Backup and restore

Settings > Backup & Restore is where your backup files live. Creating a backup, seeing what is on this device, and restoring from another file all happen here.

Creating a backup

Go to Create New Backup and choose what to include.

1. 1Notes. Pick folders or individual notes
2. 2Anniversaries. Included in full
3. 3Flow. Included in full, along with the weather record for each day

Backups you create are kept in the list automatically.

Tap a backup in the list to share it to another app and move it out. Thinking of the day you lose the device, a copy kept outside it is the safer one.

Restoring

Tap a backup to see a summary of what it holds, then choose what to bring back. For a file that is not on this device, use Restore from Another File….

Restoring merges. It does not wipe what you have and write over it.

Restoring a note you already have

When the same note already exists, that item is reported as failed in the restore results, telling you the note is already there. Nothing is overwritten or copied automatically.

Tap that item in the results to choose what to do.

1. 1Overwrite. Move your current note to the Trash and replace it with the one from the backup
2. 2Create as new. Leave your current note alone and add a copy

What is not included

Notes in the Trash are not included. Events and reminders are not either. iOS Calendar manages those and they are already kept with that account.

Notes that reference original photos

If a photo was linked from the Photos app rather than copied in, the backup carries the link only. Restoring on another device may leave it blank, since that device's Photos app does not hold the same photo. After restoring, you are told how many photos could not be found.

The difference between the two is covered in Photos, original and reference.