Backup & restore

When you don't want ongoing sync, backup & restore packs your whole collection into one portable file you can keep on a USB stick, in cloud storage, or hand to another device.

What's in a backup

A backup is a single .collectary file (a zip archive) that bundles everything: every collection, item, and shared field, plus every attached image and document — gallery photos, manuals, certificates, audio notes. It's all in one file, so there are no loose folders to keep together.

Making a backup

1. Open Settings and find Backup & restore.
2. Click Export to file….
3. Pick where to save it. Collectary suggests collection-backup.collectary; rename it if you like.

Restoring a backup

1. In Settings → Backup & restore, click Import from file….
2. Choose a .collectary file.

Importing merges the backup into what you have, comparing each entry by its revision:

• Anything new or newer in the backup is brought in.
• Local edits made since are left alone, and nothing you have that the backup lacks is deleted.
• If the same entry changed on both sides, it's flagged as a conflict and your local version is kept.

After an import you'll see a summary of how many entries were brought in and any conflicts.

Backup vs. sync

Sync keeps devices continuously in step through a shared location. A backup is a one-shot file for archiving, moving to a new machine, or a safety copy. The two are independent.

Desktop feature

Export and import use the system file picker, so they run in the desktop app. The in-browser demo has no persistent filesystem.