Minecraft Android: Back Up an External-Storage World to Your Computer

Check where the world was created before copying files. This method covers Minecraft Bedrock worlds stored under External on Android; it does not extract worlds from Application storage. Keep the working game and original world intact throughout.

Check the storage setting first

Open Minecraft → Settings → Storage and note File Storage Location. Application and External can hold different worlds. The setting selected when a world was created determines its location; External does not necessarily mean an SD card.

If your world disappeared after changing this setting, check the original location before assuming the save is gone. Switching to External is not a backup of an Application world. Application saves are inside app data, not ordinary folders you can export with this method.

Copy the External worlds to a computer

1. Finish your session and leave the world before making the copy. Create a new, dated backup folder on your computer so this backup will not overwrite an older one.
2. Connect the phone to the computer with a USB cable. On the phone, select the USB charging notification, then File Transfer or MTP.
3. In the computer’s file browser, open the phone and go to Android/data/com.mojang.minecraftpe/files/games/com.mojang/minecraftWorlds.
4. Copy the entire minecraftWorlds folder into your dated backup folder. Copy rather than cut or move; leave the originals on the phone.

Check the copy before relying on it

Open the destination folder and confirm that the world folders and their files are present. Compare the source and destination file counts and sizes, and resolve any skipped-file or transfer-error messages. Keep older backups separately instead of replacing them.

A completed copy is not the same as a tested restore. Do not uninstall Minecraft, clear its storage or delete the original world just because the transfer finished.

If the folder is missing or inaccessible

Stop if the computer cannot read the folder; this guide does not bypass Android access restrictions. Recheck whether the world belongs to Application storage. For that branch, Minecraft’s storage help points to a Realms transfer instead. Read that separate procedure and its subscription requirements before choosing it; changing the storage selector alone is not a migration.