Every guide on this site starts with “back up your save first” — this one shows you a complete routine for the whole library. Apollo makes the console side easy: it exports decrypted and encrypted saves to USB, and current builds can even zip and upload saves to an FTP server. What happens to those files afterwards is up to you.
The 3-2-1 Rule, Save-File Edition
- 3 copies of anything you care about (the working copy plus two backups).
- 2 different media (for example your PC’s drive and a USB stick).
- 1 copy off the console/PC desk — cloud storage, or a drive kept somewhere else.
Step 1: Export Cleanly from Apollo
Export both forms of important saves:
- Decrypted exports (PS4: to
/PS4/APOLLO/) — the editable form you patch and re-sign. - Encrypted exports (PS4: under
/PS4/SAVEDATA/<account-id>/) — the form the game itself reads; the fastest restore path.
Name folders by game and Title ID, and date your snapshots (2026-10-24_before-patching/) so a bad edit never overwrites a good state.
Step 2: Land Them on Your PC
Copy the USB’s Apollo folders into a dedicated PC folder — this folder is now your save library’s home. Pick a drive option from our USB drive guide if transfers feel slow or unreliable.
Step 3: Put One Copy in the Cloud
Sync that PC folder to a cloud service and the routine is complete. A lifetime-plan service such as pCloud suits save libraries well: one payment, no subscription to babysit, and your exported saves are retrievable from anywhere. automatic sync means the backup happens even when you forget. Apollo itself cannot back up to the cloud directly (FTP to your own server is its built-in option) — the cloud copy protects the PC folder Apollo exports to, and that distinction matters.
Step 4: Test the Restore
Once, deliberately: pick an unimportant save, delete it from the console, and restore it from your PC/cloud copy through Apollo’s import and re-signing. A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup. The restore workflow is the same as re-signing a save.
Related Guides
Download Apollo · USB folder paths · Re-sign PS4 saves · Buying Guides