Your Files & Sync
Backups: export & import
The backup export packs your whole workspace into one portable file: every folder, note, arrow and image. Perfect for archiving, moving between browsers, or peace of mind without a connected folder.
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Exporting a backup
- Open Settings → Folder & Workspace
Gear icon in the top bar (⋮ menu on iPhone/iPad).
- Click “Export backup”
visualOS streams everything — including images and files — into a single
.jsonfile and hands it to you as a download. Large workspaces take a few seconds; a toast confirms when it’s done.
Importing a backup
Same place: Import backup, pick the file. One important thing to know:
Importing a backup replaces all current data in this workspace with the backup’s contents — it’s a restore, not a merge. visualOS asks for confirmation first. If a folder is connected, the replaced state also lands in version history, so even this is reversible.
When backups are the right tool
- You use Safari or Firefox (no folder connection) — export regularly; it’s your only durable copy. Why.
- Moving to a new browser or computer without a synced folder: export here, import there.
- Archiving a finished project state — a dated backup file in your archive is a full, self-contained copy.
- Before big experiments, as a belt-and-suspenders addition to version history.
When a connected folder is the better tool
If you can use one, a connected folder does continuously what backups do manually — plus real files, automatic version snapshots, and sync. Backups then become your “extra copy elsewhere” option, not your lifeline.