Update PvZ2 Gardendless Without Losing Progress

Why both automatic transfer and manual backup matter

The project’s older English FAQ says save files normally transfer automatically between versions. Its current download page adds an important boundary: the website version and some Chinese netdisk packages use different packaging methods, so archives may not inherit automatically. Automatic transfer is therefore a convenience within a compatible path, not a replacement for a backup.

A good update has two recoveries: the previous working build remains intact, and a dated player export exists outside the game folder. With both, a missing profile is a migration problem rather than a lost campaign.

Export from the player profile

From the main menu, open your player name or profile and use Export, as documented by the project FAQ. Save the result with a descriptive name such as gardendless-0.12.1-player-2026-07-30. Copy it to another folder or cloud drive before editing, importing, or updating.

If you use the project’s save editor, its own page says the tool is in testing, asks for a backup, and recommends exporting from the latest game version before editing. Keep the original export untouched and edit a copy.

1. Return to the main menu so the latest level result is committed.
2. Open the player profile and choose Export.
3. Add the release and date to the filename.
4. Copy the export outside the current game or browser storage.
5. Keep one untouched copy for rollback.

Install the new version beside the old one

Check the current version on the official download page and read the GitHub release notes. Download from a project-linked provider and extract into a new versioned folder. Do not merge the new files over the old directory.

For browser play, treat a new hostname, container, or browser profile as a new environment. Open it without clearing the old origin. For desktop play, launch the new executable from its fully extracted folder and inspect the player list before changing anything else.

Confirm before cleanup

A profile name alone is not enough. Open the latest world, inspect a recent unlock or currency, finish a short level, close the game, and launch it again. This checks that progress loaded and that the new environment can write.

Only after that loop should you archive or delete the previous build. Keep the backup export longer than one release cycle, especially when the GitHub record is tagged as a prerelease.

• Correct player and latest world are visible.
• Recent unlocks and currencies match expectations.
• A short level saves after relaunch.
• A new export can be created from the updated build.
• The previous folder or origin still exists during the check.

When the profile does not appear

Do not overwrite the old data in frustration. Confirm that you launched the intended version and that the player export file is still present. Use the game’s Import path with a copy of the export. If a tool reports a version mismatch, first open and re-export through the latest compatible game build instead of manually editing the file structure.

If the issue followed a move from a website build to a netdisk package, or between browser origins, the packaging warning is the likely explanation. Document the old and new versions and seek project support with those details.

Questions players ask