Fix RetroArch settings that do not save on Android
Open Main Menu → Configuration File → Save Current Configuration, record the path in the confirmation message, quit through Main Menu → Quit, and relaunch. If the value changes again, check the active config and narrower overrides before changing Android permissions.
Do this in order
- 01
Record the RetroArch package, build version, menu driver, and the one setting that fails to persist.
- 02
Open Main Menu → Configuration File and use Save Current Configuration; copy the exact path shown by the notification.
- 03
Quit with Main Menu → Quit instead of force-stopping the app, then launch the same package again.
- 04
Check that the same configuration path is loaded and test the value before loading content.
- 05
If it changes only after content loads, inspect core, content-directory, and game overrides for the narrower rule.
- 06
Back up the confirmed configuration file and repeat one cold-start test before applying more changes.
Decision and diagnostic table
| Observed result | Likely layer | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| No save confirmation | Write or path failure | Use Save Current Configuration and record its message |
| Persists until content loads | Narrower override | Inspect core, directory, and game overrides |
| Different path after relaunch | Different package or config | Confirm package and active configuration |
| Persists after cold start | Base configuration is saved | Back it up before wider edits |
The notification is your path receipt
Do not guess a desktop-style or shared-storage location. RetroArch's save action reports the file it wrote; that exact path, package, and build form the minimum reproducible record.
A later override can look like a failed save
The base configuration can be valid while a core, content-directory, or game override changes a value after content starts. Reproduce once in the menu and once after launch to identify the boundary.
Quit is part of the test
Libretro's Android controller guidance explicitly returns through Main Menu → Quit after changing a directory so retroarch.cfg is saved. A force stop is not an equivalent persistence test.
Saving a frontend configuration does not authorize any game, BIOS, artwork, music, thumbnail, or overlay. Back up only files you are permitted to possess and share.