An imported save lands on the wrong user or does not load
Risk of data loss✓ ProvenWhat you see
- After you import your own save with Garlic, the game does not find it or says it is corrupted.
- The save shows up under another user on the console.
What it means
Garlic SaveMgr is a save manager that runs as a payload on a jailbroken PS5 and can import your own saves into the console. If a save goes to the wrong user, or to the wrong place for a PS4 or a PS5 save, the game may not see it or may treat it as corrupted. Garlic's release notes list several import bugs that were fixed in later versions.
What to do
Make a backup before you import
Garlic can make backups as encrypted ZIP archives that can be restored. Set the destination in the Settings tab: on the PS5 itself (by default /data/garlic/backups) or on a USB drive (by default /mnt/usb0/garlic-backups).
Check whether it is a PS4 or a PS5 save
The release notes say PS4 saves go to savedata/ and PS5 saves go to savedata_prospero/. A save in the wrong one will not work.
Choose the right user
Since v1.6, Garlic has a user selector in the top bar that lists all the users on the PS5. Pick the user who plays the game before you import.
Use a release that has the import fixes
v1.6 makes PS4 saves import to the right folder; the notes say older versions wrote the user ID in a way that could corrupt PS4 saves. v1.62b fixes importing encrypted PS5 saves from USB. v1.14 fixes how saves are written for games with several save slots.
As a check, import one save and test it
Import a single save for the selected user and load it in the game. Check that its Title ID matches your game. Only then import the rest.
When to stop
Updating Garlic does not repair a save
A newer Garlic version does not bring back a save that is already corrupted. Renaming the Title ID does not turn a save into a save for another game. Keep your backup until the imported save works.
Versions, PS4 keys and saves from another console
Garlic's version names are tags, not decimal numbers: on the releases page v1.62b comes before v1.6, and v1.14 comes after v1.7. A PS4 save backup also includes its .bin key file when there is one; keep the two together. Moving saves from a PS5 without a jailbreak depends on Sony's official options, your account and the save format. This guide does not promise that a save can be decrypted from USB.
Sources
- Garlic save manager releases (Oct 31, 2026)
- Garlic save manager README (Oct 31, 2026)
Last reviewed: Oct 31, 2026
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