How Tos

How to back up your Angry Birds save data on iPhone and iPad

Or, any game, really

How to back up your Angry Birds save data on iPhone and iPad

Ever accidentally uninstalled an Angry Birds app from your iPhone or iPad and lost all of your hard-earned stars, high scores, and Golden Eggs?

We have. And it's a ruddy nightmare.

Luckily, the lovely guys over at Angry Birds Nest have worked out a way to manually back up your data, and restore it should you be silly enough to inadvertently delete it from your device.

Be sure to sync your iPhone or iPad and back up your data with iTunes before you attempt any of the steps below. Pocket Gamer holds no responsibility for any problems that should arise by following this guide.

Before you can begin to back up your data, you need to download a program that's capable of accessing the file system of your iPhone and iPad apps. We suggest DiskAid - it's extremely user-friendly and it's available for both the Mac and PC. Once installed, head into DiskAid's 'preferences' menu and navigate to the 'advanced' tab. Here, tick the boxes next to 'display all apps', 'show root path for apps', and 'show hidden files and folders'. You're now ready to begin the backup process.
Plug your iPhone or iPad into your PC or Mac. There should now be several tabs down the left-hand side of the DiskAid interface, which should include 'USB Key', 'Music & Video', and 'Photos'. Ignore the first five tabs and click on the 'Apps' tab to see a list of the apps you have installed on your device. Select one of your Angry Birds apps and then click on 'Documents'. You now want to copy two files over to your computer's desktop: "highscores.lua" and "settings.lua". You may also want to copy "{date}.lua" if you're dealing with Angry Birds Seasons, and "{purchases}.lua" if you're copying data from Angry Birds Space. You can do this simply by dragging them onto your desktop or by highlighting them and clicking the 'copy to computer' button, which is situated near the top-left of DiskAid's interface. Job done.
"How do I restore my data if I accidentally delete Angry Birds from my device," I hear you ask. That's a good question. Have a gold star. Well, plug your iPhone or iPad into your Mac or PC and fire up DiskAid for a second time. Again, click on the 'Apps' tab down the left-side and click on the Angry Birds app you're trying to restore data to. Next, locate the files that you previously copied to your computer's desktop, and drag them back into DiskAid. Click 'yes' when a pop-up prompts you to overwrite existing files. Simple.
Once you've copied your saved data back over to your iPhone or iPad, you may need to fully close the Angry Birds app in question. If you own one of Apple's newer iOS-powered devices, you can do this simply by double-clicking its Home button, holding your finger down on the app's icon, and tapping the red circle when it appears. If you're packing an older device, simply restart it. You can do this by simultaneously holding its power and Home buttons for a few seconds. Once you're done, your old save game will be waiting for you.

Anthony Usher
Anthony Usher
Anthony is a Liverpool, UK-based writer who fell in love with gaming while playing Super Mario World on his SNES back in the early '90s. When he isn't busy grooming his beard, you can find him replaying Resident Evil or Final Fantasy VII for the umpteenth time. Aside from gaming, Anthony likes hiking, MMA, and pretending he’s a Viking.