it easier to keep organised and it will give me more space than I'll ever need for save games for each title.

But anyway, thank you so much for the guide - it's enabled me to use save games from 2002-2003 that I never thought I'd see again! I'm feeling pretty nostalgic (and old ).

 

[Shadow#1]

will this go from .raw to .gci?

 

[Natural]

will this go from .raw to .gci?

I haven't used this in years but I think it does. If not I think Dolphin might be able to help with that or something.

 

[GreenBanana]

How does one determine if the "Fix Checksums" button actually does anything? After using it, my roommate's backups on the Wii U's vWii Nintendont still want to be formatted.

 

[ForumHermit]

Ok so can anyone tell me how to actually convert .gci to .raw files? The title says "how to convert gci, gcs, or.sav saves to .raw" but is actually useless. Where are the .raw files!?

I want to convert all of old GameCube saves that are on my memory card from .gci to .raw files so can use my saves in Nintendont on my USB without needed my memory card. I've got all the saves off the memory card but they are in .gci and Dolphin can't export to RAW as far as I can tell. I am using Dolphin on a Mac if that matters.

 

[morpheous]

Ok so can anyone tell me how to actually convert .gci to .raw files? The title says "how to convert gci, gcs, or.sav saves to .raw" but is actually useless. Where are the .raw files!?

I want to convert all of old GameCube saves that are on my memory card from .gci to .raw files so can use my saves in Nintendont on my USB without needed my memory card. I've got all the saves off the memory card but they are in .gci and Dolphin can't export to RAW as far as I can tell. I am using Dolphin on a Mac if that matters.

Did you follow the tutorial in this thread? if so, where did you fail?

 

[EthanMitchell]

This didn't work, trying to get Super Mario Sunshine to work but it doesn't recognize the save file.

 

[EthanMitchell]

This didn't work, trying to get Super Mario Sunshine to work but it doesn't recognize the save file.

 

[EthanMitchell]

This didn't work, trying to get Super Mario Sunshine to work but it doesn't recognize the save file.

 

[EthanMitchell]

This didn't work, trying to get Super Mario Sunshine to work but it doesn't recognize the save file.

 

[EthanMitchell]

This didn't work, trying to get Super Mario Sunshine to work but it doesn't recognize the save file.

 

[IMX-Otaku]

It didn't work for me. I tried to convert a Paper Mario (USA) .gci to .raw format to use it in Nintendont (I made sure they were in Memory Card A/Slot A), but when the game loads I don't know what happens, but no save file appears when one is supposed to appear, and the .raw file I have renamed to G8ME.raw. I hope someone can help me, thanks in advance!

 

[Pseud0nym]

This didn't work for me. Game states the save file is corrupt. Has anyone figured out how to fix this?

 

[JuanMena]

This doesn't work!
Tried to export my real Animal Crossing MemoryCard (the white one) savefile over to Nintendont and Nintendont turns off my Wii when loading Animal Crossing with the "exported gci file",

 

[dsncool18]

The OP might be a little bit outdated. What I did in order to transfer the .gci file to USB Loader GX (through Nintendont) was:

• Create a new save file by playing the game through USB Loader GX. The save file should be then located at /yourusbroot/saves/file.raw (mine was, for example, GC6J.raw, which is the Japanese version of Pokémon Colosseum);
• Open the Dolphin Memory Card Manager;
• Open the .raw file located in the USB;
• Delete the save which is inside;
• Import the .gci save file;
• Done. You don't need to create a new file, Dolphin will automatically update the .raw file once the .gci has been imported.

 

[Qeality]

so I was able to convert my .gci to .raw using dolphin and have been progressing just fine on my WiiU/Nintendont. Now I want to transfer my save data .raw back to my GameCube and when I export to .gci it shows up with all my data but shows the year way into the future and able to launch it but when I overwrite and relaunch the game it will say it’s corrupted and says to reformat. I’m not sure what’s causing the corruption. I am using a 3rd party mem card and have the original data on my original memory card but now skeptical on trying that one cause of corruption. Any help would be appreciated.