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Where Are Minecraft Bedrock Save Files? Locations and Backup Routes by Platform

Minecraft Bedrock save locations depend on your platform. Android External worlds can be copied over USB, iPhone and iPad use Finder, Windows uses in-game export, and Xbox and Realms use cloud and download options.
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There is no single Bedrock save folder that works on every device. Where your worlds live depends on your platform and, on Android, on the File Storage Location you chose when the world was created. On Android, worlds saved to External storage can be copied as ordinary files over USB. On iPhone and iPad, the documented route runs through Finder on a Mac. On Windows, Xbox, and Realms, Minecraft’s official help pages describe in-game export, cloud, or download routes rather than a raw folder you can open directly.

Where Bedrock worlds are stored, platform by platform

The table below summarizes what Minecraft Help documents for each platform. Where the official pages do not give a raw file location, the table says so rather than offering a guessed path.

Platform Where the world lives Direct file access documented? Documented backup or transfer route
Android, File Storage Location set to External Android/data/com.mojang.minecraftpe/files/games/com.mojang/minecraftWorlds Yes, over USB using File Transfer or MTP Copy the whole minecraftWorlds folder or one world folder
Android, File Storage Location set to Application Inside Minecraft’s app data No separate files for ordinary computer backup Not documented for manual copying
iPhone and iPad The games folder inside Minecraft’s Files-app storage Through Finder on a Mac Copy the games folder; Minecraft Help also mentions iCloud backup
Windows Not stated in the official Windows backup page Not stated In-game Export World
Xbox Local and cloud copies managed by Minecraft Not stated Settings > Storage > Manage Worlds (upload or download)
Bedrock Realms A downloaded copy appears under All Worlds The downloaded copy can be copied from file storage Download World from the Realms controls
PlayStation and Nintendo Switch Not stated in the official pages reviewed Not stated Not stated

Android: check your File Storage Location first

Android is the only platform where Minecraft Help gives a full folder path for manual copying, and it applies only to some worlds. Before you look for files, confirm which storage mode the world was created under.

Step 1: Check the storage setting

  1. Open Minecraft on the Android device.
  2. Go to Settings > Storage.
  3. Read the value for File Storage Location. It will be External or Application.

The setting applies to worlds created while it was set to that value. If a world seems to be missing from the in-game list, Minecraft Help advises checking this setting and switching it if needed. Changing the setting does not move existing worlds between storage modes, so check the value that was active when the world was made.

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Step 2: Copy an External world over USB

Minecraft Help says a world can be copied to a computer or another Android device when its File Storage Location was External at creation. The documented steps are:

  1. Connect the Android device to a computer with a USB cable. The cable must carry data, not only charge.
  2. On the phone, choose File Transfer or MTP when the USB notification appears.
  3. Open this path on the device:
    Android/data/com.mojang.minecraftpe/files/games/com.mojang/minecraftWorlds
  4. Copy the full minecraftWorlds folder, or copy an individual world folder inside it.

“External” in this setting means storage outside the Minecraft app. It does not necessarily mean an SD card, so do not look for the world on removable media unless you know you saved it there.

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Application worlds

Worlds created under the Application setting are kept inside Minecraft’s app data. Minecraft Help does not describe them as separate files you can copy for computer backup, so the USB route above does not apply. For these worlds, the documented options are the in-game features that the platform offers, not a manual file copy. Worlds in this mode are therefore harder to protect with a file-level backup, and if a world matters to you, check its storage mode before relying on any backup plan.

iPhone and iPad: the Finder backup route

Minecraft Help’s manual backup instructions for iPhone and iPad rely on a Mac. The documented steps are:

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  1. Connect the iPhone or iPad to a Mac.
  2. Open Finder and select the device in the sidebar.
  3. Select Files, then expand Minecraft.
  4. Drag the games folder to a backup location on the Mac.

The help page also mentions iCloud backup of the games folder, which gives a second copy off the device. The official page does not give a conventional absolute filesystem path for iOS, so treat the Finder route as the supported method rather than a folder you can browse to directly. The steps are in Minecraft’s iPhone and iPad backup guide.

Windows: export the world instead of hunting for a folder

Minecraft’s official Windows backup page documents an in-game export, not a save directory. Use this route when you want a portable copy of a world:

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  1. Open Minecraft and select Play.
  2. Select the pencil icon for the world.
  3. Under General Settings, find File Management and select Export World.
  4. Choose where to save the exported world file.

The export creates a file you can keep and reimport, which is the supported way to move a Windows world. The Windows page does not confirm where Minecraft keeps the live save on disk, so do not rely on a folder path from community posts or from Java Edition guides. The Spanish-language version of the Windows backup guide is at Minecraft Help’s Windows backup page.

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Xbox: local and cloud status

On Xbox, Minecraft Help says recent worlds are saved to the cloud automatically when the console is online and you are signed in. Instead of a file path, the game shows each world’s state:

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  • Cloud-synced: a local copy and a cloud copy both exist.
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To change a world’s status, go to Settings > Storage > Manage Worlds. From there you can upload a local-only world or download a cloud-only one. If local files are missing, the help page says Xbox restores the most recent cloud save automatically. The full Xbox guide is at Manage Minecraft Cloud Saves on Xbox.

Realms: download a local copy

A Bedrock Realm does not sit on your device, but you can download a copy of one of its worlds. Minecraft Help gives this route:

  1. Select Play, then Realms, then Realms Hub.
  2. Select the Realm.
  3. Open its World tab and Slots.
  4. Choose Download World for the world you want.

The downloaded copy appears under All Worlds and can also be copied from file storage. The official steps are in Download a Realms World in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

PlayStation and Nintendo Switch

The official pages reviewed for this topic do not establish a raw save-file location or a backup route for PlayStation or Nintendo Switch. Do not borrow a path from Java Edition or from unofficial guides and present it as the Bedrock location. If you play on one of these consoles, check the in-game options for your current Minecraft version and any cloud or Realm download options it offers.

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Choosing a backup method

  • Android, External world: copy the minecraftWorlds folder over USB with File Transfer or MTP.
  • Android, Application world: no manual file copy is documented; check the storage setting before you rely on it.
  • iPhone or iPad: copy the games folder through Finder on a Mac, and consider iCloud backup as a second copy.
  • Windows: use Export World to create a portable file.
  • Xbox: keep worlds in the cloud, and use Manage Worlds to upload local-only worlds.
  • Realms: use Download World to keep a local copy of a Realm.

These are the routes Minecraft Help documents as of October 2026. Minecraft updates can change menu labels and storage behavior, so if a label on your device differs, look for the same setting or option name in the game’s Settings and Storage menus.

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