Backup and restore

Use Settings → Storage to export or restore a vault backup. Both operations use a .zip package; the files inside remain in their encrypted-at-rest formats.

Export a backup

1. Lock or pause other vault activity before starting.
2. Open Settings → Storage and choose Export vault ZIP.
3. Select a destination folder outside the app's own data directory.
4. Protect the resulting .zip package as sensitive health data.
5. Keep and test the password needed to unlock it.

An export includes the encrypted vault database, key-store material, copied source PDFs, available local model files, and an embedded manifest describing the backup. The encryption is preserved; the ZIP is not a plaintext dump.

Restore a backup

1. Make a fresh backup of the current vault if it contains anything you may need.
2. Open Settings → Storage and choose Import vault ZIP.
3. Select the .zip backup and confirm the replacement.
4. Allow the current vault to be moved aside as a safety copy.
5. Restart the application and unlock with the password belonging to the restored vault.
6. Open a few reports and verify that the original PDFs and patient history are present.

Restore is a replacement operation, not a merge. Do not delete the safety copy until you have tested the restored vault.

Protect backups

Do not store a backup inside the directory it is backing up. Avoid unencrypted removable media and shared folders. If you export data separately as CSV, apply the same care: it is readable outside the vault's encryption boundary.