Backing up, restoring, and moving between machines

Everything lives in your browser, in IndexedDB, tied to the site you loaded it from. That is what makes ProjectShelf work without an account. It also means the browser owns your data, so the export is not an optional extra.

Exporting

Go to Settings, then Data, and choose Export. You get a single JSON file named with the date. It contains everything, not just projects.

• Projects, with all their fields and overrides
• Command templates, including ones you wrote
• Terminals, editors, and applications
• Launch sets
• Keyboard shortcut bindings
• Tags and settings, including your theme

The file carries a schema version so a future release can migrate an older backup rather than rejecting it. It is plain JSON, so you can read it, keep it in version control, or diff two of them.

Importing

Import is two steps on purpose. Choosing a file validates it and shows you what it holds, record type by record type, along with any warnings. Nothing is written until you confirm.

1. 1

   Choose the file

   Settings, then Data, then Import. The file is parsed and checked for shape and version.

2. 2

   Read the summary

   You are shown the format version and a count for each kind of record, plus any problems found.

3. 3

   Confirm

   Records are merged into what you already have. Anything sharing an identifier with an existing record replaces it; everything else is added.

Moving to another machine

Export on the old machine, open ProjectShelf on the new one, and import. Your themes, shortcuts, and tools come with you.

One thing worth checking after a move between platforms: the paths. A Windows path means nothing on a Mac. If you genuinely work across both, keep the machine-specific path in the local path field and note the other form in the notes field, which is searchable.

Making it a habit

The inventory changes slowly, so a backup after a session of adding projects is usually enough. Exporting into a folder you already sync or commit means the habit costs nothing beyond the first time.

Clearing everything

Settings, then Data has a Clear all data action. It deletes every project, set, and customisation in this browser and restores the built-in presets. It asks first, and it cannot be undone, so export beforehand if there is any chance you will want it back.