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Backups

2Do keeps snapshots of your database so you can go back to a known good state. Backups are separate from sync: sync keeps your devices in step with each other, while a backup is a copy of everything as it stood at one moment, including things a sync service may not carry.

Everything on this page lives in Settings > Backups & Export.

Keep a copy outside the app

By default, backups stay inside 2Do on your device. Deleting 2Do or erasing the device removes these local backups.

In 2Do 4.3.4 or later, turn on Save Backups to iCloud Drive to keep copies outside the app. Wait for a backup to finish uploading before deleting 2Do. You can also use Backup to Email or Save a Copy… to keep a copy elsewhere.

Automatic Backups​

Two settings control the schedule:

  • Create backups: None, Every 24 Hours, or Every 48 Hours.
  • Keep at most: 5, 10, 20, or 30. Older backups are removed once the limit is reached.

2Do checks whether a backup is due when you open the app and when the system grants it time in the background. It waits for sync to finish before writing one, so a backup is never taken mid-sync.

Keep Backups in iCloud Drive​

With 2Do 4.3.4 or later on iPhone and iPad, you can save extra copies of your backups to iCloud Drive. Once uploaded, these copies remain available if you delete and reinstall 2Do or move to another device. You can use this option with any 2Do sync method.

Sign in to your Apple Account and enable iCloud Drive for 2Do in your device's iCloud settings. Your iCloud account also needs enough free storage for the backup files.

  1. Open Settings > Backups & Export in 2Do.
  2. Turn on Save Backups to iCloud Drive at the top of the screen.
  3. Tap Create Backup Now if you want a fresh backup immediately.
  4. Wait until the status shows the date of the latest backup in iCloud Drive. If it is still waiting to upload or shows an error, keep 2Do installed and let the upload finish.

2Do copies the .2dodb backup archives it currently keeps and adds copies of new backups as they are created. Local backups continue as before. Each backup is a snapshot from its creation date; later edits to your tasks are included in the next backup. You can save older .db backup files elsewhere with Save a Copy….

You can find uploaded files in the Files app under iCloud Drive > 2Do > Backups. Each installation has its own folder. The Keep at most setting also limits completed uploads from the current installation. Older installations' folders are left in place so their backups remain available after a reinstall.

If iCloud Drive is unavailable, you are offline, or iCloud storage is full, local backups continue. Check the status in Backups & Export before relying on the cloud copy. Turning the option off stops new copies and leaves existing iCloud Drive backups in place. If you change Apple Accounts, turn it on again to save backups to the new account.

Restore from iCloud Drive After Reinstalling​

Use the same Apple Account that held your uploaded backups and make sure iCloud Drive is enabled. You do not need to turn on Save Backups to iCloud Drive to restore an existing file.

  1. Open 2Do and go to Settings > Backups & Export.
  2. Tap Restore from File….
  3. In the file picker, open iCloud Drive > 2Do > Backups and choose a backup from the previous installation's folder. If several folders are present, use the backup filenames and dates to find the one you need.
  4. Wait for the file to download if needed. 2Do opens Browse Backup so you can inspect its contents.
  5. Select the lists you want and tap Restore Selected, or use Restore Everything… to replace the current database with that backup.

Restore Everything… replaces the lists and tasks currently on this device. Read the confirmation before continuing, then quit and reopen 2Do when the restore finishes. See Restore Selected and Restore Everything for details.

Making a Backup Yourself​

  • Create Backup Now writes a backup immediately and adds it to the list below.
  • Backup to Email creates a fresh backup and opens the share sheet, so you can mail it to yourself, save it to Files, or AirDrop it to another device.

Working with Stored Backups​

Each backup under Local Backups shows its file name, size, and date. Its menu offers:

  • Restore… opens the backup in the Browse Backup screen described below.
  • Save a Copy… exports the file through the system document picker, so you can put it in Files or iCloud Drive.
  • Delete removes that backup after asking you to confirm.

Restore from File… opens a backup you saved elsewhere. It accepts 2Do's .2dodb archives and older .db database files.

tip

Before you change sync services, save a copy of a backup. Services carry slightly different sets of task properties, and a backup holds everything 2Do knows.

Browse Backup​

Opening a backup does not change anything yet. 2Do stages a safe copy of the file and shows you what is inside it: your regular lists and your Smart Lists, grouped the way they were when the backup was made, with a task count beside each regular list.

Tap rows to select the ones you want, or use Select All and Deselect All in a section header. The bar at the bottom keeps a running count of what you have picked.

Restore Selected​

Restore Selected copies the lists you picked into your live database, under a group named Restored. Your existing lists and tasks are not replaced, so this is the safe way to pull back one list you deleted or a project you overwrote. Rows that have already been restored are marked, so you can restore a few, look at them, and come back for more.

tip

Deleted one list by accident? Open the most recent backup, select just that list, and use Restore Selected. Everything else stays exactly as it is.

Restore Everything​

Restore Everything… replaces your current database with the backup. 2Do asks Replace Current Database? and explains that it will quit once the restore completes.

Before it replaces anything, 2Do writes a safety backup of your current database, so the state you are leaving behind is still recoverable. When the restore finishes, quit 2Do and open it again to work with the restored database.

warning

Restore Everything… discards everything currently in 2Do on this device, including tasks created since the backup was made. If any of it matters, use Create Backup Now first.

Exporting Lists​

Export Lists… opens Export as CSV, which produces a spreadsheet file rather than a backup. Turn the switches ON for the lists you would like to export, choose All Tasks, Undone Tasks, or Done Tasks, and tap Export. Use it when you want your tasks readable outside 2Do. Use a backup when you want to put them back into 2Do.

Moving to a New iPhone or iPad​

Two routes, depending on how you work:

  1. Sync. Set up 2Do on the new device with the same sync account. Your lists and tasks arrive on the first sync. This is the simpler route and the one to prefer.
  2. Backup file. On the old device, enable iCloud Drive copies and wait for a completed upload, or use Save a Copy… or Backup to Email to save a backup elsewhere. On the new device, open Settings > Backups & Export > Restore from File…, pick that file, and use Restore Everything….
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