Backup export and import

Who this is for

Vault owners who want an offline, encrypted copy of vault content (items, attachments, syncable settings)—independent of Premium cloud sync.

What you need

Steps

Open backup settings

1. Unlock your vault.
2. Go to Settings → Recovery → Backup & restore (https://se.nt2.me/settings/recovery/backup).
3. Review Last backup metadata (item count, attachment count, checksum) when present.

Export a full .nt2backup

1. Choose Download full .nt2backup.
2. On desktop Tauri, pick a save location; in the browser, the file downloads to your default folder.
3. Store the file somewhere you control—encrypted drive, offline media, or a separate account. Note the checksum shown after export; you can verify with shasum -a 256 on the saved file.
4. Large vaults may take a moment; a progress counter appears while items and attachment blobs are packed.

Export a delta .nt2backup

1. Export at least one full backup on this device first—delta is disabled until a watermark exists.
2. Choose Download delta .nt2backup after you have made changes since the last export.
3. If nothing changed, NT² reports that no delta file was created.
4. Keep delta files alongside your latest full backup; name or date them so restore order is clear.

Import backup data (merge)

1. On an enrolled replica (linked via recovery kit or setup QR), use Choose .nt2backup file on the same Backup page.
2. Select a full or delta file. NT² validates format and Vault Key DID—backups from another vault are rejected.
3. Items and syncable settings merge into the open vault; existing rows are updated, not duplicated wholesale.
4. On a cold device, complete enrollment first, import a full backup, then apply deltas newest-to-oldest if you have a chain.

Optional backup reminders

1. Enable Backup reminders and pick an interval.
2. Turn on Device notifications if you want a local 9:00 AM nudge when a backup is overdue (PWA or desktop app recommended on iOS).

Tips and common mistakes

• .nt2backup is not a recovery kit—it holds encrypted content, not a .nt2recovery unlock file. Keep both; see Recovery kit.
• Delta import on a device that never received the matching full baseline will fail or produce incomplete data—always seed with full first.
• Export before changing your master password or deleting the local vault.
• Cloud sync does not replace offline backup—server copies are ciphertext replicas, not a substitute for files you control.

Related

• Recovery kit
• Cloud sync
• Delete a local vault
• Help: Backup & recovery