Backup and Restore

Backup & restore

A backup is a single portable file containing your whole Gubbins — data, images and settings — that you can keep safe and restore from later. It's your insurance against a lost device or a browser wiping its storage.

Where to find it: the backup & restore tools (Sync / Data & storage areas).

What's in a backup

A backup is one portable .zip that bundles:

• A version-guarded JSON snapshot of your data.
• An exact copy of the .sqlite database.
• Full-resolution images.
• Your device settings — as much or as little of them as you choose (see below).

So restoring gives you back not just your items but the whole app state.

Choosing which settings travel

Settings aren't all-or-nothing. Tick App settings & preferences when creating a backup and a list of settings groups appears underneath — appearance, language and units, item cards, dashboard, alerts, keyboard shortcuts, scanning, printed catalogue, reports, saved searches, and a This device group. Tick only the groups you want the file to carry (or use Select all / Select none).

Restoring works the same way in reverse: after you pick a backup file, Gubbins lists the groups that file actually contains and lets you choose which ones to apply here. Anything you leave unticked is left exactly as it is on this device — restoring your theme won't disturb your thresholds, and vice versa.

ℹ️ Note This device — the bridge address, kiosk mode, a connected scale and any prompts you've dismissed — is off by default at both ends, because it usually describes one particular machine rather than how you like Gubbins to work. Tick it when creating and when restoring if you're rebuilding the same device.

💡 Tip Your bridge access token is never included in a backup, whatever you tick, so a .zip you share or store elsewhere can't leak it. You'll re-enter it on the restored device.

Restoring: Merge or Replace

There are two ways to restore:

• Merge — bring the backup's data into your current inventory without destroying what's there. Non-destructive.
• Replace — wipe the current data and restore the backup exactly. Destructive.

⚠️ Heads-up Replace overwrites everything currently in Gubbins. It's deliberately well-guarded — an automatic restore-point is taken first, you get an impact preview and a storage-space check, and you must type-to-confirm — but it is destructive. When in doubt, Merge.

💡 Tip Take a backup before any big change — a large import, a bulk edit, or a Replace restore. The automatic restore-point has your back, but your own recent .zip is the surest safety net.

The weekly reminder (mobile)

On a phone or tablet without Cloud sync connected, Gubbins shows a "Time for a weekly backup" banner once a week, with a Download archive button that saves a full .zip to your device. It's a nudge to keep a safety net where continuous auto-save isn't available.

💡 Tip Not ready right now? Dismiss the banner with its ✕ and it stays hidden for a week — it only comes back if you still haven't taken a backup by then. Downloading an archive (or connecting Cloud sync) clears it too.

Backup vs sync

ℹ️ Note A backup is a point-in-time copy you keep. Cloud sync keeps devices continuously in step. Use both: sync for everyday, backups for safety and history.

Related pages

• Cloud sync — continuous multi-device sync.
• Export & import — open-format exports.
• Storage triage — reclaiming space.