How to Back Up and Restore Your Household Inventory
A local inventory needs a recoverable backup because browser data can be cleared, blocked or lost. A useful backup procedure includes a test restore, not just clicking Export.
A practical workflow
- Open My Items and export all records as JSON. Keep the downloaded file somewhere you control outside the browser profile.
- In another browser profile, choose the file and inspect the preview. Confirm record count, supported version and any matching IDs before committing.
- Choose Merge to preserve unrelated records; imported records replace matching IDs. Choose Replace all only after backing up the current inventory and confirming the replacement.
- After recovery, refresh and compare names, quantities, units, locations, notes and dates. Open a few important records and inspect their labels before relying on the restored list.
Worked example
An import containing IDs A and B merged into an inventory containing B and C leaves A, imported B and existing C. A replacement instead leaves only A and B. This difference matters when moving part of a household list.
A common mistake
A protected-storage error must not be treated as an empty household. Download the original storage from recovery mode before replacing it with a validated backup. Do not overwrite your last good JSON with an empty export.
Questions
Are files uploaded for validation? No. JSON is read and checked in the browser.
Will a future storage version be guessed automatically? Unsupported versions remain protected; only documented migrations are applied.
Limits to keep in mind
Keep more than one dated backup. A QR snapshot carries one item and cannot replace a complete inventory export.